Following the Florida Overseas Highway to mile marker 20, we pulled into the Sugar Loaf Key/Key West KOA, a beachfront paradise with tropical pool, hot tub, tiki bar/café and beautifully landscaped sites.
Key Takeaways:
Lush, tropical landscaping throughout the park
Newly remodeled park
Resort amenities with tropical pool, hot tub, café and tiki bar
Full-service marina and fishing areas
Dog park, dog friendly
15 miles from Key West
Our Stay:
The Florida Overseas Highway or Highway 1 starts just south of Florida City at Mile Marker (MM) 126 and ends in Key West at MM 0. We’ve traveled this highway several years ago and know it can be very busy and sometimes slow going. Our trip down to the Sugar Loaf KOA to MM 20 was uneventful with moderate traffic on a Thursday. It was still spring break time in the Keys and many of the RV parks were full months ahead of time. Since we were meeting friends who needed a marina for their boat, we chose the Sugar Loaf Key/Key West KOA. This RV park was a pleasant surprise. Every site was professionally landscaped with tropical plants, bushes and trees. Each graveled site included a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites were a little tight but our back-in site had enough room to extend our awning. There were several oceanfront sites (not available for our stay) which bordered the beach area. The highlight of this park was the large tropical pool, hot tub and tike bar/café. It really had a resort feel.
Sugar Loaf Key/Key West KOAChili & Cedar at KOASugar Loaf KOA Dog Park
What to do:
Sugar Loaf KOA is a short 15-mile drive to the attractions of Key West. If you don’t want to drive, you can pick up a bus from the RV park. We drove to Key West and hopped on a train tour of the city. We found this to be a great way to see the sights and historic attractions of old Key West. It’s a perfect day trip to enjoy the many restaurants, bars and shopping too. Throughout the city, there were many dog-friendly restaurants and bars – it was just too hot for the girls while were there.
The weather was comfortably hot during our stay in the low 80’s and we were fortunate to spend a day on the water with our good friend, Captain Randy. We motored to a nearby island to find some great swimming and snorkeling. The dogs enjoyed the boat trip as well. Chili loved swimming in the ocean, Cedar, not so much. She did not like jumping off the boat and decided to just nap. Our trip back to the Sugar Loaf KOA was fun too thanks to Tow America. Reminded me of that wise saying, “Boating is always more fun when it’s someone else’s boat.”
Chili & Cedar’s Review: 4.8 Paws out of 5 Paws
The Sugar Loaf Key/Key West KOA is a very dog friendly RV resort. We enjoyed our walks around the park and the enclosed dog park. We really liked out boat ride and swimming with mom and dad.
A 5 PAW review from Chili and Cedar! Ho Hum RV Park is a dog-friendly stay on the Forgotten Coast. Dogs are welcome on local beaches in Carrabelle and St. George Island.
Key Takeaways:
Moving on down the coast 90 miles west of Port St. Joe, we checked into the Ho Hum RV Park for a 5-night stay. The name tells you this is not a resort – it’s a small, ocean front RV park we absolutely loved. We stayed on an inside lot for two nights (there was some road noise off Hwy 98) and then moved to an ocean front lot for the remainder of our stay. Our RV sat just feet from the ocean providing a lovely ocean breeze and the calming sound of waves. The gravel lots were level and provided enough room to set up our screen porch. The park bath house and laundry facilities were clean and well maintained. The regular internet was slow so we upgraded to premium internet at $1.50 per day. Cable was provided as well. We found the hosts very helpful and dog friendly! There was a grassy area for the dogs and a half mile of beach accessible from the park. We caught some amazing sun rises but there were no real sunsets from the park, just some beautiful pink and purple hues reflecting off the water. We opted to take our dogs to Carrabelle Beach about 5 minutes away to a dog friendly beach. The beach was level and uncrowded and we walked 2-3 miles every morning with the dogs.
Ho Hum RV ParkChili lounging at the RV siteHo Hum RV Park, Carrabelle, FLMike enjoying his after-setup beer.
What to do:
Enjoy the laid-back friendly atmosphere of the Forgotten Coast. Visit the historic Village of Carrabelle and enjoy local seafood. Visit St. George Island with pristine, dog friendly beaches and restaurants. The St. George Island State Park has a nice RV park and dog friendly walking trails but the beaches in the State Park are not dog friendly. We enjoyed the Blue Parrot Café on St. George Island – awesome seafood and dog-friendly seating on their spacious decks.
