Best Camping in Northern Florida

When we first planned our trip, our original plan was to spend a couple days in Miami. But instead, us realizing we’re not really city people, decided to try a bit further north. We spent a night in Cocoa Beach (another post and photos coming later) and then continued the trek upwards (that is if you identify “North” as “Up”). Anyway, this was actually one campground that I booked the night before… I actually planned this one! It was a KOA right off St. Augustine Beach… or so we thought.

Monday afternoon, we rolled up to the KOA. I was pretty excited because we had decided to spend two days here. The KOA boasted just a 3/4 mile walk to the beach, not far from downtown, and nearby shops and restaurants.

Well everything is relative, I guess. The shops were a strip mall that boarded the east side of camp. I mean the dumpsters were literally at the edge of camp… and the 3/4 mile? Well they were probably right about the distance, but you would have to cross a very large, populated highway to start your stroll.

We pulled up and my little gut friend said, “Ummm, no thanks.” Fortunately, the KOA staff was very friendly and allowed us a 100% refund. A quick google search and we found North Beach Camp Resort. Let me just say this, if you are EVER in St. Augustine and looking for a place to set up tent, THIS IS IT.

There are some days that just fall into place and this was one of them. One side of this resort is bordered by the Tolomato River. An average body of water with an above average sunset (see below). Talk about serenity. This little beauty was just a minute walk from our camp site. Up river just slightly is a little restaurant, Aunt Kate’s. Aunt Kate’s is home to a southern wrap around porch, a pier complete with resting pelicans, a back deck that was built after a large tree had already claimed the spot, and an appetizer of corn bread, pumpkin bread, and deep-fried-something-good.

And that’s just the west side of camp! On the east side is the Atlantic Ocean with a practically private beach. Most of the beach is home to the backyards of local residents which keeps the area nice and quiet. Tyler and I are old, we like quiet beaches and our idea of “nightlife” is watching the sunset.

We arrived at North Beach early Monday afternoon, set up camp, had lunch at Aunt Kate’s and then headed to historic St. Augustine. After a wonderful evening in town, back to the campsite we went and watched the sun set on the western horizon. I wasn’t kidding when I said above average. I mean… look at it.

The next day was another historic downtown filled day with WAY too much to fit into this post (more coming later!) Late afternoon we headed back to the campground but this time spent a few hours on the ocean side beach. Yesterday was once of those days… I don’t think I checked the time once all day. Ever done that before? I even fell asleep on the beach and I couldn’t even tell you for how long. The only clock was the shifting shade under our beach umbrella.

When you tell people you’re headed to Florida and they ask, “Where?” and you say, “We’re not sure yet.” You get some looks, some laughs, and some eye rolls. This is why. This is why we don’t plan our destinations too far in advance, if at all. When you open yourself to what the world decides to send your way, you open yourself up to something incredible. Something you couldn’t have planned if you had tried.

More about downtown St. Augustine and recommendations coming soon!

Off the Grid

Two days with no cell service? Yes please.

Happy Thursday! We made it to the Sunshine State by Tuesday night and to one of our favorite places, Crystal River.

Crystal River is known for their manatee sightings, beautiful springs, and Florida nature, but Crystal Springs is even better for us because of the company! We got to spend a couple days with family here — exploring the springs, eating good food, and catching up.

Most of this area left us with no cell service, which is a wonderful thing. But we’re back! So here’s a catch up on the last few days.

Best part of vacation is not having to set an alarm to wake up. Tyler and I are usually up around 7.30am or 8am anyway, but we’ve been soaking up these lazy days and taking our time in the morning. Once we were up and out yesterday, we started the day at Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River. A common spot for sighting manatees, but we just missed them. The water in the springs is at a consistent 72 degrees all year round and attracts the manatees to it’s warm shallow depths. But because the season is warming up already, the manatees spend most of the day out in bigger bodies of water. With that said, the water in these springs was still beautiful!

They’ve got a short boardwalk that traces the perimeter of the springs and allows for a comfortable walk. We took our time, spotting some lizards, taking in a cool breeze, and looking in the deep crystal clear water for whatever we could find — which wasn’t much, but pretty!

A short trail walk back to the car and we decided to head to another site that’s home to the Yulee Sugar Mill. Mr. David Levy Yulee was Florida’s first U.S. Senator and helped write the state’s first constitution. The sugar mill supported his production of sugar, molasses, and syrup that he provided to the Confederate army during the Civil War. The Yulee home was destroyed by intentional fire in 1864, but the Yulee Mill was left unharmed.

Next door to the mill is the Old Mill Tavern — a restaurant that doesn’t necessarily catch your eye, but it’s locality adds to its attraction. All I’ll say is that Tyler and I brought the average age WAY down. We missed the white hair memo… but gave a fish reuben a try and we were relatively impressed! Worth a quick visit.

After a slow morning, we visited a bit with family and then headed to dinner at Margarita Grill just down the road. The grill sits on the Halls River with a beautiful view of the water and wildlife. There’s something about a meal on the water that just feels like Florida.

Our next stop planned was Siesta Key, but after not having much luck finding an available campground, we decided to head further south to Naples instead. There are pros and cons to not planning too far in advance! But we love having the flexibility!

So far it’s sunny and beautiful! Soaking it up.

// Carly + Tyler

South Bound

Hi there! Writing you from the road to Florida!  

When I was in college, Tyler and I would spend every spring break on a Florida road trip. Needless to say, the years since college have been a bit... busy — starting careers, buying a house, getting married, ya know. 

So this year we decided to make it a priority again, and because we each own our own businesses, we were able to extend the trip a bit longer! We are so excited to be on the road again. 

We try pretty hard to stick to a budget, especially because we extended the trip to eleven days… that can add up! But lucky for us, we LOVE to camp! Camping is so much cheaper than having to find hotels each night, and we’re tent campers at that, so campgrounds charge next to nothing!  

Now don’t get me wrong, sitting in our tent and looking across the campground at the 40-foot RVs could spark a bit of envy, but there is something about roughing it that reminds you how important it is to be outside and to switch up your comfort zone!  

Speaking of the “comfort” zone — last night was a test to comfortable. You see, when I packed for our trip, my mind was set on sunny Florida. I guess I forgot that we would be spending a night at a midway point. After not too many hours of driving yesterday, we settled on a campground in North Carolina. North Carolina is not Florida… and this gal forgot to pack sweatshirts for both me AND Tyler.

Now Tyler would love to sleep in 50 degree weather all night every night. I on the other hand was not so pleased, but as I mentioned, it’s a reminder. A reminder that when something is uncomfortable, it’s an opportunity to test your strength (Mind you, I am not claiming that a slightly chilly night is at all the worst of conditions, we are very fortunate to have the tent, the blankets, etc. It’s simply less comfortable than our typical king size warm bed at home.)

Despite a mostly sleepless night for me, I woke up this morning, unzipped the tent and straight ahead was the sunrise on the horizon. This will NEVER get old. A chilly walk to the bathhouse but a warm sun on my face reminded me that often discomfort or struggle is temporary and it sure does make what is comforting feel so darn good.

So we’re back on the road for today. We’ve got another 10 hours or so to Florida. Tonight we’ll spend the night with some family in Clearwater. No chilly night for us!

P.S. As I’m writing this, Tyler just announced that he had a wonderful night’s sleep. He is very happy.