 Seeking another break from the Buffalo winter, we decided to explore Florida's Gulf Coast this year, spending two days at each of the Florida campgrounds. The more direct route, thru West Virginia and the Carolinas, was chosen this time. |
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 Mountain Lake CampgroundSummersville, West Virginia. The winter facilities are 15 amp outlets located around the outside of the office and very close to the highway.
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Green Acres Family CampgroundWalterboro, South Carolina. Convenient to the interstate and a Cracker Barrel, located in a stand of mature pines with very limited Dish reception.
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Silver Springs Campers GardenSilver Springs, Florida. Sites are narrow but Silver Springs is across the street.
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| Silver SpringsSilver Springs, Florida. We spent a relaxing day exploring the grounds and animal displays and in the glass bottom boats. |
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KOA Tampa EastDover, Florida. We stayed here to use the shuttle to Busch Gardens, however the campground had just been sold and the shuttle was no longer available.
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| That evening we drove the RV to The Pier St. Petersburg, Florida. Finding a parking place for the RV was a hassle, but we did have an enjoyable meal on a patio while watching the sunset. |
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We spent day six at Busch Gardens Tampa, Florida. The Park has dramatically changed since my last visit in the 50's, a brewery tour and a bird show. This was an enjoyable day of shows and animals. |
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On the last morning of our stay, the coach lights began to dim. I quickly disconnected the RV, I had overheard several other campers complaining about the electrical service on the previous day, and started the RV. We continued South with a stop at the Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. This provided a welcomed change from the usual Florida attractions. |
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The Royal Coachmen ResortNokomis, Florida. A very well maintained campground with the friendliest group of RV'ers we have met.
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| During our stay, I noticed that the GFCI outlet near the lavatory was not working. I removed the outlet and verified that the supply line was hot, the GFCI was working after I reconnected it, perplexing but of little concern since everything was functioning properly. This will become a recurring problem. |
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KOA Pine IslandPine Island, Florida. We finally found a KOA shuttle, the boat ride to Sanibel Island was fun and provided views of the island you would not see from a car.
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KOA St.AugustineSt. Augustine, Florida. Would you believe their shuttle was not running because of bridge construction?
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| Old City, St. Augustine has an interesting mix of history, shops and artisans and museums. We thoroughly enjoyed this day. |
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The Barnyard RV ParkColumbia, South Carolina. Extra large, level pull thru sites with very reaonable rates. Adjacent to a large weekend flea market.
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Broken Wheel CampgroundWeston, West Virginia. During the off-season, only the sites near the office are available.
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| After this trip, we feel that most KOA campgrounds are over priced, over rated and like to use bait and switch techniques. In the future we will avoid the KOA's whenever possible. |
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