Beach camping in Florida: Living the dream

Beach camping in Florida is living the dream — and it’s about the only place in Florida where you would want to camp during summer.

Gentle breezes and swaying palms, shorebirds soaring, tiny crabs scurrying with every incoming wave. Not to mention the clear night sky and the ability to jump into the sea and cool off!

Our favorite beaches for camping in Florida are a dream come true.

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St. George Island State Park

Near Apalachicola, where Florida’s Big Bend meets the Panhandle

St. George Island State Park’s nine miles of white-sand beaches are stunning, and its isolation at the far eastern end of a barrier island on the Gulf offer the darkest skies for stargazing.

The island wraps around Apalachicola Bay, which is making a comeback as Florida’s dominant oyster fishery. The bay’s famed dominance as a source of oysters has been on a 5-year pause to allow restoration to its former glory.

One of my fondest pre-2020 memories of camping here was slurping fresh local oysters from an islander’s back porch raw bar. Commerical oyster harvesting returns to the bay this year.

The campground is tucked behind majestic dunes, an easy walk to the Gulf of Mexico, and there’s a boat launch on the bay side where you can launch kayaks and paddle boards. If you don’t have your own, canoes and kayaks are available for rent at the ranger station.

There are 60 RV and tent sites with electric and water, six with concrete pads, and there is a dump station. Camping fee is $24 per night plus a daily $7 utilities fee, taxes and a one-time $6.70 booking fee. Day-use fee is $6 per vehicle, which is waived if you have a campground reservation.

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Curry Hammock State Park

In the Middle Keys, before you reach Marathon

Curry Hammock State Park is our favorite destination for beach camping in the Florida Keys with the untimely demise of the nearby campground at Long Key State Park, which was wiped out by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Miraculously, Curry Hammock survived.

Curry Hammock sites 7 through 19, 21 and 22 are on the beach, and the remaining 14 sites are very close. The ocean is shallow, the surf mild and currents are weak most days, making it ideal for families with small children.

Kayaks and canoes can be launched from the campground, and the day-use beach area is popular with kite-boarders. Sites are $36 per night plus a $7 daily utilities fee for RVs, taxes and a non-refundable $6.70 reservation fee.

Campsite reservations here are hard to get, so be persistent and check often for cancellations.

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Huguenot Memorial Park

Northeast Florida near the Georgia border

This sandy campground is on the windswept edge of Jacksonville, gateway to the pristine Talbot Islands. A short walk from this campground is a mile-long beach, open fully to the Atlantic Ocean, making it a popular destination for surfers and kite boarders.

The St. Johns River and the Mayport Naval Station border the campground on south, and a quiet cove off the Fort George Inlet on the north side offers access to backcountry kayaking.

Electric hookups only. Campers must retrieve water from tanks, which can be a little a tricky so it’s best to bring your own.

Tent sites are $22.70; RV sites, $27.54, including tax and electric. Pet fee is $5.38 extra per pet, per day. 

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Turtle Beach Campground

Public beach on south end of Siesta Key

I came across this little gem while visiting a friend on Siesta Key a few years ago.

Turtle Beach had been a private campground since the 1920s, but it was acquired by Sarasota County in 2006 as an expansion of adjacent Turtle Beach County Park.

The campground is a narrow sliver wedged between the park and a high-end residential area.

The park has 39 tightly adjacent campsites for tents or RVs with full hookups and free Wi-Fi. The campground road runs down the middle — with direct access to the beach and a shaded beachfront picnic area.

If you have any difficulty backing up your camping rig, though, this may not be the right campground for you. The single access road is narrow, and it’s a tight fit.

A kayak launch is located in the adjacent park. The nightly rate is $75. No pets allowed.

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Jetty Park Campground

View of the launch pads at Kennedy Space Center

Camping and cabin sites at this Brevard County Park are within a block of the broad and hard-packed beach, where you can ride a fat-tire bike for miles.

If you’re lucky and there’s a rocket launch from the space center, this is THE place to be.

RV sites have water and electric hookups; only 13 have sewer hookups. Rustic tent sites have water. The four-person cabins are small but functional with a patio, a grill, picnic table, A/C, fridge and bathroom. No kitchens or showers, but there is a central bathhouse.

Cabins are $140. Primitive tent sites are $24 off-season, $34 in-season (Nov. 15-Apr. 15). RV sites with full hookups are $45-54 in off-season and $55-$64 in-season.

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Fort De Soto Campground

Very popular beach at the entrance to Tampa Bay

There are nearly 200 RV sites at this Pinellas County campground, and most are on the water, but only the tent campground is on an actual beach. The waterfront RV sites are behind seawalls, still a nice place to be.

You can paddle, ride a bike or drive within the park to one of Florida’s top beaches, Fort DeSoto’s famous North Beach.

Overall, the campground has 238 sites on three connected islands, including the tent campground. Besides having access to their own beach, tent campers can often find available sites, a benefit not enjoyed by RVers.

Reservations are highly recommended, but some walkup sites may be available.

Tent sites are $33.50 in-season and $30 off season. RV sites are $38.50 in season and $37 off-season. (Add $2 for waterfront.)

