RE: Info needed on Kissimmee, FL KOA

[copcarguy]

 
Hello all! We have reservations for November 21 - 25, 2003 at the Kissimmee KOA. This will be my second trip to Florida ever and the first one with the PU. I was hoping someone could tell me a good site at this CG - preferably with trees / shade, and not too far from the bathrooms. The pictures on KOA s website really don t help too much. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 

[YellowXterra]

 copcarguy
They tore the old KOA down a few years back and just opened the new one so everything should be in great shape. I don t know about the new one but the old was was just a big sand parking lot. I stayed at Fort Summit KOA last year and it was even more of a sand parking lot. We are staying at Fort Wilderness in June []

[wssfetch]

 copcarguy
Can t help you with the KOA, but why not look into some of the beautiful state parks in Central Florida? Prices are geneally $17-18 per night, full electric and water hookups (and some have dry camping areas as well).  Hiking trails, canoeing, fishing, modern bath houses with laundry facilities.  Most permit pets.  There are several within comfortable driving distance to Disney.
 
 Recently stayed at Silver River State Park in Ocala.  This is about 45 min. drive north of Disney.  The Park is also near the private Silver Springs resort and the Silver Springs Water Park.  About 5,000 acres.  Nice, well cared for site (most are pull through) laid out so that no one has any reason to walk through your site to get to anywhere else.  We took a day trip to Cross Creek (another state park) which is where Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote THE YEARLING.  Lovely place, beautifully kept up. The park rangers where 1920s and 1930s outfits, keep the house running just as it would in her day using tools and appliances that she and her hired help would have used.
 
 Then we went down the road to eat alligator tail sandwiches and fried green tomatoes at a little restaurant on the creek.  Took a little side trip to Micanopy to pillage through the dozens of antique shops. Driving tour of the areas beautiful thoroughbred horse farms.
 
 Another state park that is right off I-75 and would make a great stopping point for a day or two on a Florida trip would be the Stephen Foster Memorial park near Lake City.  It is located about 1 mi off the interstate not long after you cross into Florida from Georgia.  On the Suwannee River.  Again, new bathrom and laundry facilities, shaded large spaces--many pull throughs. Park has a beautiful carillon tower, resident craftsman community and is operated by the state s cultural affairs division.  Pets are allowed.  Hiking trails, canoeing on the Suwannee River.  Historial museum.  Seminars on history and crafts.  Moonlight concerts. etc.,etc.  A beautiful park and about $20 per night.
 
 There are lots of great places in Florida.  No need to stay in a sand lot.
 
 

[copcarguy]

 copcarguy
Hey all!!  Thanks for the replies...
 
 wssfetch:  Thanks for all the info.  I will print out your reply & bring it with us.  When you said " alligator tail sandwich" , was that literally what you ate??  [: (]
 LOL!!
 
   This is not a " camping"  trip in the strictest sense of the word.  " Copcargirl s"  sister & bro-in-law are heading to Florida (they live in Montana) during that time for Thanksgiving with people that we, well, don t know.  [&:]  I promised copcargirl that I would drive her to see her sister this year, and to be 100% honest, I d rather drive to Florida (especially in November) than Montana.  NOTHING against Montana at all, but we have to be back in NY for Thanksgiving and Florida is 1200 miles closer than Montana.  Did all that make sense??  []  So to make a long story short, the PU is just going to be our " hotel room"  and we will be focusing our attention on the people we are meeting there rather than the location.  Thanks again for your reply!          
 

[sandykayak]

 copcarguy
aw, shucks, copcarguy...just when I was thinking that maybe this would be a chance for a little reunion of some kind...
 
 i m hoping to go somewhere over TG week....anything else going on in Florida (gotta check the FPUC calendar)?  What are you doing Sue?   Doug?
 
 BTW, Sue, thanks for the Silver River CG info...one of the guys I camped with this weekend (grandpa stew, also a PUT member) mentioned that it was lovely.
 
 I can second your thoughts on the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings home and Stephen Foster.  Further west, near the town of Mayo (Fla) is the Jim Hollis  River Rendezvous (do a google search - they have a site).  I tented camped there a few years ago and it was lovely.  As I recalll, it might not be flat enough for popups?  Does anybody know.
 
 It has its own spring/pool, a hot tub, restaurant, and gift/dive shop.  They also have cottages and rooms.  It s right on the Suwannee River and they rent boats and will also do shuttles.
 
 A friend was staying at the Suwanee River State Park at the same time.  He said it was fine...cept the durned trains kept him awake.