Vacations this year are ... well, not easy. At press time and for who knows until when, many countries are closed to American travelers – and many states are closed to Floridians, unless you're up for a 14-day quarantine first. That makes road trips your most likely option for any kind of getaway fun. But even there, who feels 100 percent safe in a hotel room?
So: Camping it is. Pack up that tent, or if you're not quite that gung-ho about sleeping on the ground, look into renting an RV or camper. (Try sites like Outdoorsy for an RV or teardrop, Ondevan Campervan for a vanlife glamper or Florida VW Rental for a cute vintage Volkswagen bus.) If #vanlife is good enough for thousands of hot young Instagrammers, it's good enough for us.
We've highlighted three of our favorite Florida cities this year, making sure to choose those with state parks that welcome campers. At present, no walk-in overnight stays are allowed, so you'll need to plan ahead and reserve a place to pitch your tent or park up.
Flagler Beach offers six miles of cinnamon-red coquina sand facing the Atlantic Ocean, and Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area has 34 beach-dune campsites and 34 sites on the Matanzas River side of the long, skinny barrier island.Apalachicola is a laid-back little fishing town Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and nearby St. George Island is one of the most beautiful places to camp – or simply spend a beach day – you might ever find.
And Micanopy! One of our favorite Florida towns, it's just 15 minutes south of Gainesville, but it feels miles and decades away. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, a 21,000-acre freshwater marsh and savannah where herds of wild horses and even bison roam, allows vehicle camping as well.
Exhale! You're on vacation.
