Florida for a month or two in winter?

[Jim Dow]

We are thinking about going to Florida for the months of Jan & Feb this winter. Where should we be looking to find a spot to stay that long in Florida?

[notanlines]

Jim, your question has a multitude of correct answers, but probably not all correct for you and your DW. Brenda and I winter in Clewiston, on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee. Monthly rent is $550 plus electricity. We go this far south because if we stayed in northern Florida then it isn't any warmer than most days in Hoover. If we headed west towards Fort Myers then the rent shoots up more towards the $900 to $1500 range. If we headed east towards Fort Lauderdale the same thing. We are one hour and twenty minutes from the beach in Miami, which we ride to twice a week. We don't even consider the beach in Fort Myers. You can't get there from here. If you were to consider going farther south towards Miami or, heaven forbid, the keys, just open your wallet and turn it upside down. We paid $120 per night for a patch of gravel in the Keys two years ago over New Years and we were still 35 miles from Key West. Also, once you are south of Homestead the boredom for motorcycle riding sets in. There is one road and it either goes north or south.
If you are looking to be able to spend most days in shorts and t-shirts then you seriously need to be south of, say, Frostproof, Sebring, Lake Placid areas. There are literally hundreds of RV parks in Florida. Your job is to find one and enjoy it.

[Tbristol]

To add more. Florida in the winter, the population almost triples. So with that in mind. You have to decide what you want out of Florida. You just want warm weather and lay around in your camp chairs at your site? Or are you everyday laying on the beach? My wife and I spend 6months in winter in Florida. We stay in Arcadia, it's about 45 or so miles east of Ft. Meyers. Like I mentioned the traffic on either coast of Florida especially in the winter is horrendous. So if your not beach people. Then look in the middle of the state. Arcadia is a small town with very little traffic. But within an hour we can be on the beach in the ft. Meyers area. We also pay a much lower rate being inland than on the coast. If your a beach person and you want to be on the beach everyday. Then be prepared to pay a small fortune. And put up with horrible traffic. Also coming down in January may also limit your choices. Since most of us are already there. Oh also. The general rule is south of I-4 to stay below the cold weather. Inland for less traffic and cheaper rates. Except Orlando. It's inland. But it has ungodly traffic all the time. So might want to avoid that area too.

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[JRTJH]

Florida is the "discovered winter escape" meaning that a tremendous number of "snowbirds" escape there every winter. There is an alternative that hasn't (yet) been fully explored. The Texas coast from Galveston to Corpus Christi, even further south toward Brownsville if you're adventurous. So far, prices are much less than Florida, RV facilities are available that match Florida, the beaches are similar with les s crowding, fishing is tremendous and the people seem to be more inviting and less "touristy"...

[notanlines]

John, "and the people seem to be more inviting and less "touristy"... " might be a little of a stretch, don't you think? Maybe because there are more Michiganders in Texas than Florida? Also bear in mind that this beach between Galveston and Corpus Christi has an average HIGH temperature in January and February of 63 degrees. This might be a small deterrent to most snow birds. We have spent considerable time in Harlingen and enjoyed the area, but still pretty cold overall.

[GaryWT]

Friends of ours left New England last year after the first of the year to head south to FL and a few other places. The made various stops for about 3 months, always stayed at least a week and kept moving around all the way to the keys and back. Has a great time seeing all of the state so you do not have to stay in one place.

[sourdough]

x2 on staying to the south in FL. Our first trip there we stayed in the panhandle and it was as cold as it gets in W TX. We took shorts and t shirts and ended up in flannel shirts (which we had in the trailer) with jackets so...........

[hankpage]

The thermometers in the Keys have 65°F marked as freezing. Being from the Northeast we find anywhere below Sarasota very comfortable ..... you don't have to shovel sunshine.
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