After tons of research, I decided to buy a Thousand Trails membership, thinking the camping club would be a good way to keep campground costs low while on the 50 States Tour. I was able to score two zones for the current membership price of one, which made it worth purchasing. After all, I figured that I’d break even after two weeks of stays at Thousand Trails Campgrounds.
Our first Thousand Trails stay was at Thousand Trails Orlando in Clermont, Florida. I had heard that there were tons of homeschooling and full-time RV families at this location, so I was interested in seeing what this campground offered and figured I could use it as a TT campground reference point. The location also seemed perfect for getting Wandertween some good swim workouts in at the National Training Center, and for easy airport access for Wanderdad. So, we made the short trek from the coast to central Florida.
In my book, central Florida is hot, flat, and kinda sorta boring if you’re not doing theme parks. Having done the Disney thing before, and knowing that my kids aren’t Disney fans (I know, strange kids), I figured we’d have to find other things to keep us busy while staying at TT Orlando for 5 nights.
One of the highlights of the stay was checking out the tiny historic downtown of Clermont and the waterfront park. We found a cool German influenced cafe, Vineyards of the World, which served Radler (Grapefruit) as well as a new bookstore, The Rabbit’s Hole, that was having its Grand Opening, as well as a wee little library (I’ve been wanting to build one of those and put up in our town since last year).
As for TT Orlando, we had a spacious, clean campsite, but I was disappointed to discover that the activities building was undergoing renovations, so there wasn’t a lot happening in there or by way of activities. Generally, though, people were very friendly and helpful, and the ladies dancing to the oldies in the pool didn’t seem to mind my kids splashing around them. Would I stay at Thousand Trails Orlando again? Maybe, if I happened to be RV’ing in Central Florida. But the more we bounce from campground to campground on our tour, I’ve come to realize that I much prefer the uniqueness and natural beauty of State Campgrounds.
Subscribe to the Wanderschool Newletter. Get the latest travel news delivered right to your inbox.
