Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Cabin cruising
How you can camp in rustic style at Florida’s state parks.
When you’re searching for a Florida getaway, you may look in AirBnb, HomeAway, hotels.com or just do a Google search.
And it’s very likely that none of those places will lead you to one of the best sources of vacation lodging – cabins in Florida state parks.
I love state parks, but I’m not a big fan of camping so the perfect solution for me is a state park cabin. I’ve stayed in cabins in 11 parks, some more than once. (By the end of the month, I’ll add my 12th park to that list.)
The advantages are many: With the exception of a few parks with very rustic cabins, most are air-conditioned and offer full kitchens. Most can easily accommodate a
family with kids or two couples. Several have special amenities – fireplaces or big screened porches with rocking chairs. Prices are reasonable. And the settings are always beautiful, surrounding you with nature and recreational opportunities. Florida state parks are exceptional – they’ve been named the best in the nation three times, something no other state park system can claim.
The chief disadvantage is that many of these cabins book up far in advance. Cabins are booked through ReserveAmerica.com.
Today, 21 Florida state parks offer cabins to rent. They range from new, well-equipped cottages that are like two-bedroom homes — Lake Louisa, near Disney and Orlando, for example — to rustic cabins where you cook outside and bring your sleeping bags — Cayo Costa, on a spectacular barrier island off Fort Myers in the Gulf, where cabins don’t even have electricity. Prices range from $30 to $160.
Because reserving cabins requires such advance planning, it’s good that the cancellation fees aren’t substantial. I had reserved two nights at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys one August, but canceled when the forecast was for a tropical storm. I got my money back except a $17.75 cancellation fee. If I had just changed the date, the fee would have been $10.
Before you book a cabin, do your research.
Know what to bring. Some require you bring bed linens, cooking gear and everything else. Others come with everything from linens to dishwashers to microwaves. If cabins have kitchens, assume they have only bare bones pans and utensils. Don’t assume there will be salt or coffee filters or serving dishes. Pack a bit like you’re going camping.
Know the capacity. There are big cabins — Lake Louisa’s cabins sleep six quite nicely with a queen, a double and two singles. And there are smaller ones with limited capacity — some at Topsail Hill in picturesque Santa Rosa Beach are one-bedroom cabins with a fourperson maximum.
Know what to expect from the weather if choosing rustic cabins. Cayo Costa is wondrously lovely. But if you book a January weekend, you may get a cold snap and be staying in an unheated cabin on a night the temperatures plunge into the 30s. Similarly, mosquitos and nosee-ums can be fierce there in the summer.
Be prepared to live without phones, TVs and wifi. In most cases, cell phones work, but the park system purposely lacks the other distractions that usually fill our days. (There are exceptions: Topsail Hill State Park cabins, Santa Rosa Beach, has cable TV.)
Here’s a roundup of cabins by region.
Southwest Florida
Cayo Costa State Park, west of Fort Myers. These beach-front cabins are the most remote, rustic and the hardest to reach, which is why they are a wonderful experience for the right people. These one-room cabins are without electricity or linens, and the park can be reached only by boat. The cabins have bunk beds with plastic mattresses, so bring a sleeping bag. You have to bring everything and there is no electricity. Cabin residents use a central bath facility. Price: $40 per night.
Myakka River State Park, Sarasota. This is a large state park filled with abundant wildlife and recreational opportunities. These picturesque cabins were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1934 and 1941 and they’re made out of palmtree logs. The cabins were remodeled in 2015, but they’re more rustic than many. Instead of separate bedrooms, the cabin has a large room with two double beds, a futon and a heavy wooden dining room table. The kitchen and modern bathroom are in an adjoining room, an addition to the original cabin. Cabins have heat and air conditioning. Price: $70 per night.
Central Florida
Blue Spring State Park, Orange City. This is a great place to see manatees in the winter and to go tubing in a crystal clear spring in the summer. Six, two-bedroom cabins are located in an oak forest near Blue Spring. Cabins accommodate up to six people with two bedrooms (one double bed and two twins) plus a sleeper sofa in the living room. Kitchens have dishwashers and microwaves. Price: $95 per night, plus tax.
Hontoon Island State Park, Deland. Located on the St. Johns River, the park is accessible only by boat or the free park ferry. These are among the most rustic cabins and offer a “comfort camping” experience. The cabins are beautifully situated
in a secluded, shady hammock and make a good base for kayaking on the St. Johns River. The six oneroom cabins have bunk beds with vinyl-covered mattresses, a ceiling fan, overhead lighting and one electrical outlet. In addition to a picnic table and ground grill, each cabin has a screened porch with table and chairs. Visitors provide sleeping bags/linens and there are no restrooms, cooking facilities, or heat and AC units in the cabins. Cabin residents use the same central bath facility as campers. Price: $30 to $35 per night.
Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont. This park is close to the theme parks of Orlando. These are among the most luxurious cabins in the system and because there are 20 of them, they are easier to reserve than most. The cabins are spacious and well-furnished, large enough for two couples or an extended family. Cabins overlook Lake Dixie and accommodate up to six people with two bedrooms, two baths, full kitchen and dining/living room. Each cabin is equipped with dishes, pots and pans, silverware, linens, towels, picnic tables and rockers on the porch. Price: $120 per night.