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Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area

Two campgrounds but only one on the beach

Gamble Rogers is not very big as state parks go, but it has a beautiful half-mile orange sand beach and an oceanfront campground with 34 sites. 

The inland side of the 145-acre park features a second 34-site campground, a boat ramp, hiking trails along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Saltwater marshes common on this section of the coast make Gamble Rogers it an excellent launch pad for boats, kayaks and canoes seeking to explore a multitude of inland waterways.

A paved bike path runs along A1A to nearby North Peninsula State Park. 

Campsites have water, electric, picnic table and a fire ring. Camping fees are $28 per night plus a daily $7 utility fee, taxes and a non-refundable $6.70 booking fee. A dump station is on site. Pets are allowed.  (Maximum RV length is 40 feet.)

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Anastasia State Park

Campsites are set back from the beach and heavily shaded

Four miles of pristine beach and historic St. Augustine make this state park a big attraction, if you can get a reservation.

It’s the perfect base camp for visitors to the nation’s oldest city who also want to hike or bicycle on the beach, paddle, sail or fish.

Anastasia has 139 campsites for RVs and tents in a grove of trees a short walk from the beach. Ground vegetation provides visual privacy between most sites, which vary from 10 feet to 40 feet.

All sites have electric and water, a picnic table, in-ground grill and a fire ring. A dump station is nearby. Pets are OK but not on the beach.

Sites are $28 a night plus a daily $7 utilities fee, taxes and a $6.70 one-time booking fee.

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Grayton Beach State Park

Frequently rated the No. 1 beach in America

This 2,000-acre park embraces one of Florida’s most beautiful beaches, a sugar-sand paradise that stretches for a mile between Destin and Panama City Beach.

The park features a 4.5 mile trail for hiking and biking, and there’s a kayak launch for paddling an unusual freshwater lake behind majestic dunes.

A new campground loop has added 24 sites with water, 50-amp electric and sewer hookups, bringing the total number of sites to 52. Both camping loops have restrooms with hot showers.  

The park also has 30 two-bedroom duplex cabins accommodating up to six people each, so invite friends to spend a week or a weekend when you’re here.

Rates are $30 per night plus a daily $7 utility fee for RVs, taxes and a $6.70 one-time reservations fee. Cabins are $110-$130 per night. Pets are OK in the campground.

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Sandspur Campground

In the Florida Keys at world famous Bahia Honda State Park

Somewhat to the discomfort of tent campers, who once had exclusive use of the Sandspur Campground at Bahia Honda State Park, the campground’s 17 oceanfront sites now have gravel pads and accommodate RVs up to 23 feet (hitch to bumper).

This is still the quiet side of the island with its own laid-back beach, away from the maddening crowds that flock to Bahia Honda’s main beach.

We also like waterfront sites in Bahia Honda’s Buttonwood and Bayside campgrounds, best for larger RVs, but nothing in the park compares to Sandspur sites 49-56 and 62-72 for their spectacular beachfront.

Each site has electric and water hookups, a picnic table and grill. Camping fees are $36 per night plus a $7 utility fee, taxes and a one-time $6.70 booking fee.

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Fort Pickens Campground

Near Pensacola in Gulf Islands National Seashore

This spectacular 200-site national park campground on the west end of Santa Rosa Island is within the protected Gulf Islands National Seashore.

The campground is named after a historic fort found on the island’s westernmost point, built in the early 1800’s to protect Pensacola Bay. It was one of four forts that did not fall into Confederate hands during the Civil War.

All 200 Fort Pickens’ campsites have water, electricity, grills/fire rings, and picnic tables. Restrooms and dump stations are nearby. Loop A is the most popular with oaks and other trees providing excellent shade over nearly all sites.

A beach access point is directly across from the Loop A entrance. 

Sites are $40 per night for electric and $26 without electric.

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Anclote Key Preserve

Tent only camping on an island off Tarpon Springs

Anclote Key is an 11,000-acre island paradise three miles off the coast of Tarpon Springs with beautiful beaches and a picturesque 1887 lighthouse, accessible only by private boat.

Campers pitch tents on the north end of the island for an unbelievable beach-camping experience under the stars. There is no water — just a compost toilet — so you bring everything you need (and leave nothing behind).

The best part of camping on this beach? It’s free! You don’t even need a reservation.

But it is impossible to camp here without a boat, and the crossing from Fred Howard Park over open water is challenging for kayakers. Only experienced paddlers should attempt it.

There is ferry service to the island, but it is only for day visitors.

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Peanut Island

An Intracoastal Waterway spoil island accessible only by boat

This little island, an exceptional Palm Beach County park, is located in the mouth of the inlet to the Port of Palm Beach, flushed thoroughly with clear, Caribbean blue water with every tide, making it ideal for snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boards and swimming.

There are 17 tropically landscaped tent campsites, set behind a picket fence for privacy, separating the campground from the day-use area.

Camping is limited to three nights, and only one three-night stay every two months. There is no electricity. Campsites are $28 a night plus tax with a six-camper maximum occupancy per site. Peanut Island campers must arrange to reach the island by boat.

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