After a pleasant drive south from the Cocoa FL area we arrived at Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial…read morePark and Campground. The campground was suggested by our friends Bob and Lori. We're absolutely delighted to overnight in quiet Pod 5 site 1 which is a back in site with full hookup. Larry Thompson was a humor columnist for the Miami Herald for more than two decades until his death February 18, 1973. He is in the Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame. His wife Gladys "Penny" Thompson (née Rhodes), who died September 22, 1975, was a pioneer in women's aviation during the 1940s-1950s. She is in the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame and the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. She was the Florida chapter president of the Ninety-Nines, the women's pilot organization founded by Amelia Earhart. While in the Civil Air Patrol, she flew over the Gulf of Mexico searching for German submarines during World War II. Her plane was one of several hundred destroyed in a 1945 blimp hangar fire at the Naval Air Station Richmond, part of which was rebuilt as the park.

I love the layout of this park and the amount of trees!! The shelters are amazing for bday parties…read moreand if you get the ones by the lake then you're in for a treat for a beautiful sunset

You are going to love this Hidden Oasis!!!…read more http://www.miamidade.gov/ecoadventures/camp-owaissa-bauer.asp Email: campowaissabauer@miamidade.gov Phone 305-247-6016 Camp Owaissa Bauer, special activity area of the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, is designed for group camping and is located near Homestead, Florida. The camp occupies a 110-acre tract of pineland studded with tropical hammock growth, and is provided/maintained by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. The many natural features of the camp area may be observed from nature trails. Here, campers can learn about animals, vegetation, and geology of South Florida. All natural features of the camp are protected, planned, and designed for both adults and children. It is complete with buildings and facilities to accommodate a total of 160 campers for overnight and extended period camping. The camp is available to organized groups up to one (1) year in advance by contacting the Camp Manager's office. The Camp Manager and the staff are based on the campgrounds for your assistance. The organized groups must provide such directors, counselors, and kitchen personnel as are necessary to conduct their individual camping program. Facilities at Camp OB * 4 air conditioned dormitory-style cabins that can sleep 100 people. Bunk beds with vinyl-covered mattresses, restroom located in each cabin. * 2 non-air conditioned cabins that can sleep an additional 50 people. * * 3 separate air conditioned quarters that can sleep a combined total of 10 people. * * Bath house with separate men's & women's and ADA accessible showers. * Large air conditioned Dining Hall with fully equipped kitchen. * Recreation patio with ping-pong tables and benches. * Meeting room * perfect for smaller meeting or arts & crafts. * Large (35'x75', 3'-8' depth) swimming pool *, basketball courts, volleyball courts, softball field. * Hayrides and Campfires *

The post about how bad Camp Owaissa Bauer is, it's not fair. The director of the group would have…read morehad the remote controls for the air conditioners if it was to cold speak up and get the air turned down. The camp is very clean the bath house is very clean. The picture of the footprints on the floor seriously? If the group had been in the pool and walked to the bath house with wet feet or wet shoes there are going to be foot prints. Hard water rust stains are not dirty it is a rust stain. What pool that is not screened in doesn't have a few bugs in the water. It is Miami-Dade County Aquatics Policy to not allow masks that cover the nose in any pool. Children could breathe in water the accumulates in the mask and that could cause Dry Drowning or Secondary Drowning.

Great landscaping, but try and get a spot under a tree, your air conditioners will appreciate it!read more

my husband and I RV'd from LA, up to Canada, across to DC, and now down to FL- this is the worst…read morepark we've stayed at. Admin in office is hostile, unwelcoming, and clearly don't give a crap about guests as people. I understand places like this have bad turn over but if we're still paying for services, you owe it to the guests to TRY to give them a good experience. We're not cattle; we're customers. Even if we come on a truck bed. No hot water in the front bathrooms. Nightmare shower experience once when they were cleaning. Pool is shut down. Mini golf and playground is dilapidated. We can't use the fire pit. No yard game equipment. Clubhouse is condemned. I ask- is there any fun camping activity we CAN do here? They were truly rude and difficult to work with. Go somewhere else, I wish I did!

