Florida

[JudyJB]

Hfx_Cdn, I think you are talking about Midway Campground on Tamiami Trail. Just west of it is The Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center. It has a short boardwalk along an alligator pond guaranteed to have a dozen or so huge alligators in it, along with birds along the edges. Midway Campground has paved roads and paved campsites with electrical hookups, along with a dump station and water fill. No pool, activities, or other "features," but sites are arranged around a pond with a couple of alligators or so, and directly across the highway is a several miles long ditch created when the road was constructed. And it has a ton of interesting birds and the occasional alligator in it. No cell service at the campground, however, and groceries are 50 miles away in Naples. Also gas is 25 miles east so make sure you fill up before you go. ​

BUT, there is Clyde Butcher's Big Cypress art gallery just west of Midway, and 12 miles east is Shark Valley, which has the best paved bike path (18 miles long) in Florida!! You can take a tram ride if you don't ride a bike, but the place will let you feel like you are in the real "River of Grass." Alligators often hang out on the paved path, or are very close, ditto for birds. Also, check out the boardwalk at Kirby Storter roadside park which is about 10 miles west of Midway. ​

There are lots of places in this area for airboat rides and fishing. Nearby is the Miccousukee Indian Reservation with airboat rides and a museum. Miccosukee Indian Village and Airboat Rides in Everglades Area, FL

Anyway, these are some of my favorite places in Florida, and actually still have spots available for next January through March. (A few people have given this campground negative reviews because it does not have full hookups, which is really a ridiculous expectation for a place which is literally in the middle of a beautiful nowhere.) Cost is $30 per night or $15 with the federal Senior Pass. I make sure I go there a couple of weeks whenever I am in Florida. ​

There are several other campgrounds in the Big Cypress, but most do not have electric.

 

[DonTom]

No cell service at the campground, however, and groceries are 50 miles away in Naples. Also gas is 25 miles east so make sure you fill up before you go.

Sounds like my type of place to visit for a few days.

BTW, anybody here have an idea of a place and date for us to meet at in Florida?

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[JudyJB]

Here a couple of links to my blog posting on Shark Valley: 1/28 Shark Valley Bike RIde and 2/18 Shark Valley Loop Again. Only tip for this place is that there are only a handful of places for RV parking, so it is best to get there at 9 am or whenever it opens.

And here are some photos of Midway campground: 1/23 Midway Campground, Big Cypress Reserve

If these places appeal to you, you would like the Audabon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. They have a two-mile boardwalk which is best visited in fall when there is still a lot of water in the swamp. It tends to dry up in winter and spring, so not so many alligators and birds. It is northeast of Naples and southwest of Immokalee, FL. Well worth a full day's trip.

Also, if you need cell service in Midway, just drive to the Big Cypress Oasis visitor center three miles east. Or ride your bike there on the shoulder, being careful of traffic.

Also, nearly everyone keeps all outside lights turned off at Midway Campground. No rules, just custom. Purpose is to achieve a dark sky to better enjoy the Milky Way and the "billions and billions" of stars you can see. Bring a telescope if you have one.

 

[JudyJB]

Also, a couple of fun places to eat in southwestern Florida are Snook Haven and Linger Lodge. These are two restaurants that are out-of-the way a bit and reflect what Old Florida used to be like.

• Snook Haven is down a dirt road in Venice, Fl, and has very good food, especially barbecue. You can also order alligator bites for an appetizer. There is often outdoor entertainment and tours down the Myakka River on a boat. Or if you are really adventurous, you can rent a kayak to paddle down this alligator-infested river! Snook Haven Restaurant - Barbecue, Brews and Bands On The Myakka River
• Linger Lodge is in Bradenton, a little north of Venice, but has good food and alligator snacks as well. (I just noticed on their website that Linger Lodge is closed until January 2022 because they are redoing their campground.) HOME | Linger Lodge

My cousin took me to Snook Haven, and then when my daughter-in-law came to visit, I took her to both, which she really enjoyed. Both places have taxidermied alligators and other animals, plus displays of local things.

 

[NY_Dutch]

A little clarification on Midway Campground. There's a Marathon gas station st the intersection of US-41 and County Rd 29 24 miles west of Midway. There's also a limited selection of groceries 28 miles from the campground at the Right Choice Supermarket and the Circle K convenience store in Everglades City on Rt 29. Everglades City also has some pretty decent restaurants, although I don't know how much the current COVID wave in Florida has affected them. I should also mention, we've managed to get usable Verizon cell service at Midway using a cell booster/repeater with a roof mounted antenna. I'm looking forward to seeing how our new directional MIMO antenna pair works there this winter.

 

[JudyJB]

You are right. I should have said a major grocery store was about 50 miles away. You can pick up the basics at that little store. And I have gotten a tiny bit of data with my Verizon mobile hotspots in Midway, but it can be really iffy, and when I was teaching online, I could not count on it, so drove out each day to upload and download.

 

[DonTom]

I expected to be on my way to Florida by now, but my new motorhome is still in the shop to fix the minor issues I discovered during my one short trip in it.

It's now been in the shop for two weeks, but I assume the issue is they are waiting for parts to come in.

I have not yet checked with them to see what the status is.

But I will head back to Reno in a couple of days and then I will check in with them. Hopefully I can leave by next week. I will still first do an oil and filter change and perhaps the next day leave.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Oldgator73]

I would like to see a few of those Florida gators

I have attached a photo of a true, living Florida Gator.

 

[DonTom]

They want me to pick up my RV on Friday.

I head back to Reno tomorrow. Then I will bring the new RV back here to Auburn to change the oil & filter on Saturday or Sunday. No place for me to do such in Reno.

I will leave from here, perhaps on Monday to drive south and east. Maybe on Sunday if all goes smooth.

-Don- Auburn, CA