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Old 12-20-2017, 05:28 AM   #1
Harleydodge
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2018/19

Planning ahead for our official retirement in 2018.
We plan on hitting the road in early October and our first stop will be Talledega (which I have already started a thread on).

After that we are heading East, likely to the Georgia Coast (Hilton Head maybe?)

From there we plan to store the RV for about 4 weeks while we head home for Deer season, then head back and head south for Florida.

We are looking at the Ft. Meyers area and in particular, a campground called
San Carlos RV park http://www.sancarlosrv.com/ for a 4-5 week stay.

After that, we plan on heading to Galveston, Texas and have been looking at a place called Sandpiper RV Resort http://www.sandpiperrvresort.com/
for another month or so.

Then we plan on heading North to the Nashville area (haven't nailed down a particular site there yet)

Then likely home to Canada for the summer.

Any experiences with any of the above mentioned campgrounds or things we "must see" in any of those areas? (Nashville's obvious ones need not be mentioned, we plan on doing all the touristy stops and should not have an issue finding things to do there) We also will likely do Memphis while in that part of the Country.
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Old 12-20-2017, 05:54 AM   #2
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Can't give you any particulars but it sure sounds like an awesome plan!!
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Old 12-21-2017, 04:43 PM   #3
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Sandpiper may be Class A motorhomes only. You might want to call them.
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Old 12-21-2017, 09:45 PM   #4
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This photo is from the listing on the Good Sam site, shows a lot of 5th wheels.
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Old 12-22-2017, 04:49 AM   #5
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Sandpiper may be Class A motorhomes only. You might want to call them.
Ya I don't think so, unless they recently changed. I have explored their site and a bunch of reviews.
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Old 12-22-2017, 06:02 AM   #6
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OK, sounds like all is well then. I saw them saying on their site that they were a "Class A" resort with a pic of a motorhome and didn't look any farther.
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Old 12-29-2017, 06:49 AM   #7
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I have been at Siesta Bay Resort since 12/1/17 right around the corner from the San Carlos RV resort. From the road it looks like a good place but that is a limited view. The area is alright but traffic can be heavy. Lots of restaurants and junk shopping and its just up the road from the beach, maybe 2 miles if that. Ft. Myers is not a "tourist" destination really in my opinion. Nothing here to do but golf or fish and not a lot to see. The Edison/Ford winter estate is here though.

Nashville is a nice city if you want country music and honky tonks and some night life. Depending on how long you plan on staying there you may get bored. A no miss thing to do though is visit the Hermitage, Andrew Jacksons home. I have stayed at the Yogi Bear CG on Music Valley Drive and its as good as any park in the area. Its right next to the Two Rivers CG and its the same feel and there is a KOA up the road along with a Camping World close by. Traffic is nuts to say the least. Avoid rush hour at all costs. There is a good bit of road construction going on too but by the time you get there it may be done, at least some of it. You might consider the Smoky Mountains area. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. More to do.

Galveston is nice too as we have stayed across the inlet on the Bolivar Peninsula. Don't expect pristine beaches and the water is filthy, I would not expect to swim in it. Can't say anything about your choice of a park there but the area is nice. Town is OK but again there is not much to do really unless you fish or want to go up into Houston and see the Space Center there.

I always go on line and order the visitor guides from the states we visit. They have a lot of good info and are broken down into regions with region specific maps. I find them very helpful to have the printed guide to pick up and look at instead of doing it all on line. Good luck with the planning and the retirement. I highly recommend it.
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:04 AM   #8
Harleydodge
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I have been at Siesta Bay Resort since 12/1/17 right around the corner from the San Carlos RV resort. From the road it looks like a good place but that is a limited view. The area is alright but traffic can be heavy. Lots of restaurants and junk shopping and its just up the road from the beach, maybe 2 miles if that. Ft. Myers is not a "tourist" destination really in my opinion. Nothing here to do but golf or fish and not a lot to see. The Edison/Ford winter estate is here though.