This place is not perfect and it is not awful. If you look for something to no like then you'll…read morefind them. Not sure what the issue with the staff is but I haven't had any problems with them. I think they are nice. The park needs some work and they need to work on getting the speeders out of the park. I prefer an RV park more than a mobile home park with some RV spots. I usually write out a review but I think this one Ill give a pros and cons list and you decide what is best for you. Pro's: * Pool * Gated * Gym * Basketball court * Small park * horseshoes Con's: * Not totally an RV park - there are a lot of mobile homes * People in RV parks are friendly and actually do the speed limit * Residents drive too fast - more than 20 mph. I've been passed because of doing the speed limit. * The lawn company didn't mow the grass for the last 3 weeks we were there * There are a lot of bugs - ants, spiders, fleas, and mosquitos. We ended up with an enormous amount of ants in out RV before we left and it took almost 3 weeks to get rid of them.

We planned on staying here for 5 months and hoped for longer. But today, We just put in our notice…read morethat we are leaving. I hope my experience will help you make your decision to stay here. While management is extremely proud of writing 1000 notices to people over the last year, this is still the reality of what you get. They don't seem to know what's available, unless you speak Spanish. Then they got a spot for you. Lots of RV's with window ac units. Refrigerators outside Gate doesn't always work Gym is a joke 2 out of 6 washers out of order for months 2 out of 6 dryers out of order for months Men's and women's showers has no ac and standing water. Neighbors raising pigeons behind his RV. Few Neighbors have pit bulls Pool is nice. (When people are not watching chickens fight on their phone while standing in pool) LOTS OF FOR SALE SIGNS HERE. People are trying to leave this place. Good luck and safe travels

Took the kids kayaking at Flamingo Everglades park and it was a great experience. Dock Master…read moreRueben was very helpful and made sure we were prepared and safe before heading out. TAKE MOSQUITO REPELLANT!!!! PSA: Entrance to the was free due to it being July 4.

Probably one of the more lowkey National Parks in the US. Located about 45 minutes to an hour from…read moreMiami. With two official entrances into the park and visitor centers at each. Opted for a boat tour to see as much as possible, the tour was by Flamingo Adventures($48 per adult, $24 per child under 12). A nice way to see a lot and learn more about this National Park. Pro tip: bring bug spray and dress for the humidity, light layers + body fully covered! Lots of bugs!!

We booked the Boca Chita/Stiltsville tour and loved every minute of it. Check in was easy and the…read moredirections provided for parking were great. Our crew was Duncan and Captain Stefan. Stiltsville was super interesting and I enjoyed learning more about the key holders. I find it fascinating that you can still potentially rent these places out. We were able to get off the boat at Boca Chita, where we climbed the lighthouse. From there, we saw multiple sharks in the water. We also had plenty of time to explore the key and take pictures. For National Park stamp collectors, the boat staff have stamps on the vessel if you don't have time to go to the National Park visitor center. I would absolutely do a tour through the institute again.

Quite pricey snorkeling experience $115 ea for 3.5 hours boat tour, we booked the 1.30pm to 5pm…read moretour. Upon check-in, we realized that they put in 18 people in a small boat, the whole boat was pretty packed. The captain and helper were both friendly and helpful, they have pool noodles to help those who in need. we stopped at two sites, the water was cold near the mangrove and not many fish. The second site was better with reefs and warmer water. Even with wetsuits the majority us were shivering the whole 45 minutes journey back to the land. Our captain spotted dolphins on our way back, there were 4-5 of them in clear waters and swam near to our boat. if you have two or more people, i think charter a boat is better.

A great spot for locals and tourists alike. If you've lived in south Florida for more than a year…read moreand have never experienced an airboat ride at Mack's then you need to get out there!!! Great wonderful people - super nice, super knowledgeable, multigenerational run business. Known as Gladesmen - these folks are salt of the earth. They've rescued the lost out in these Everglades and can survive on their own out there! Captain Cody, a 3rd generation Gladesman, was our guide and all I can say is if the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow I am seeking refuge in the Everglades with Capt Cody on my team! Thanks to Marshal and Cody for a great tour today!

