May 2022
Thousand Trails Orlando RV

The 1017 site Thousand Trails Orlando RV is within a 15 or 20 minute drive to all the local attractions. The park has many sections that have obviously been there for years yet have been well maintained. Section D is heavily wooded and perfect for those looking for that type of camping while other sections, including the 167 New RV Sites and the 91 sites currently under construction, have wonderful, level, and large modern concrete pads. There are also many cabins for rent. The public areas are extensive and mostly modern including swimming pool, shuffleboard, fitness center, laundry facilities, playground, pickleball, mini golf, horseshoes, dog park, community fire pit, basketball, and restrooms. I stayed in the new section with the new concrete pad sites.

I only stayed here for four nights so that I could move within the Thousand Trails/Encore system without taking the 7 nights out of the system. Some day I will stay here for 14 nights because it's just that nice. This park is very dog friendly with vast areas to walk. I wish there were a few more dog stations scattered about to dispose of bags. The RV park is on the edge of a wildlife preserve so there are plenty of signs warning people and pets to stay away from the lakes and retention ponds due to alligators and snakes. There is no shortage of restaurants and shopping in the immediate area but be aware that a U turn is required to travel south on Hwy 27 when exiting the resort.

Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort - Site Map

May 2022
Sherwood Forest RV Resort Kissimmee FL

I booked 14 nights at an Encore resort which is an extension of my Thousand Trails membership. The prime feature of Sherwood Forest is location. This 514 site resort is one mile from Old Town Kissimmee with a wealth of shopping and restaurants within walking distance and within a 15 minute drive to all the local attractions. The resort like so many is showing it's age and there are precious few concrete pads for setup, most sites are pull through but a little on the short side. The water facet was oddly located and the welcome packet warned that there would be a $50 charge if the backflow preventer is missing when you leave. Yikes!! The bath houses and laundry facilities looked newer but there didn't seem to be any thought to upgrading the individual sites giving me a greater appreciation for the incredible modern expansions going on at Thousand Trails Orlando RV. There is an undeniable charm about the Sherwood Forest grounds including numerous pet stations located throughout the public areas residing primarily under the old growth Live Oak canopy with Spanish moss. This is a life saver for dog walks on those 90+ afternoons.

The public areas include a pool with a hot tub and tiki bar, RV Cafe, playground, mail room ($5 per package), Rec Hall with free WiFi, Fitness Center, Library, Billiards, Dog Park, picnic area, Mini Golf, basketball, shuffleboard, bocci ball, and horseshoes. Laundry rooms use $1 tokens that are purchased in the laundry room. Cable TV search found 61 channels including most of what I was looking for. There are WiFi packages available on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I was warned within the first 3 minutes that the key card I was assigned must be turned in upon check-out or I would be charged $100. Yikes!! My site, like many others, was mostly black sand. To be fair, it looks like long-termers have used large outdoor rugs in many spots and killed the grass below. Most spots had more grass than black sand and I just drew the short straw with my spot. You should consider a Swiffer Sweeper, a Dust Buster, and a small Whisk Broom / Dust Pan set to be required equipment. The longer my stay lasted at Sherwood Forest the more I liked it. All in all, Sherwood Forest is a fine place for a 2 week stay and I wouldn't hesitate staying here again.

Sherwood Forest Encore Resort - Site Map

July 2022
Three Flags RV Campground

Spending most summers of my youth in the Florida Panhandle and 8 Spring Breaks with my daughter in the Orlando area and South Florida, Central Florida north of the I-4 Corridor has always been pass through travel for me. I booked 4 nights at Three Flags RV Campground, a Thousand Trails property in Wildwood Fl just 3 miles west of The Villages. I've seen photos and read about Cedar Key FL for years and also wanted to explore the river and springs towns of Crystal River, Homosassa, and Dunnellon FL. With Three Flags only 3 miles from The Villages I was also able to explore this massive community I've seen in commercials for so many years. Three Flags is a perfect location to achieve all of the above. The campground is a beautiful piece of property and very well maintained. The amenities list is average but all of the essentials are here and the sites are all well groomed and level. There is no cable TV and my antenna booster loaded 21 unusable channels. Verizon 4G LTL is really fast. The campground seems to be at the outer most edge of several DMAs. I was thankful for my Jellyfin Media Server which might be better anyway. Check-In was great and I would definitely stay at Three Flags again.

