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It had been a few years since we stayed in Florida for the winter in our RV. We planned on spending the 2018-19 winter season entirely in Florida. Most all of our stays with our Thousand Trails membership with Trails Collection upgrade to keep our expenses down. Our first stay for the winter was at Vacation Village RV Resort near Tampa. Read on to learn more about our experience with this park.
Location of Vacation Village RV Resort
Vacation Village RV Resort is located in Largo Florida, close to Tampa Bay, St Petersburg, and Clearwater beach. Being so close to the gulf coast of Florida, it is a great area to visit for a warm winter stay. The roads into the area are mostly easy to navigate, but pay close attention to your final approach if you have a larger RV We chose to go around the block to avoid the U-turn entry into the park off Ulmerton Road. Also be aware that the change in grade from Ulmerton road, down into the campground parking lot might be a challenge for an RV with low ground clearance. Our RV has low ground clearance, but we were able to make it in without scraping. Just be sure to pay attention.
The area immediately surrounding the park is a mix of commercial and residential, and Ulmerton road is a busy road. This area of Florida is rumored to have one of the highest population density in Florida. The good news about that is that there are grocery stores, and most any other shops a short drive away. It is also a pretty short drive to local beaches.
RV Sites
The internal roads are mostly paved asphalt surface. Sites are predominantly natural surfaces and many have concrete patios. The RV park has a mix of RVs, park-models and more permanent structures. Most of the permanent structures are in a separate area. There are a total of around 275 sites, with two thirds being RV sites.
We would guess that a high percentage of the RV sites are seasonal or permanent residents. All sites are back in, and to our knowledge, all have 30/50amp electricity full hook-up. Roads inside the RV park are average size, with a couple tight corners, so maneuvering is ok. Sites are smaller than some other parks we have stayed at, but definitely not the most crowded. Probably about average for what we see in Florida parks that are predominantly seasonal visitors.
There is a welcome center and office at the front of the RV park. There is not much of a check in lane that doesn’t block other traffic. But with mostly seasonal stays, the odds are that it is rare to have multiple RVs checking in at the same time. A large number of the RVs in this resort were over 40’ in length. You will be fine if you are comfortable with your RV length. But, this would not be the first park you would want to visit with your big rig.
Amenities At Vacation Village RV Resort
Vacation Village RV Resort offers a pool, shuffleboard, sand volleyball, and a clubhouse. The resort also has two laundry/shower buildings. They also have a calendar of events to encourage community with residents. The RV park is well maintained and the staff were lovely during our visit.
Roads within the campground are nice and level, which makes for a nice area to go for a walk. Amenities are relatively simple at the park, as we imagine most people are here for the draw of the area and location.
Pros
- Convenient access to shops and area attractions
- Really nice staff and friendly residents
- Well maintained
Cons
- Not as much of a ‘getaway’ destination as other more rural parks
- Some city noise being close to larger roads and commercial areas
- A little on the squeezy side, but definitely not as bad as some others we have visited
Rates at Vacation Village RV Resort
We stayed at this park at with no nightly fee because of our Thousand Trails Membership with the Trails Collection upgrade. This resort is one of the Trails Collection offerings. Most sites were seasonal or permanent residents. The focus is on long term visits, and we didn’t get information on nightly or monthly rates during our visit.
Mail/Packages
We were able to ship a package here during our stay here at Vacation Village RV Resort. Catering to long term tenants, we imagine they are used to receiving deliveries for guests. But, as always, we recommend checking with the front desk before shipping.
WIFI/Cable
The resort does offer wifi and cable. We use our own data with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, so we didn’t try their internet. During our visit AT&T had 1 bar, Verizon and T-Mobile both had 5 bars of LTE signal without our booster, so connectivity speeds were good except on AT&T.
Area Attractions
This Largo RV Park is located less than 30 minutes from Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater beach. It is also less than an hour from Busch Gardens amusement park. It is a nice area to visit, especially in the winter months. Being such a popular area year round, there is virtually any service and resource you could need. Also being a popular tourist destination, there is always something to do.
Summary
Vacation Village RV Resort is a medium sized RV park near Tampa that is predominantly seasonal and permanent residents. The staff were great and the park was well maintained. Nothing super fancy, but good average park.
About Our Stay at Vacation Village RV Resort
We visited this RV resort in early December 2018. The weather was nice with daytime highs in the 70s and night time lows in the 50s. The warmth was very welcome after our previous couple weeks of much colder weather on our way south. We had a nice time here and would come back to visit. Especially since we can stay here with no nightly fee.
Learn more about our Thousand Trails memberships at these related blog posts.