Nashville is a nice city if you want country music and honky tonks and some night life. Depending on how long you plan on staying there you may get bored. I have stayed at the Yogi Bear CG on Music Valley Drive and its as good as any park in the area. Its right next to the Two Rivers CG and its the same feel and there is a KOA up the road along with a Camping World close by. Traffic is nuts to say the least. Avoid rush hour at all costs. There is a good bit of road construction going on too but by the time you get there it may be done, at least some of it. You might consider the Smoky Mountains area. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. More to do.

Galveston is nice too as we have stayed across the inlet on the Bolivar Peninsula. Don't expect pristine beaches and the water is filthy, I would not expect to swim in it. Can't say anything about your choice of a park there but the area is nice. Town is OK but again there is not much to do really unless you fish or want to go up into Houston and see the Space Center there.

I always go on line and order the visitor guides from the states we visit. They have a lot of good info and are broken down into regions with region specific maps. I find them very helpful to have the printed guide to pick up and look at instead of doing it all on line. Good luck with the planning and the retirement. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for taking the time to review the areas we are looking at staying.
It means a lot.

How do you like Siesta Bay?
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:15 AM   #9
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I'll defend Galveston a bit..no the beaches are not pristine. Some in "town" are cleaned if they get seaweed bad, otherwise not. The water is not filthy; it's sandy or sometimes muddy maybe. If the wind is blowing from the west it will disturb the sandbars in the water and causes the sandy or muddy conditions. Predominate Galveston wind is southeast which is perpendicular to the sandbars and will result in what we call "green to the beach" water conditions. Everyone I know swims in it.
Galveston definitely doesn't have Florida white beaches and blue water though. There are too many rivers in the upper coast dumping sand and silt in the Gulf.
South Texas has prettier beaches if that's what you want.
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:20 AM   #10
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I'll defend Galveston a bit..no the beaches are not pristine. Some in "town" are cleaned if they get seaweed bad, otherwise not. The water is not filthy; it's sandy or sometimes muddy maybe. If the wind is blowing from the west it will disturb the sandbars in the water and causes the sandy or muddy conditions. Predominate Galveston wind is southeast which is perpendicular to the sandbars and will result in what we call "green to the beach" water conditions. Everyone I know swims in it.
Galveston definitely doesn't have Florida white beaches and blue water though. There are too many rivers in the upper coast dumping sand and silt in the Gulf.
South Texas has prettier beaches if that's what you want.
Thanks Gearhead.
We are not too fussy, and realize we won't be in a "beach resort" type area.
We would likely only use it for walking anyway.
From my understanding, the water is
pretty cool (even for us "Canucks") in February, which is when we plan to be there.

Thanks for your reply.
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:32 AM   #11
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I suggest taking the free ferry across to Bolivar peninsula and maybe getting lunch at Stingaree Marina. Real low key place. If the weather is nice you can sit on the deck and watch the boat traffic on The Intercostal Waterway. Sportfishermen may be coming and going as well. I launch my boat there occasionally and it's a popular place. They have a link to a web cam on the website. https://www.stingaree.com/
February will be a bit slow on the beachfront. Usually just hardcore fishermen, snowbirds, and locals out and about.
A bit too cool to swim.
webcam: https://www.bolivarpeninsulatexas.co.../Stingaree-Bay
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:37 AM   #12
Harleydodge
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10-4
I suggest taking the free ferry across to Bolivar peninsula and maybe getting lunch at Stingaree Marina. Real low key place. If the weather is nice you can sit on the deck and watch the boat traffic on The Intercostal Waterway. Sportfishermen may be coming and going as well. I launch my boat there occasionally and it's a popular place. They have a link to a web cam on the website. https://www.stingaree.com/
February will be a bit slow on the beachfront. Usually just hardcore fishermen, snowbirds, and locals out and about.
A bit too cool to swim.
Exellent info, thanks.
Yes I noticed that ferry on Google Maps and will most definitely be Riding in that direction at some point.
Love seafood and will definitely check that place out.
Thanks again!
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:44 AM   #13
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I'll vouch for Stingaree Marina. It's a "got to go one time" place to sit on the deck and watch the million dollar boats come and go. Food is good, beer cold and mixed drinks are made right. I don't know that I'd call it a "neighborhood destination" kind of bar/restaurant, but it is a "must see" one time.
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Old 12-29-2017, 01:06 PM   #14
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Alrighty then...2 recommendations.
Officially added it to the To-Do list, Thanks!
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Old 12-29-2017, 02:55 PM   #15
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Harley, the Gulf is very cold in the winter. Shallow water = cold water in the winter. The Gulf side out of Fort Myers is normally in the 66 degree area whereas Miami is normally in the 75 degree range in February. Keep in mind that if you head to south Texas in the South Padre Island area you will not find beaches like you are expecting. These are very gravelly and shallow for a long way out from shore. On the positive side you can drive on the beach.
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:11 PM   #16
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OK, I may have been a bit hard on Galveston....I enjoyed our stay in the area and I would go back. Gaidos seafood restaurant is a must do when you are there. Have their bread pudding for dessert. So delish you will want to lick the bowl.

