Silver River State Park, Ocala, FL

Date of Stay:  Thursday January 3 - Thursday January 17, 2013 (14 nights)

Rate:  $13/night (Gin’s disabled FL resident discount)

Website:  Silver River State Park (FL)
   1425 NE 58th Ave.
   Ocala, FL 34470
   352-236-7148

Description:  Paved roads with sand/pea gravel pads.  We were on site 44 which was 30A and water but there are several sites that have 50A.  Laundry at the clean bathhouses.  Quite wooded here but we got our dish to work.  Nature trails and nice museum/education center with a cracker period homestead.  There is a canoe launch on the spring fed Silver River and a private attraction at the headsprings that has glass bottom boats.  The State is in negotiations to buy it.  Signs of feral hogs within the park.  Lots of wildlife on the river but the unique attraction here is the Rhesus monkeys.

Activities:  Bill and Nancy joined us here for a few days.  We all enjoyed a paddle up to the headsprings in our SeaEagles.  Since the canoe launch is about a mile from the campsite and half of that is on a nature trail, Gin fixed a pvc trailer for ours to be pulled behind a bike.  It worked nicely and people asked about it.  Al and Karen visited one day and we all went for another paddle.  There’s just so much wildlife on the river so it’s a great way to spend the day.  There’s lots of birds and turtles and even alligators, but the main attraction is the Rhesus monkeys that live here.  I enjoyed a ranger led nature hike and also a presentation by an older gentleman (80’s) who grew up in the area.  It reminded me of the stories my parents told of their youth.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster near the bathhouse with recycle bins there too.

 

 

Bill and Nancy enjoying the river

 

Glass bottom boats at Silver Springs attractions

 

 

Birds on the bank of the Silver River

 

 

Turtles Galore!!

 

Gators and the next generation

 

 

Rhesus monkeys and the next generation

Cedar Key RV Resort , Cedar Key, FL

Date of Stay:  Sunday December 23 -Thursday January 3, 2013 (11 nights)

Rate:  $27/night (PPA and Good Sam helped)

Website:  Cedar Key RV Resort
   11980 SW Shiloh Road
   Cedar Key, FL 32625
   352-543-5097

Description:  Initially reviewed here.

Activities:  We stayed on Dan and Tricia’s site our first 8 nights and then moved over to site 83 for the last 3 nights.  This was our first Christmas on the road and since we felt so confortable here before, we knew we had to return.  Too cold to enjoy the pool but the clubhouse had a great Christmas dinner (Gin and I got CK RV Resort mugs).  D and T made it down here from NC just in time for the New Years party in the clubhouse.  No pictures of that but karaoke was fun!

 

Tricia and Dan’s site 76… nicely landscaped

 

Site 83 is a drive in that over looks a retention pond

Lazy Days Crown Club, Seffner, FL

Date of Stay:  Monday November 26 - Sunday December 23, 2012 (27 nights)

Rate:  Included with purchase of Tawanda

Website:  Lazy Days
   6130 Lazy Days Blvd
   Seffner, FL 33584
   800-350-6728 (service)

Description:  Reviewed earlier here.

Activities:  We have come back to the dealership once again for some warranty work.  One of the main things that needed attention was the fact that several of our ceramic tiles were getting cracked and even gouged by the slide outs.  Winnebago and Lazy Days came up with the solution of replacing the slide rollers with redesigned ones.  Other models like ours have had similar problems.  The driver’s side slide has already been propped out and the rollers replaced.  Now it was time for the passenger side slide.  We didn’t know that it was going to be almost taken apart.  The Crown Club is a very social place to pass the time while we wait.  We have met many nice people here, both workers and customers.  We met Tony and Jill this time who have two cute little dogs.  They even gave us Christmas stockings!

 

Open house!!

   

They did put a sheet up at night.  Glad it wasn’t very cold out.  Gin is peeking in.

 

Jill and her dog                                          I just had to get my puppy fix!

Rainbow Springs State Park, Dunnellon, FL

Date of Stay:  Friday November 16 - Monday November 26, 2012 (10 nights)

Rate:  $16/night (Gin’s disabled FL resident discount)

Website:  Rainbow Springs State Park (FL)
   18185 SW 94th Street
   Dunnellon, FL 34432
   352-465-8550

Description:  Paved roadways with sand/pea gravel parking pads.  Newly renovated so all sites are 50A FHU.  Laundry in the bathhouses.  We stayed on site 31 which is a pull-thru.  Nice paved tram road for morning walks and bike riding.  The tram only runs during the summer when tubing in Rainbow River is popular.  Nature trails and canoe launch onto the Rainbow River which is spring fed keeping it at a constant 72* year round.  Crystal clear water in the river.  The other side of the river is private homes but the State owns the Headsprings Park which was a private attraction during the 1930’s-1970’s.  The waterfalls there are man-made but still beautiful and jungle-like. Notice: the address for the campground is different than the one on the State’s website.  I have given the correct one on 94th Street.  Our site 31 and 3 are both pull-thrus that can handle any size rig.  We also like sites 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, and 22 which are all back-ins.  Site 15 is a nice handicap accessible site.

Activities:  We enjoyed biking around and actually saw our first Gopher Tortoise munching on grass on the edge of the ditch on the tram road.  We also had our first close encounter with an armadillo when one stood up and crossed the sidewalk in front of us leading to the boat ramp.  We went to the Headsprings Park and enjoyed the lush jungle atmosphere.  We met a woman that swims in the headsprings every day.  That’s cold water!  We took the SeaEagle out a couple of times, first time up to the headsprings and later, down stream some.  Gin said that it was like floating on an aquarium.  The State owns one side of the river and there are homes on the other side.  Several people were on personal pontoon boats.  I think the motors are limited to 10 hp so they were respectfully slow and not all that loud.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster near the office building and a can for aluminum cans only at the office.

 

 

 Typical site                                        Office

  

Enjoying the waterfalls at the Headsprings Park

  

 

Wildlife along the Rainbow River

 

Floating on an aquarium                             Our shadows

 

Crooked River State Park, St. Mary’s, GA

Date of Stay:  Tuesday November 13 - Friday November 16, 2012 (3 nights)

Rate:  $30/night

Website:  Crooked River State Park (GA)
   6222 Charlie Smith Sr, Hwy.
   St. Mary’s, GA 31558

Description:  Reviewed earlier here.

Activities:  Since it wasn’t raining this time, we enjoyed riding our bikes around and walking some trails.  We stayed in the newer section again but on site 59 this time.