Little Manatee River State Park, FL

It was only a 128 mile drive between Tavares and our next stop, Little Manatee River State Park, south of Tampa. Last January when I was making reservations for our park tour of the state, I had very little to go on as to which parks to try for reservations. I went mostly by the map, with the goal of being in the Keys for the month of December.

We are pleased with our new home. A large shopping area is only about five miles away.

The space is level with just enough open sky for the satellite to work. We have power and water, and there is a dump station in the loop. There are only 34 spaces.  The nice big shower/washroom building with two washers and two dryers is out of sight, but quite near our spot.  The spaces are separated by heavy growth of native plants, giving each camper good privacy. Although most of the spots were full when we arrived Sunday morning, by mid week we are almost alone.

We went on a short walk (less than 3 miles) this morning through pine and oak forest and through some very scrubby land. We got a peek at the river, but saw no wildlife. We met one other couple on the trail, and they asked if we had seen any wild pigs. No, but after that walked through large patches of ground that had been freshly rooted up and showed lots of pig prints. Last night's dinner party perhaps?

My plan is to have a home base and explore from there. We will be at this very pleasant park for the next two weeks, and will be driving to the Tampa area, Sarasota, and some of the parks and beaches nearby when the mood strikes us. 

Any suggestions of things or places we should see?