I would highly recommend going to see Marshall at Mack's Fish Camp. He was the most knowledgeable,…read moreyet humble tour guide one could ask for. He was extremely patient answering our group's many questions and educated us on numerous aspects of the ecosystem. The camp itself goes back six generations, which gives a very personal touch to the experience. Marshall went above and beyond "just" an airboat ride, making a necklace for us out of a river plant, stopping at a private island to allow us to explore, and introducing us to the people and animals that are part of the camp. Marshall was in constant communication leading up to the tour, professional, and accommodating. This excursion should be a must-do for anyone visiting the area.

Stumbled upon this nature center by chance and loved it. Did a nature walk through the hammock led…read moreby the awesome "H". She was incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun. Learnt how the whole forest has an underground network of fungus. Might sound gross but it is fascinating! There are also this sink hole looking things called solutions that are super interesting to see and learn more about. The hammock is beautiful and you truly feel like you escaped Miami overall. The volunteers did some epic work on the butterfly garden. The bathrooms are clear and there are picnic tables all around. The nature center itself has a nice little exhibit to educate on birds, butterflies, snakes and the like. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and host several events throughout the month to educate and engage with the community. Archery lessons, evening walks, historic c bike rides and others. Looking forward to coming back!!

The 112 acre Castellow Hammock Preserve is part of the Dade Archipelago, a series of rocky islands…read morethat once stuck out from the Everglades. The park was named for James S. Castellow, one of the earliest citrus farmers in the area. He homesteaded 160 acres in July of 1900 and he built a small house from wood he harvested and had milled. Hugh Matheson, Jr. purchased the property from him in the 1950's. The county purchased the property from Matheson in 1962. The sale included the hardwood hammock forest called Castellow Hammock by local snail collectors and botanists. In 1974 Castellow Hammock was opened as a park and it contained one of the first environmental education centers in Miami-Dade county. The education center offers a variety of educational classes., ranger guided EcoAdventure tours, canoe trips, kayak fishing excursions, biking in Everglades National Park, and biking through the historic Redland Farming District. In the summer there is a children's park summer nature day camp. Today Castellow Hammock is a tropical hardwood forest surrounded by the farms of the Redlands. There is a half mile trail that cuts through the preserve. The trail is narrow and filled with tree branches and protruding irregular chunks of limestone. You really need to pay attention to where you are stepping. The limestone contains solution holes where rare fern species can grow. Trees that make up the trail canopy overhead include mastic, gumbo limbo, West Indian mahogany, paradise trees, and Jamaican dogwood. On the ground you will find wild coffee and giant sword ferns. Living among the plants is the colorful Liguus tree snail of the Everglades and Keys that only lives in the hardwood hammocks. The park is part of the 2000-mile Great Florida Birding Trail and over 120 species of birds have been spotted here as well as 70 species of butterflies. Mammals that call Castellow Hammock home include raccoons, opossum, gray squirrels, southern flying squirrels, gray fox, and short-tailed shrews. Reptiles and amphibians have been found here including the venomous Eastern coral snake. Thankfully I didn't come across any. The park is perfect for hikers, birders, butterfly watchers, botanists, and other nature enthusiasts. I loved the hike even though I was constantly at risk of tripping over a tree root or slipping on a limestone rock. It was more interesting than my average hike. After you get your exercise you can sample some of the Redlands other delights like a wine tasting at Schnebly's or the cinnamon rolls at Knaus Berry Farm. There are so many reasons to love the Redlands.

I did the Animal Encounter with my family and had Ethan as our presenter. He was awesome! Very…read moreknowledgeable and thorough in his explanation of each of the animals. The rest of the staff with whom I interacted was good too! The reason I am giving this review 4 stars instead of 5 is there were certain employees in the gift shop who left a little to be desired. They seemed as if they didn't really want to be there. Could have caught them on a bad day, but I noticed a difference between those few and the rest of the staff around the premisis.

Our tour guide, who I believe was RJ, was great. Very knowledgeable and funny, wish we had brought…read morecash for a tip. We had limited time to come in the morning. We got there did the boat tour and left, so upset that I forgot about the picture and didn't get souvenirs. We went in the earlier part of the morning around 10 AM, we were prepared to get bit by mosquitos, to get wet, and the terrible heat. We were lucky we did not get a single bite by mosquitos, the boat got wet at our feet, but we did not, and the boat is covered so heat was not bad. We saw like 8 alligators, some birds and turtles. We had an amazing time, so worth the time and drive. Would not mind doing this tour again.