Fort Desoto County Park - Tampa, FL

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Fort Desoto County Park - Tampa, FL

Campsite # 215

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – May 19,20 and 21 – Fort Desoto Park Campground – County Park St. Petersburg, Florida – 236 sites in three loops – Site 215- Water and electricity.

Well, we left this morning from W.P Franklin North campground and it was beautiful around 8 in the morning. Drove back about 15 minutes to Fort Meyers to hop on I75 and head for Sarasota to go to the John ( the fifth and youngest brother that started the Ringling Brothers Circus and brought it to Sarasota for it’s winter home) and Mable Ringling complex. It started to rain hard when we were driving but then stopped when we reached Sarasota. It then sprinkled once in awhile when we were there.

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This Ringling complex was donated to the state of Florida before John died and it includes their winter home Ca d’Zan, the Circus Museum, a new Circus Museum, the Museum of Art which is now Florida’s state museum and the Historic Asolo Theater.  John who had a huge fortune from the circus, railroad, oil and huge real estate transactions actually died after the depression only have a little over $300 in his pocket.  He had owned most of Sarasota and by willing it to the state his creditors could not come after the house and it’s furnishing as well as their huge art collection. If anyone is in this area go visit this complex. First their home which the state of Florida just finished at multi- million dollar renovation in 2002 is the most beautiful home I have ever seen. Mable designed it bringing designs that she saw from all over Europe and the furnishings were purchased from all over the world. The ceilings, tile, marble, motifs and the colored glass windows are amazing. It is in the Venetian Gothic style and sits on the gulf with a huge patio. They entertained here all the time and Mabel only lived here 3 years before she passed away.

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The new Circus Museum learning center they worked for over 50 years to display an amazing miniature circus showing a day in the circus from the trains, loading, putting the tents up to taking them down. The Asolo theater was brought over from Italy and put back together with all it’s designs, gems and paintings.

Finally the Museum of Art – all these paintings were purchased by John and Mable during their lifetime and as George said these are paintings that you have seen in your history books. What an amazing collection! The Museum of Art was allowing anyone to visit free on Mondays.

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Well, we spent the day here and when we got out my darling husband had left his lights on for the whole day. So, the camper did not start up. We had some other batteries etc and charges and nothing worked so we called Good Sam’s emergency road service which we joined before this trip and they sent someone in less than 20 to start our camper. Of course, if we had called right away we would have been out of there an hour earlier but you know George – he tried everything else to get the battery started.

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Left there and drove for about an hour towards Tampa and St. Petersburg to Fort Desoto Park where we were going to stay for the next three nights. Of course, George had to travel over the Sunway Bridge which is beautiful but the wind was blowing and our camper was shaking. We made it!

Plan on riding our bikes, going to the fort and the beach for the next two days. One note of information when we were in Sanibel on a bike trail George told me to stop as he had to talk on his cell to his youngest so when I did my left foot was attacked by ants and now it itches, and it is swollen up with blisters all over it. I have tried everything but stopped at CVS and got a real good ointment so let’s hope. Taking Advil to get the swelling down and hope it does not get worse would hate to have to stop our trip just because George has to talk on his cell!

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Fort Desoto Park, St. Petersburg, Florida – County Park – water and electricity and close to $40 a day now for an rv (last year it was 25 – big jump). Florida has so many taxes on tourists- the tourist development tax, sale and county. Three loops in the campground – one for vans, tents and popups, one for rv’s and others with pets and one for rv’s etc. All the reviews have been right on about this campground – it is beautiful and the sites are private with a lot of shade. One side of the loops face the Gulf of Mexico and the other sides the local waterway and even the Bay of Tampa. Ours was facing west over the gulf so the sunsets were beautiful with a nice breeze coming off the water. There are bike trails, a fort and one of the best beaches in the country to walk, ride or drive to. The bathrooms could be more updated but they are ok and the showers are hot. Easy checkin and the campground is very quiet at night and even during the day. There is a raccoon problem here from late in the afternoon through the evening and you can not leave any food out and even your coolers. The squirrels are brazen too one tried to sit in my husbands chair and join me eating peanuts outside. I had to go inside the camper to get rid of him.

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We went in May during the week for three nights so were able to get reservations for a site and there were many other sites available but they did have posted that they are booked every weekend through July. I know it’s very hard to get reservations here from January through April and I can see why everyone we met complained about how hard it is to get a site during those months. If you book though they do not give out refunds if you have to cancel but you have a year to remake reservations. It worked out well for us because we canceled last year and stayed this year at last years price and that was close to almost $15 a day difference. They do have laundry facilities, a camp store, playgrounds, dump station and a campers dayroom. Would love to come back but if only we could get reservations! It really is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we have ever been to. Warning the couple next to us did not have reservations and they had to move twice – after the second time they thought they were all right until Friday when the campground was booked. Then they told them someone went on and made reservations while they were on the site so they would have to move again so they decided to heck with this and they pulled out. The group that came in was 6 college age students with tents think they are going to the Obama rally tomorrow in St. Petersburg – all they do is bash Bush. I don’t know why they have a tenting, popup and van section if they allow the tents to go in the rv section too. That’s why the RV section fills up so fast and the tent sections seems to always have sites left. They should force the tenters to the section that is set aside for them!

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Wednesday we drove over to the old fort and walked around the old foundations as well as the fort itself with the old guns still pointing north towards the sky. We also went to North Beach in Fort Desoto Park which was voted as the number 1 beach in the country. It is a beautiful beach with the best waves for body surfing that we have had. George and I stayed in the water the whole time we were at the beach. The water was warm but not as warm as Sanibel which was good for me but George was a trooper and just kept on swimming and riding the waves. I haven’t seen him swim this much in 40 years. The beach was not crowded but there were only about ten people swimming. Many of those sunning themselves never ever went in the water. I think that they think that May it is too cold for them but New England water never gets this warm.

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