John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

I've stayed here a bunch of times. It's a very large park with lots of places to walk, swim and explore. Some sites back-up to a mangrove bog. You can see huge iguanas and various marsh birds in the campground. Headlamp night walks are great here! The sites are a little on the small side. They have full hookups, but some of the hookups (particularly sewer) are in disrepair. The biggest issue with this park is the no-see-ums. They are so tiny, they will fly through your screens. When we stay here, we close all of the windows and use the AC. We don't spend much time sitting outside (especially at dusk). The no-see-ums aren't as bad during cold snaps. I still love this park despite the bugs!

It takes me 5 hours to get to Pennekamp so I can get there on a Friday night and get 4 snorkel sessions in over the weekend and leave on Monday morning refreshed for my workweek. The snorkel boats are pleasant and the reefs are fantastic. There are so many fish to see especially if you just "hang out' over an area and wait. NO standing and NO touching!