Carrabelle BeachSt. George IslandDog-friendly patio at the Blue Parrot Cafe on St. George Island
Red Dog Review:
5Paws! Very dog-friendly atmosphere in the Ho Hum RV Park and surrounding area. Short walk to potty and lots of other doggies. We loved our walks on the beach, running from the big waves and sand in our toes. The Blue Parrot Café was our favorite – we each got a bucket of ice water to keep us cool.
Small, older RV park with tight spots – fine for a short stay
Close to Gulf Coast Beaches, Honeymoon Island, Dunedin, Fort De Soto Park
Dog friendly
Mostly long-term rentals with spacious transient sites
Friendliest RV park to date
Visit Fort De Soto Park for dog friendly beaches and dog parks
Our Stay
Bay Aire RV Park is located on the Gulf Coast, northwest of Tampa. We picked this location to visit friends in the area and as a stopover on our travels down the west coast of Florida. We found many of the parks in this area to be booked months ahead but this park was a nice find. The park is small (170 sites) and older with only a handful of transient sites. We were greeted by friendly managers and escorted to site 50. I wasn’t sure how we were going to fit into the tight space, but it worked out with help from the manager. Aside from the tight fit, the resort is well maintained and very dog friendly. We walked a short distance to a gate that led to a sidewalk for dog walking. Everyone we met in this park was incredibly friendly! We felt very welcome in this park.
What to do:
The best part about this park was the proximity to restaurants in Palm Harbor, Dunedin and our most exciting find to date – Fort De Soto Park. We traveled about 30 mins to this beautiful Gulf Coast park to find a designated dog beach and huge gated dog park! The girls were so excited to romp on the beach and play in the waves. They met several new friends and had a great time. The weather was cooler that day and very windy which kept the people crowds away. We also checked out the campground at the park and will definitely book a stay for future travels in this area. Local friends told us to book this park 6 months in advance.
Another dog friendly beach is located on Honeymoon Island, a short drive from Palm Harbor. We opted to avoid the Spring Break crowds and did not visit this island but will add it to our list next time.
Fort De Soto Dog ParkChasing waves Meeting new friendsFort De Soto Dog Beach
Red Dog Review:
5 PAWS: We will stay anywhere in this area if we can go to our own dog beach! The RV park was small but we had nice walks each day outside the park and all the people and dogs in the park were very nice. We had our best day ever at the Fort De Soto Park. They had a beach for only dogs (we let mom and dad come too). This is the first time we swam and played in the surf and ran in the sand. We met lots of other dogs at the beach – best time ever! We give it 5PAWS because we were treated so well and did we tell you about the dog beach!
Quaint boutique RV Park with spacious, level lots.
Beautiful white-sand, uncrowded, dog-friendly beaches a short walk away.
A perfect spot to chill and unwind.
Our Stay:
East of Panama City on the Gulf Coast lies the beach town of Port St. Joe. With a small town feel and soft, white sand beaches, this laid-back fishing village is a respite from the traffic and crowded beaches of the Fort Walton-Destin-Panama City area. We arrive at the Old Salt RV Park to find a quaint, gated RV park just a short walk from the beach. The graveled lots are level and spacious. The communication from the hosts was exceptional and included walking directions to the dog friendly beaches. Our assigned lot included a picnic table and fire ring and was close to the well-maintained bath house and laundry facility. A central fire-pit area and gazebo provided a gathering spot for RVers. Park internet was good. We heard some road noise from County Road 396, but we did not find it bothersome. Weather was perfect with a chilly start in the morning and then upper 60’s and lower 70’s during our stay.
What to do:
Enjoy the flat, uncrowded, white sand beaches in Port St. Joe and Cape San Blas. Walk the dogs for miles on the dog-friendly Port St. Joe beaches. (Note: Adjacent Mexico Beach is not pet friendly). Eat at local seafood restaurant or pub. Panama City is 36 miles west and has several dog-friendly restaurants. Check out Barefoot on the Bay Bar & Grill for a casual dining experience with dog-friendly patio seating. Firepit relaxing with the dogs. Watch amazing sunsets on the beach.
Red Dog Review:
5 PAWS! This dog-friendly RV resort is perfect. The owners were welcoming and gave us all the info we needed for a pet-friendly stay. Every day we walked to the beach about two blocks away. Beach walks were pawsome in Port St. Joe! We loved the soft sand on our paws, chasing the ocean waves and meeting dog friendly folks on the beach. We also visited nearby Salinas Park and spent a day on the beach. We had to be on our leashes but that’s okay… We also loved visiting Panama City Beach with a stop at the Barefoot on the Bay Bar & Grill. Our waitress brought us a bowl of water – very thoughtful and much appreciated!