Three Flags RV Park - Site Map

July 2022
Sunshine Holiday Daytona

I booked 14 nights at an Encore resort which is an extension of my Thousand Trails membership. Sunshine Holiday Daytona is a Tale of Two Circles. The east circle where you enter has mainly traveling, road worthy RVs whereas the west circle is predominately permanent trailers and mobile homes some of which are in varying degrees of disrepair. 30 hours prior to check-in I was notified that I was assigned site H07 which looked on google earth to be a bit of green space around the west circle Hub converted into a camp site. Being Sunday morning I left a message and was reassigned the next morning to pull-through site 84 in the traveling RV circle. Problem solved before I even checked out at Three Flags. Fantastic! I found Sunshine Holiday to be nice and didn't experience any of the hardships that I saw on some negative YouTube reviews. There are a couple of places where it's tight to navigate but there is no shortage of very large rigs here so plan your route and take it easy.

My site is 50 feet from a nice and large dog park and walking along the pond and canal was nice for Barron. There are alligator signs so keep that in mind. There is a clubhouse, a very nice pool, showers in the main building, Playground, Volleyball, Mini Golf, and more. The Laundry Room has Brand New Machines that can be paid with the Laundryvalue App or I elected to buy the $5 card and load it with funds. There is cable TV with over 60 channels and countless over-the-air channels available. The cable wasn't a perfect picture but it certainly beats destroying your data plan streaming cable TV. Over-the-air channels were mostly HD. There are several fast food joints in the immediate area and the RV park is next door to Destination Daytona with restaurants including Houligan's, Daytona Pig Stand, Big Scoop Ice Cream, and Wild Hog Cafe. The closest Walmart is 7 miles south just off I95 at exit 268. All in all I enjoyed my stay at Sunshine Holiday Daytona being centrally located to a ton of beaches and attractions. I noted most if not all the issues I saw on negative reviews have been resolved, and I will most definitely return!

Sunshine Holiday Daytona - Site Map

Feb 2024
Encore Terra Ceia
Palmetto, FL

I booked 14 nights at the Encore Terra Ceia RV Resort in Palmetto Florida as part of my Thousand Trails, Trails Collection membership. The resort is segregated into the original section and a new 190+ RV Sites section. The new section is NOT available with Thousand Trails memberships and is "Retail Only". I asked at check-in so don't be fooled by the Main Photo on the Thousand Trails Terra Ceia website. I can only hope this is an anomaly and not a trend. Having said that, the original section is nice, well maintained, surrounded by very friendly RVers, and I was very happy with my site, A59. In reading the documentation provided at check-in, I assume all of the new amenities in the Retail Only section are available to both sections including the 4 Pickle Ball courts, The Activity Center, and the brand new Pool. There is a pool, Activity Center, and Laundry Room in the original section which I used and found very accommodating. This part of Palmetto in riddled with neighborhoods and mobile home communities with very little shopping and few restaurants. The busy retail section of Palmetto is only 4 miles or so and Bradenton is just a couple miles further. There is a Dollar General literally in the front yard of Encore Terra Ceia which was very handy. All in all, I enjoyed my stay here and will return.

Feb 2024
Casey Jones' RV Park
Lake City, FL

On my trip to South Florida I decided to break the trip up by staying in Lake City at Casey Jones' RV Park. I left a day early to get ahead of a severe weather threat so I stayed here for 2 nights. I had a grass full hookup pull through site near the office specifically designated for short stays. This is a no frills campground with a laundry room and bathhouse. The $27 cash price makes this the perfect overnight travel stop that I look for. Just off exit 423 of I75 this is a very easy in and out. Highly recommend when traveling I75 in North Florida.

April 2025
Encore Harbor Lakes
Port Charlotte, FL

This is an older well kept Encore resort that is convenient to everything you need and some great destinations in southwest Florida. The center of Port Charlotte is only 5 miles from Harbor Lakes and another complete set of everything is only 5 miles from Harbor Lakes in North Port. Harbor Lakes has a lot of Park models but there are plenty of traveling RV sites here as well. The RV sites are among the largest I've ever seen and the internal roads here are the widest I've ever seen. Although most sites including mine are grass and sand I was easily able to set-up and level. The resort has all of the amenities expected of an Encore resort including a Pool, a Rec Hall, Laundry Room, Fitness Center, Restrooms, Showers, Shuffleboard, Basketball Court, Tennis Courts, Pickleball Courts, and a Sand Volleyball Court. The residents and traveling guest here are among the nicest I've met anywhere in the country. There are some things that could be updated but all in all this is a really nice place and I will return here again.
Harbor Lakes Site Map