January 2026 Our annual trip to Florida, primarily to see my sisters, includes some tried-and-true campgrounds as well as a couple of new ones. Poinsett, a South Carolina state park, is our first stop. Earlier reviews complained about the roads but they’re in good condition now. The scenery is appealing, with CCC-built structures, and the extensive trails are well-maintained. (For reservation purposes: campsite descriptions indicate whether the surface is gravel or dirt.)
Although we’ve been to Jekyll Island we haven’t camped here until now. The campground is at the north end of the island with good access to Driftwood Beach, biking trails, and the fishing center with it’s large pier. Campsites vary in width. There could be a parking lot atmosphere if it weren’t for the numerous trees and Spanish moss. The main bathhouse is due for major renovation. Campspot, the reservation service, has come to our attention before for the various fees it imposes. In this case, $10 was required to guarantee the site we’d chosen. We declined but still got the desired site upon arrival.
We spend a couple of days at the home of Karen and Jeff, where they’ve set up an entertainment center for our cat Autumn.
Anastasia State Park is always a treat. It’s not easy to get reservations for a full week because Florida residents can book eleven months in advance while for everyone else it’s ten months. So weekends fill up, but we got lucky.
Central Florida has its own beauty:
At this point in our trip, campground reservations must be adjusted due to a severe storm heading east, with temperatures dropping below freezing in northern Florida. Magnolia Park on Lake Apopka, part of the superb Orange County park system, fortunately has one campsite available. There is a unique feature about this park:
Due to a large family dinner at my sister’s, the forecast low temperature of 22F must be accommodated. Under the van, we place lights and two thermometers in the vicinity of water lines and tanks, enclosed in a hammock of two tarps – one mylar. Inside, we run the Truma water heater overnight along with two small space heaters and our propane furnace for back-up. We’re on 15A shore power so two electric cords from two different circuits are needed. The outside low temperature during the night reaches 27.3F while the thermometer under the van in the “worst case” location gets down to 35F. The thermometer in the service bay reads 46.2F at its lowest.
An “Oh, by the way”: we store the tarps in a rural size mailbox that Tim installed along with an inverter-connected electrical outlet.
Returning home, the temperatures between Florida and Asheville require more changes to our schedule. We spend two nights at Dreher Island State Park near Columbia SC where it’s above freezing for that short window of time. Before leaving for snowy Asheville, we winterize the van at our campsite – a first for us – taking advantage of the full hookup. We drain the tanks and water heater; use an air compressor to blow out the water lines; and put RV antifreeze in all drains. Some folks put antifreeze throughout their water system but we don’t want to risk any residual in our fresh water tank and lines after de-winterizing. We use the propylene glycol RV antifreeze available through West Marine. Ethanol-based antifreeze is more common but can damage the seals and can evaporate.
Weather may again be a factor for our Spring trip when we travel to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and then through Virginia to western Maryland and eastern West Virginia.