Our Favorite Campground in Orlando…and it’s not at Disneyworld!

Wekiwa State Park in Orlando

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We really do love Disney

Fay and I have lived in Orlando for over 30 years. We have certainly spent enough time at Disneyworld and the theme parks to last a lifetime. In fact, for years we would purchase an annual "after 4:00 Florida Residents Epcot pass" that would allow us unlimited evening visits year round.

The park admission was a great value, particularly because we got to attend concerts by famous old rock and roll bands in the spring and fall. Unfortunately, the thing we tended to overlook was how much money we spent on food and drinks every time we went. No question that even though we got the Florida resident discount, Disney always managed to make a good profit off us too! All-in-all though, it was well worth it to be able to experience such a fantastic place whenever we wanted.

Disney's Fort Wilderness (photo by Chris Bona)

Disney's Fort Wilderness (photo by Chris Bona)

Disney's Fort Wilderness is wonderful!

When we started camping, we had no idea what we were doing, so we decided that camping at Disney would likely be a safe bet. I'm mean if anybody could make it foolproof it would have to be them. So our for our first time out (which was with a tent) we headed to Fort Wilderness at Disneyworld.

What an incredible place! It was so clean and so perfect. They had thought of everything, and obviously, there was no shortage of things to do. We were certainly camping, in the woods, with nature and wild animals around us. But like I said, it was just so perfect. The bathhouse was air-conditioned. A shuttle bus would even come by and drive you are around so you didn't have to "hike" too far. But the armadillos around our campsite...we still wonder if they were real or animatronics!

Wekiwa Springs State Park in Orlando

Wekiwa Springs State Park in Orlando

A bit of "Real Florida"

...Before the arrival of the first roller coaster!

While we loved our experience at Fort Wilderness (and I'd certainly recommend it for anyone that's a big Disney fan), we eventually were ready to move onto something a bit more natural. We found that there were a lot of campgrounds around Central Florida, including some great state and county parks.

So when it comes to Orlando campgrounds, there is one that has certainly become our favorite. It's on the north end of town, the opposite end from Disney, the other theme parks, and all the massive tourist destinations (and tourist traps!). It's Wekiwa Springs State Park, located between the local communities of Longwood and Apopka.

While it's a great place, it's not too perfect. The habitat is all natural and allows you to experience real Florida, not all the man-made attractions that Orlando is famous for.

The trees have been there for hundreds of years, nothing newly planted. There are no shuttle buses...you get to hike through the woods The bathhouses are nice, but not air-conditioned. And the raccoons around your campsite will definitely eat any food you leave out.

The central feature of the park is Wekiwa Springs. It's a natural Florida spring with a large swimming area, that feeds the Wekiva River (yes..that's not a typo...the springs is spelled with a "w", and the river with a "v".). The water is crystal clear and full of fish and other water creatures. Probably one of our favorite activities is canoeing down the river and experiencing natural Florida at it's finest.

Wekiwa State Park...our favorite of the Orlando campgrounds

Wekiwa State Park...our favorite of the Orlando campgrounds

Fay and I have written a review of the campground here on my website. Like most of our reviews, there are several photos (including ones of the bathhouse should you want to use it). For additional information about the park, simply go to Google and search for it.

I certainly don't want to discourage you from visiting the tourist attractions in Orlando. No question that they are among the finest in the world. Wekiwa State Park, however, gives you a chance to experience real Florida, as it was before humans ever set foot here (or rode the first roller coaster!).
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Be sure to drop me a note if you have any questions.
- Denny

Denny Johnson

Denny Johnson

After having spent most of our adult life in Orlando, my wife Fay and I moved to Knoxville, TN in 2020. We are loving the change of seasons and being near the mountains. Plus, this part of the country is loaded with great places to camp. 
 
We camped years ago with a pop-up camper, but got serious about it when we purchased our Casita in 2014. There was a lot to learn as we started traveling with it, and a lot of conflicting opinions on line. That's when I decided that creating a website would be a good retirement project. I started tinyTowable.com to share things we've learned along the way that have worked well for us in hopes that the information would be of help to others.
 
However, since moving to Tennessee, I've gotten involved with new hobbies (you can check some out on my personal website at https://www.softrite.com) and we haven't camped very much. So, at the end of 2023, I made the tough decision to stop updating this website.
 
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3 thoughts on “Our Favorite Campground in Orlando…and it’s not at Disneyworld!

  1. Thanks for reviewing this park. As I write this, we have 5 inches of snow in Kansas City and 15 degrees. I’m thinking I’ll never again spend a winter here and Florida would be ideal. Can you suggest any RV Parks in Orlando or other Florida places that would allow maybe a 2-3 month stay..And of course affordable for this retiree.. Bill Morris

    1. Thanks for your note Bill. Unfortunately, I’m not a good one to answer this question. We live here in Orlando so haven’t really paid attention to long term availability in the winter.

      I would suggest posting some questions in a few Facebook groups. You should be able to find a lot of people in the same situation you are, but that are already spending their winters here. Here are a couple of groups that I would start with:
      – Florida RV Camping
      – Florida Campgrounds

      If you enter each name in the Facebook search bar they should pop right up. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Best of luck finding a good solution.

      – Denny

    2. There are hundreds of campgrounds in Florida that will allow you to stay for 2 months. We will be staying at Recreation Plantation RV Resort in Lady Lake FL. It is next to the Villages. You need to start your search now as long term rentals will fill up during the summer.

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