If not Florida, where?

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jymbee

jymbee

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Upstate NY
We've done the typical snowbird thing for the past 6 years where we've stayed at various locations in Florida-- Keys, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, etc.-- for 4 to six weeks in the winter. Usually during January and February. To this point we've rented homes but we're now considering taking some RV trips during that time.

Nothing against Florida but we're looking for a change of scenery, not to mention the fact that as everyone knows if you want a winter space in Florida you probably should have already made reservations now for 2019.

Wondering if RV parks in other southern states present similar challenges with respect to finding vacancies during the winter months? We envision a relatively unstructured itinerary where we'd travel across southern states working our way west and taking in some of the sites as well as visiting with friends & family along the way.
 
It is not that hard to find an RV spot in Florida, unless you decide you want to be in the Keys. However I have been living in an RV for 15 years and the last five were parked in Florida. If I had to choose a new place to winter it would definitely be Arizona. Gas is cheap there (compared to California), there is lots to do there, the weather is great and the state is RV friendly. I have stayed at Leaf Verde and loved the place:

http://www.leafverde.com/
 
X2 for Arizona, 

I specifically like Yuma. 

Very RV friendly and LOW humidity.  A few cool days and nights in Dec-Feb.  For the past 8 weeks it has been mid 70-80s days and mid 40-60s nights.  2 or 3 light rains so far this season.

Low traffic most times of the day  If you stay off the main rush hour routes during rush hours.  You would not know you were in any kind of city.  Pretty much easy to get around on back streets.

As Tom said, lots to do.  Pretty much no bugs and no snakes or wild life that bother at all.  We do see the odd road runner or BobCat.

 
Aside from certain very popular Florida or south Texas destinations, you should not have any difficulty finding excellent campgrounds anywhere in the southern US.  Particularly out west where people seem to like to move from location to location each month.  Southern New Mexico, Arizona, or even into California offer many unique enjoyable places where you could easily spend 4 to 6 weeks and never get bored.  Central Florida or southern Texas have a lot of nice locations too, but you do need to start searching for good sites for either of these.

Ed
 
Spring Creek said:
Regarding Leaf Verde; wow....looks super nice the rates are good too!  Thanks for the tip!
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I have stayed there several times and it is a very impressive place. It is kept neat and clean and there is no one making noise. I also love the fact they raise a flag when the mail comes in. ;D
 
A definite yes on Yuma, AZ. Great weather, low humidity, cheap gas, exceptional vegetables and only 20 miles from Los Algodones, Mexico where glasses, dental work, medications and even alcohol is readily available and cheap. Many parks have winter specials - October/November/December as well as special rates for the Jan-April period. The biggest decision would be which park to stay in. My favorites....

Westwind - fall special $800.00
Fortuna de Oro - fall special $995

PS: Tons of parks in the Phoenix area but the traffic is a deal breaker for me. Oh and expect a ton of Canadians here. I bet most parks are 60-70% Canadian.
 
Bill and Debbie said:

"PS: Tons of parks in the Phoenix area but the traffic is a deal breaker for me. Oh and expect a ton of Canadians here. I bet most parks are 60-70% Canadian."

Just spent a week in Mesa and the traffic is awful, especially on highway 60. I'd rather drive in Los Angeles!!

And the Phoenix area is hard to find space in during the winter, just like Florida.
 
SeilerBird said:
It is not that hard to find an RV spot in Florida, unless you decide you want to be in the Keys. However I have been living in an RV for 15 years and the last five were parked in Florida. If I had to choose a new place to winter it would definitely be Arizona. Gas is cheap there (compared to California), there is lots to do there, the weather is great and the state is RV friendly. I have stayed at Leaf Verde and loved the place:

http://www.leafverde.com/
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Thanks much-- we'll definitely keep that site in mind.
 
Hmmm.....I?m thinking South Dakota. But then again, I don?t mind cold or snow and less people.  ??

Not to mention, they have chislic there. Yum!
 
Boonieman said:
I don?t mind cold or snow and less people.
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I'm afraid that "cold, snow and less people" pretty much describes where we live now-- half mile to the nearest neighbor and such. Fairly certain I couldn't talk my better half into visiting a similar environment in the winter.  ;D

However a visit in a more moderate season is definitely on our wish list.
 
jymbee said:
I'm afraid that "cold, snow and less people" pretty much describes where we live now-- half mile to the nearest neighbor and such. Fairly certain I couldn't talk my better half into visiting a similar environment in the winter.  ;D

However a visit in a more moderate season is definitely on our wish list.
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In that case, you may enjoy a occasional boondocking excursion in the Arizona desert.  Instead of staying at a park for the whole winter, take a few days or a week or two to wander out in the desert and enjoy the peace and quiet all by yourselves.
 
We visited Borrego Springs in the off season, the lady at The Springs rv park told us they were always full in snowbirds season, it's a nice place but think it's pricey and you need to book early.
 
Lou Schneider said:
In that case, you may enjoy a occasional boondocking excursion in the Arizona desert.  Instead of staying at a park for the whole winter, take a few days or a week or two to wander out in the desert and enjoy the peace and quiet all by yourselves.
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That is a GREAT idea and would suit my overall MO nicely. I'll need to investigate what's out there. A few years ago a friend and I, working on a consulting job in Phoenix, rented a car one weekend and just took off into the desert. Ended up in some very poor roads out in the middle of nowhere and we didn't have anything like a SUV. Survived that but learned a lesson.
 
jackiemac said:
Check out Campendium it's good for lots of boondocking, often with reviews.
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That could be very useful  I've added that the growing list of useful sites that I've learned about here. Thanks!
 
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