Central Florida’s Polk County is the ultimate location for outdoor and camping adventures. No matter your category, from the beat-up sleeping bag under the stars kind of camper to the park-your-RV-and-watch-Yellowstone variety, Central Florida, nestled between Orlando and Tampa, doesn’t disappoint.
Our Top Spots to Set up Camp in Central Florida
County Parks
From primitive to powered, your camping options are nearly endless. County government maintains five sites that all feature water access and limited length of stay. Tents and RVs are welcome.
Visit: www.polk-county.net/parks-and-recreation/campgrounds
Camp out and roast some s’mores at a Polk County campsite
Return of the Mack
Deep in the heart of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina & RV Resort offers you an escape to the great outdoors with top-notch amenities just steps away. The RV sites offer quality pads, full hookups, and, for a premium, shade under old-growth oak trees. And everything is just a few steps away from the club house, pool, lodge and sports bar.
Visit guyharveycampmack.com
Fishing at Camp Mack
The cat’s meow
If you’ve ever longed to camp in the Serengeti but want to pass on the plane ride, Safari Wilderness in Lakeland is calling. Located in the heart of the Green Swamp, Safari Wilderness is a cageless zoo full of free roaming hoofstock – unless you opt to sleep with the cheetahs.
No, really
For while the nine base camp tents are safely on a platform near the Welcome Barn, the Premium Camping experience known as the Overlook is a centrally located, unobstructed safari tent on top of a tall wooden deck. Featuring a private bathroom and shower, as well as the best game viewing location on the property, your neighbors will be ring-tailed lemur and two cheetahs, all in their own pens. In the evening you can sit by a fire-pit on the lawn with a drink while enjoying the stars overhead.
Visit safariwilderness.com
Have a unique Serengeti-style camping experience at Safari Wilderness
On the road again
The hottest trend in camping includes bringing your home with you.
For a more rural escape, the Resort at Canopy Oaks in Lake Wales awaits. Sporting a water-bound Tiki Bar, a full-service spa, pickleball courts, a pool and plenty of places to get a quick bite or snack, the real star, however, is Mother Nature. Featuring both RV sites and cottages, the 200 acres of green space means you can fish, bicycle, hike or do just about anything else outdoors your heart desires.
Visit sunlight-resorts/resorts-at-canopy-oaks
In Auburndale, they like their RVs with just a dash of beach bum mojo added. Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Cabins offers a variety of full-hookup pull through sites, with premium sites adding a private tiki hut and grill. No RV? No problem thanks to their array of cabins. But the real star here are the amenities, including a cabana bar, a zero-entry heated pool with a water slide and nearby splash pad for the kids, a challenging nine-hole putting course and even a dedicated corn hole area.
And you don’t need to be a Parrothead to enjoy Margaritaville. Yes, the brand hails back to the Jimmy Buffett beach bum classic that is now one of the best known chill lifestyle brands in the world, but you can pass on the sponge cake – like we said before, no one here will judge you. Just don’t pass on the s’mores.
Visit margaritavilleresorts.com
For more places to set up camp in Central Florida check out our wide selection of RV sites and Campgrounds.
You may also be interested in our Top 10 Adrenaline-Rush Adventures in Central Florida, or Top things to Do on the Water.