While you are at the San Carlos resort you will be very close to Trico Seafood Market. Good small market with fresh off the boat Sanibel Pink Shrimp and fresh fish. They had the best prices I could find in the area. 12.95 lb. for large shrimp. Same road but further down is The Shrimp Dock Bar and Grille. Excellent. The shrimp beach bread and the shrimp corn chowder is so good you will go back for more. Great place with outdoor dining right on the channel.

Siesta Bay is a nice park but its mostly a permanent/seasonal type of park. Nice amenities, clean and well run. No dogs are allowed and 2 indoor cats is the limit for pets. We are here helping out a friend do some repairs to her trailer home, damage from the hurricane and she is a permanent resident. My trailer is 37 ft. long and I could barely maneuver it into the space because things are so close together. Narrow roads and not much space between your neighbor. If it hadn't been for helping her I would not have come here but again, its a nice park really. You made the right choice with San Carlos park. Traffic over the bridge to Ft. Myers Beach is awful though. Be very careful driving around because you have the 2 extremes of the "old" folks driving slow and the young whipper snappers wanting to be the next Nascar phenom.
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Old 12-29-2017, 07:39 PM   #17
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OK, I may have been a bit hard on Galveston....I enjoyed our stay in the area and I would go back. Gaidos seafood restaurant is a must do when you are there. Have their bread pudding for dessert. So delish you will want to lick the bowl.

While you are at the San Carlos resort you will be very close to Trico Seafood Market. Good small market with fresh off the boat Sanibel Pink Shrimp and fresh fish. They had the best prices I could find in the area. 12.95 lb. for large shrimp. Same road but further down is The Shrimp Dock Bar and Grille. Excellent. The shrimp beach bread and the shrimp corn chowder is so good you will go back for more. Great place with outdoor dining right on the channel.

Siesta Bay is a nice park but its mostly a permanent/seasonal type of park. Nice amenities, clean and well run. No dogs are allowed and 2 indoor cats is the limit for pets. We are here helping out a friend do some repairs to her trailer home, damage from the hurricane and she is a permanent resident. My trailer is 37 ft. long and I could barely maneuver it into the space because things are so close together. Narrow roads and not much space between your neighbor. If it hadn't been for helping her I would not have come here but again, its a nice park really. You made the right choice with San Carlos park. Traffic over the bridge to Ft. Myers Beach is awful though. Be very careful driving around because you have the 2 extremes of the "old" folks driving slow and the young whipper snappers wanting to be the next Nascar phenom.
Thanks for the info and will definitely check on the spots you mentioned.
I am aware of what driving down there is like, as My Mom has a place on the Atlantic side. Definitely need to have your head on a pivot at all times, especially on the Bike
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Old 12-30-2017, 07:55 PM   #18
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Take the trip over to Sanibel and Captiva island. $6.00 toll over the causeway but worth the price for a day. Try out the Mucky Duck on Captiva.
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Old 12-31-2017, 04:35 AM   #19
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That area of ft Myers is very nice .As already mentioned the traffic from that park is a nightmare. In Jan threw March it backs up several miles before the bridge.my cousin lives at the foot of the bridge and they stay home most of the time jan.to mar.We usually walk over the bridge to avoid traffic and parking issues.
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Old 12-31-2017, 04:53 AM   #20
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Take the trip over to Sanibel and Captiva island. $6.00 toll over the causeway but worth the price for a day. Try out the Mucky Duck on Captiva.
Thanks for the tip, we will check that out. Plan to see those places for sure.
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