1,000 Miles to the Florida Keys

Yeeeaaah... we definitely did that! Not saying it's a great idea for everyone, but we did it. Jeff is an early riser, like really early, and on our travel day back home from the Florida Keys he woke up at 3:00 in the morning and decided it was time to start our travel day a bit early. I don't even remember if I brushed my teeth before I got in the truck (mornings ARE NOT my jam). We drove several hours before we started looking for a Harvest Host to stay at. We aren't the best planners...

on the trip back home, like ever, so Harvest Host always comes in handy on those days. Needless to say, we didn't stop there either. After taking a break, and getting lunch, Jeff asked the boys and I if we were doing okay riding then asked if we just wanted to keep going. Well, of course we did, we were only "a few miles" away from home by that time. We literally drove from one end of Florida to the other that day, then onto Mississippi. Enough about that insanely long travel day, lets get to the good stuff. ​

Travel Day 1- Fort Pickens- Gulf Breeze, FL

Fort Pickens Campground is always a great stop on the way to the Florida Keys from Mississippi. ​We only stayed in the park over night and left again early afternoon once we had a chance to walk through the fort and visit the beach, but if you are planning a trip to the panhandle of Florida then Ft. Pickens is a must, and you can't beat the price. I'd say the only downfall to staying at a State Park in Florida is you can't park on the grass, I mean NOT AT ALL, so after parking the RV if your vehicle doesn't fit in the site with your rig then you have to move it to overflow parking. Not a big deal really. 

Travel Day 2- Ragans Family Cg. -Madison, FL

We chased the sunsets all the way to Madison, Fl (Tallahassee, Fl) and stopped at Ragans Family Campground (formerly a Yogi Bear Jellystone Campground) the next night. We arrived just in time to catch the sunset. Ragans Family Campground is a campground we definitely want to come back to when we can stay longer! They have cabins for people that don’t have RVs, so don’t let not having some sort of rig stop you from visiting. This campground has ATV trails running all through and around it, so bring your 4-wheeler if you like that sort of thing. They have GaGa Ball (Octo Ball for all my local friends), Tether Ball, Mini Golf, Splash Pad, Pool, Lazy River, an arcade and so much more to enjoy. Pack your rig, or your bags and car and get on the road for a visit.

Travel Day 3- Fiesta Key RV Resort!!!

Fiesta Key has quickly become a family favorite for us!!! Over the last 3 years of visiting we have made some awesome friends at the park. Some of them snowbirds, some full time RVers, and as well as staff that have relocated from around our (mine and Jeff's) hometowns. Besides our friends, another thing we like about the park is that you never have to leave if you don't want to, but of course you will want to because it's the Florida Keys and there are a million things to do and see down there. 

Before you start thinking you can't stay at this resort because you don't have an RV, lets talk about their cottages, motel, and RV rentals they have! The cottages are ADORABLE! I have 1 picture in the slideshow of the lineup of cottages, but click here for a 360 tour to see inside one of the cottages. They have a screen porch, a full kitchen and bath, and can sleep up to 6 people. Oh yeah, and they are on the water! You seriously can't beat the views. If the cottages aren't for you then they also have a motel/elite suites that sleep up to 6, as well as RV rentals.  If you pull your own RV down to Fiesta ask to stay in site 701 on Shark Circle, well unless you go in March because that's our site (haaa). 

The resort has a super cute park for littles, my bigs even like it from time to time. There's  a great restaurant called Oceans 305 on site that has great entertainment from time to time. Fiesta Key has an events coordinator that is always hosting events for the guest, we enjoyed movie night while we were there in March. The pool is great when you don't feel like getting in the ocean, and there are many locations in the park to layout or just relax. There's a volleyball area also, so don't forget your ball. I almost forgot, there's a marina on site if you want to bring your boat with you or you can even rent a boat from several places in the area. Of course the highlight of our time at Fiesta Key Resort are all of the amazing sunsets we get to watch from Sunset Point.
**Be sure to scroll through the slideshow to see a few pics of the park. 

Travel Day Home- Manatee Springs State Park

Manatee Springs State Park is such a beautiful park, I mean absolutely gorgeous! The sites are spacious, but since we have up-sized our rig I'm not really sure we can fit in the park anymore. Fitting in the sites aren't the issue, it's getting to the sites that concern me. You'll see a picture of our first travel trailer in the slide show, it was 29' long but I'm not really sure how well a 40' rig would fit down those roads. If you've taken your fifth wheel through there, I'd love for you to leave me a note in the comments and tell me how well it went. 

Manatee Springs stays around 70 degrees year round making the springs perfect for diving, but also the manatee LOVE the springs during the winter months to early spring because the water is so warm compared to other locations they migrate from. If you want to have a peek at the precious creatures, also known as "sea cows", the best time to visit south Florida is between November and late February. 

Want to see more pictures from the Florida Keys? Click here to search our IG page.