Winter in Florida
Winter in Florida, what could be better? Early last year, I booked five weeks at three of our favorite Florida State Parks. At the time, we did not have to consider a pandemic or a puppy in our plans. However, because of the pandemic and the puppy, we completely cancelled two weeks at Topsail and the first week at Tomoka State Park. Our puppy was very new to us and we did not think such a long trip was a good idea.
We had a one-night stopover at Eastbank COE, just over the Florida state line and four stops at Florida campgrounds. The campgrounds were predictable because each stop was at a campground we have previously visited and loved.
Tomoka State Park
Our longest stop was eight nights at Tomoka State Park and a couple of friends were there with us for several days. We loved seeing them, but it was bitter cold and windy for most of their stay. The pandemic made it a problem for inside visiting, so we did not get to socialize in a normal manner. However, it was wonderful to see them.
The gorgeous natural canopy at Tomoka protected us from the high winds and our awning was a great space to escape the rain.
Because of the weather, puppy, and pandemic, we spent a lot of time walking through the campground. Fortunately, it is a beautiful place with live oak trees and Spanish Moss. The beauty of it made the challenges somewhat easier.
Our puppy loved seeing all the people and their dogs. It was a great opportunity for socialization for her.
We did have a few days with warmer weather, but rain was a frequent visitor. This was very different from our visit last year to Tomoka.
Fort Clinch State Park
Fort Clinch is an awesome park, but our site was not the best. Just dirt with no gravel. It had been raining and there were muddy areas. The dirt proved to be a challenge, but we did have some good weather during our four-night stay.
There is a fabulous beach in the park. It was so peaceful and satisfying to walk on it with the gentle sea breeze blowing.
There were nesting birds on a section of the beach. I have never seen so many congregated at a single spot. Evidently, this is a normal occurrence because there was a sign asking that they not be disturbed.
The photo below is a path that leads to a lookout over marshland with a lighthouse in the distance. It was a nice little walk through some lovely vegetation.
Our only real sightseeing we did outside out of the campgrounds was a visit to Kingsley Plantation. It is Florida’s oldest standing plantation. An audio tour could be accessed via a smartphone for loads of details about life on the plantation and circumstances experienced by its inhabitants. The plantation is part of the National Park Service.
Coastline RV
Sadly, I did not get very many photos at Coastline RV. That is a shame because it is a wonderful campground. Check out our previous post, Camping in Relative Luxury if you would like to see lots of photos showing how nice it is.
We met our friends there for a couple of days on our way home. They were there for a month, but we were only there a couple of nights. It was great seeing them and the weather was not bad during this stop.
Winter in Florida Food
We had most meals in our camper, but did get to enjoy some local cuisine. At Tomoka, we had takeout from Hulls Seafood and Alfie’s Restaurant. Both were excellent. We also had carry out pizza with our friends while they were at Tomoka. The pizza was good and the company was great.
While at Fort Clinch, we had a wonderful outdoor lunch at The Sandollar. On the way to our campground, we picked up a delicious lunch at Fancy Sushi.
Lastly, when visiting our friends at Coastline, we had two nice meals at restaurants with outside seating . That was really special, food I didn’t cook and conversation with good friends. There has not been much of that in the last year. That drink below was mine—a margarita with strawberries and jalapeño peppers. It was awesome!
This was not one of our best trips because of the challenges of COVID-19, bad weather, and new puppy accommodations. Even so, it was better than staying at home and we made some progress at camping with a pet. Looking forward to getting out again soon!
Happy camping!