Silver Spring State Park, Ocala. These are my favorite cabins within Florida parks. It starts with the setting. Each of the 10 “cabins” – these are really houses more than cabins – is situated in the woods surrounded only by big trees and vegetation, separated from neighboring cabins. Out back, there’s a fire ring for campfires. The metal roofs and massive porches make these structures look like Florida Cracker houses. Inside, there are two bedrooms, one with a double bed; one with twins. A sleeper sofa increases capacity to six. These accommodations would lend themselves to two families or couples. There’s a full kitchen and dining room table for six, cozy wooden cabinlike décor and a gas fireplace. The park includes the Silver Spring and the Silver River, which have been thrilling tourists since the 1800s. Price: $110 per night.
Southeast Florida
Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key. The modern well-equipped cabins are on stilts overlooking Florida Bay and may be the hardest ones of all to book. Bahia Honda has one of the best beaches in the Keys and excellent kayaking and snorkeling. If you want to stay here, plan to book the dates exactly 11 months in advance. If your timing is flexible, though, you might be able to pick up a single weeknight a week or two out from a cancellation or random opening. Prices: $120 per night, plus tax May 1 to Oct. 31; $160 per night Nov. 1 – April 30.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Hobe Sound. Dickinson is a large park with hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming and fishing, yet these cabins are a bit more available than many. It’s a stretch to call these 10 units cabins, actually. They are new, miniature trailers/modular homes. They lack that rustic cabin ambiance, but they do have complete kitchens; small bathrooms, plus heat and air conditioning. Price is $95 a night for up to six people. These cabins are usually available eight or 10 weeks out.
Oleta River State Park, North Miami. You’d never guess you were in the middle of the city when you take up residence in one of these 14 little cabins, each with covered porch and picnic table. Most cabins are equipped with one double bed, a bunk bed and air conditioning. Linens are not provided and these cabins do not have kitchens or bathrooms within the units. Consequently, they cost less than others: $55 per night.
Northwest Florida
Fanning Springs State Park, Fanning Springs.
Located along the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail with access to the Suwannee River, hiking trails and a second magnitude spring, two-bedroom cabins have central heating and cooling, an electric fireplace, screened porch and kitchenette. Price: $100 per night. These are spacious cabins in a more remote area and thus more available.
Grayton Beach State
Park, Santa Rosa Beach. Grayton Beach cabins are nestled in the pine woods minutes from the Gulf of Mexico and a mile of sugarwhite beaches. Cabins accommodate six people. Grayton Beach State Park offers 30, two bedroom, one bath duplex cabins. Each cabin is equipped with a gas fireplace (winter only), central heating and cooling, kitchen, screened porch and outdoor grill. Price: $110 per night Aug. 1 – Jan. 31; $130 per night Feb. 1 – July 31. Because there are 30 cabins, you are more likely to find vacancies and cancellations here.
Lafayette Blue Springs State Park, Mayo. The star here is the first magnitude spring, which flows into the Suwanee River. Five cabins on stilts accommodate up to six people. Each cabin features two beds, one bathroom and a kitchen/ dining/living room combination room with fireplace. Each includes a large screened porch with picnic table and swing or rocking chairs. Price: $100 per night.
T.H. Stone Memorial Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe. The park has one of Florida’s top rated beaches. Located on the bayside of the park, eight cabins each accommodate up to seven people with a fold-out futon and a day bed on the main floor and two queen-sized beds in the loft. Kitchen, screened porch, a picnic table faces St. Joseph Bay plus central heat and air and a wood burning fireplace. Price: $100 per night.
Topsail Hill State Park, Santa Rosa Beach. A tram runs from the cabins to 3.2 miles of white sandy beaches. One-bedroom bungalows are located within Gregory E. Moore RV campground near the tram stop. Available for weekly or monthly rental, each bungalow is fully furnished and equipped with all appliances, cable TV and linens. Each bungalow has a full kitchen, bathroom and living room. There’s a sleeper sofa in the living area. Cabins accommodate up to six people with two bedrooms and two baths and a full kitchen. Price: $100 to $120 per night.
Northeast Florida
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State
Park, White Springs. Located along the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, each of five riverside cabins accommodates up to six people. These are big, wellequipped cabins with two bedrooms, heating and cooling, a gas fireplace, screened porch and kitchenette. Price: $100 per night.
Suwannee River State Park, Live Oak. Located along the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, each of five oak-shaded cabins accommodates up to six people. These two bedroom cabins have central heating and cooling, a gas fireplace, screened porch and kitchenette. Price: $100 per night.
Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, Keystone Heights. Sixteen cabins overlook Little Lake Johnson. Linens and towels are provided. All cabins have rocking chairs, a picnic table, a ground grill and fully equipped kitchen. Cabins include historic Civilian Conservation Corps cabins, concreteblock cabins and modern cabins. Price, depending on cabin type, is $65 to $100 per night.
There are a few other parks with one cabin each and you can find out more at the state park site, floridastateparks.org/activitylist/Cabins.