Florida works for RV travel because almost every region has a public campground within reach of a beach, a spring or a city. The state is long, though. Pensacola and Key West are a very long drive apart, so most good trips pick one or two regions and stay a while.
RVRents does not deliver, set up or service RVs in Florida yet. You can rent today from RV owners listed on Outdoorsy through the link on this page, and you can join the waitlist to hear when RVRents service starts here. This guide covers where to go, where to camp and what to know before you drive.
How Florida breaks down for an RV trip
Think of the state in five pieces. The Panhandle runs along the northern Gulf Coast from Pensacola toward Tallahassee and has white-sand beaches and state parks on the coastal dune lakes. Northeast Florida, around Jacksonville and St. Augustine, mixes Atlantic beaches with old towns. Central Florida has Orlando, freshwater springs and the Ocala National Forest. The Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay to Sarasota and Fort Myers has barrier islands and calm water. South Florida covers Miami, Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys, where US 1 (the Overseas Highway) is the route through the islands.
| Region | Best months | Good base | Nearby public campground |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle | Spring and fall | Santa Rosa Beach | Grayton Beach State Park |
| Northeast | Fall through spring | St. Augustine | Anastasia State Park |
| Central | Fall through spring | Orlando or Ocala | Wekiwa Springs State Park, Juniper Springs |
| Gulf Coast | Fall through spring | St. Petersburg or Sarasota | Fort De Soto Park, Myakka River State Park |
| South Florida and the Keys | Winter (November through April) | Homestead or the Middle Keys | Flamingo or Long Pine Key in Everglades, Bahia Honda State Park |
Top RV destinations in Florida
Orlando
Orlando is the most common starting point because of its theme parks and its airport. For a quieter base, Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka sits on the north side of the metro and has a full-facility campground with RV sites, most with water and electricity. The spring itself is the main draw for swimming and paddling.
Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest, between Ocala and the Atlantic coast along State Road 40, is spring country. Juniper Springs Recreation Area has a campground with tent and RV sites, and the USDA Forest Service takes reservations through Recreation.gov. Expect full recreation sites on weekends.
St. Augustine
St. Augustine pairs a walkable historic downtown with Atlantic beaches. Anastasia State Park is on the barrier island across the Matanzas River and has a campground close to the beach with RV access. It makes a short drive to town for dinner and back to the dunes at night.
St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay area gives you a city, beaches and causeways in one stop. Fort De Soto Park, run by Pinellas County at the mouth of Tampa Bay, has a campground where each reservable site has water and electric hookups. Pinellas County notes that sites 1 to 85 are designed for tents, vans, pop-ups and trailers shorter than 16 feet, so larger RVs need a site in the higher-numbered loops.
Sarasota
Sarasota has Gulf beaches and an arts scene, and Myakka River State Park, just east of the city, gives you the Myakka River, wetlands and wildlife viewing. The park lists RV sites among its campground amenities.
Everglades National Park and Homestead
Homestead is the gateway to the main road through Everglades National Park. The park has two drive-in campgrounds. Long Pine Key, a few miles past the entrance, has drive-up sites for tents and RVs on a first-come, first-served basis. Flamingo, about 38 miles south on Florida Bay, accepts reservations and the park recommends them in the busy winter season. The National Park Service calls November through April the busiest time to camp.
The Florida Keys
The Keys are a road trip on one highway, with water on both sides for much of the drive. Bahia Honda State Park, in the Lower Keys, has campsites that take everything from large RVs to small tents, with electricity and water. If a winter stay in the Keys matters to you, book as soon as your reservation window opens.
Santa Rosa Beach and the Panhandle
The beaches between Destin and Panama City Beach are a common spring and fall base. Grayton Beach State Park, on Scenic Highway 30A, has a campground where sites have electricity, water and sewer hookups. Florida State Parks lists a maximum RV length of 40 feet there.
Campgrounds and reservations
Florida State Parks operates campgrounds in every region of the state. Reservations open 11 months ahead for Florida residents and 10 months ahead for non-residents, under a state law that took effect in 2024. Details are on the Florida State Parks reservation information page. Hookups, length limits and loop layouts vary by park, so read the site description before you book.
Beyond the state parks, look at county parks such as Fort De Soto (booked through Pinellas County), national forest campgrounds in the Ocala National Forest, and the two Everglades campgrounds run with the National Park Service. Federal sites generally book through Recreation.gov.
Worth knowing: If you live outside Florida, your booking window at state parks opens a month later than it does for residents (10 months ahead instead of 11). For a winter trip to a popular coastal park, mark the date your window opens and book that day.
Driving an RV in Florida
Florida is flat, so grades are rarely the issue. Tolls and traffic are. Florida's Turnpike and other toll roads use electronic collection, and cash is not accepted at those toll points. A SunPass transponder is the preferred payment method, and the Turnpike also accepts E-ZPass, E-PASS and several other transponders. Without one, cameras photograph the plate and an invoice goes to the registered owner by mail with an added administrative charge. Tolls are based on axle count, so an RV towing a car or a long trailer pays more than a two-axle vehicle. Ask your rental owner whether the RV has a transponder and how tolls are billed.
For road conditions, construction and closures, check the Florida Department of Transportation. In the Keys, US 1 is the one road in and out, so a crash or closure can stop traffic for a while. Leave slack in your schedule.
Seasons and weather
Winter is peak RV season in South Florida and the Keys, when days are mild and campgrounds are busiest. Spring and fall suit the Panhandle and northern Florida, which can get cool nights in winter. Summer brings heat, humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, so look for shade and plan outdoor time for mornings.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and NOAA notes that most storms come in August through October. If a storm approaches, parks and campgrounds may close, and local evacuation orders take priority over any reservation. Check weather.gov for forecasts and alerts, and the National Hurricane Center during the season.
If, then
- If it is your first RV trip, start in Central Florida, where drives between springs, parks and Orlando are short.
- If you want the Keys or the Everglades, go between November and April and book state park sites as soon as your window opens.
- If you are traveling in late summer or early fall, keep plans flexible and watch the National Hurricane Center.
- If your RV is long or you are towing, read each campground's site lengths and pick loops built for large rigs.
How RVRents fits a Florida trip today
RVRents does not operate in Florida yet. Use this guide to plan, browse RVs from Florida owners listed on Outdoorsy through the link on this page, and join the waitlist if you want to hear when RVRents delivery and setup service comes to the state.