Florida park's a great spot for camping getaway

By Clara Bosonetto Maerz

For ajc.com

When budgets are tight, the family vacation is often the first to get cut. But when those staycations get stale, consider a camping getaway. And you can forget about spending a ton on the camping gear. Many parks offer affordable lodging in furnished cabins, yurts, tepees and on-site RV's.

One fine location in the Florida panhandle is the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach (near Destin) and a quick tram ride to three miles of secluded, white sand beaches with dunes over 25 feet tall.

The park features something quite rare — three coastal freshwater lakes ideal for fishing. It also features a swimming pool, shuffleboard courts and a camp store for camping items, snacks and drinks.

A number of special activities will be offered during October:

• Saturday, Oct. 10, have “Breakfast with a Ranger” for $4, or bring your own breakfast.
• Learn about the animals of the sea, from sponges to squids, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, $3 per person.
• On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31, join in the 3rd Annual Haunted Trails and Fantasyland event with a fully frightening trail for adults and children over 12; $3 per person.
• Young children can go through the trick or treat trail, a "scare free" walking loop with treats for $1 and $1 for games with prizes and face painting.

As to overnight accommodations, furnished bungalows are available for weekly stays at $690 or $100 per night on stays through Jan. 31. Cabin rentals are $130 per night or $850 per week.

Primitive camping sites rent for $24 per night; $42 with luxuries such as water, electricity, cable connection and sewer.

If you visit just for the day (8 a.m.-sunset), a charge of $3 applies per vehicle (limit 8 persons per vehicle) or $2 for pedestrians.

For more on camping and RV parks, visit GoCamping.com, a web site which was recently overhauled to make it easier to find locations nationwide that best fit your vacation needs.

The site, which can also be used to book reservations online, includes a "Find Rentals" tab with search functions that make it easy to find campgrounds and RV parks with RV rentals on site as well as cabins, park models, yurts and tepees.

An advanced search function lets users find parks suited for tent campers, as well as parks that are big-rig friendly, pull-through sites, family-friendly or pet-friendly parks.

The advanced search function also allows for a search of nearly 40 types of activities and outdoor recreation, from biking and bird watching to hunting and fishing, golfing and kayaking. Links to information about outdoor recreation, festivals and special events in each of the 50 states are provided along with helpful information for first time campers, such as "What to Pack" lists and recipes.