Descanso, California

We arrived at Oakzanita Springs Thousand Trails preserve on 2.8.06.
Located in the Cuyamaca Mountains at an elevation of 4,000 feet, this 140-acre preserve is covered with oak trees and manzanita shrubbery. You can hike along the preserve's self-guided hiking trail to an ancient Indian archaeological site.
Lake Cuyamaca, north of the preserve, offers excellent fishing.
The gold mining town of Julian is about 15 miles away. Drive to San Diego to tour one of America's best zoos plus take in the aquatic attractions of Sea World.

AMENITIES

• Basketball Court
• Family Lodge
• Horseshoe Pits
• Laundry Facilities
• Miniature Golf
• Playgrounds
• RV Storage Area
• Shuffleboard Court
• Spa
• Swimming Pool
• Trading Post
• Volleyball Court
• Wading Pool

We considered it a real nice spot and there is a lot of beautiful places for walking. I rated this preserve as okay.
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Jamul, California

We arrived here on 1.21.06. This is Pio Pico Thousand Trials Preserve in Jamul, CA. When we arrived it was sunny and very warm! Excellent weather for January, even in southern California.

Amid rolling hills and wild flowers, Pio Pico is nestled at the site of old Rancho Jamul, located southeast of San Diego. This peaceful 180-acre campground offers a wonderful year-round climate with pools, spas, saunas, miniature golf, hiking and biking areas, youth and adult centers and plenty of room to relax. Pio Pico is a short drive to fishing at Otay Lakes, swimming at area beaches, shopping in Mexico, and sight-seeing in San Diego, "America's Finest City."

There are 220 full-hookups and plenty of amenities to enjoy. They have ball fields and picnic areas, basketball & volleyball courts, championship horseshoe pits, children's playgrounds, Coyote Canyon Cantina, Coyote Canyon Vacation trailers, large activity center, miniature golf, pools, spas, saunas, shuffleboard courts, summer canyon grill and trading post.

We really liked it here and as I mentioned before, the weather was gorgeous! For a lot of fun and a relaxing vacation, this resort is perfect. For more information go to
www.thousandtrails.com.
http://tjmarshall.blogspot.com/

Point, Texas

This beautiful spot is a Thousand Trails preserve located in Point, Texas and we arrived here on January 5, 2006. Wow! I made to the current year! Only 60 minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex lies East Texas' best kept secret! Nestled along 6 miles of shoreline and in 480 acres of oak-covered terrain, this campground offers breathtaking views along with some of the best fishing and bird watching around. You can spend the day boating, fishing and water-skiing or just soaking up the sun. Area attractions include: Wills Point the Bluebird Capital, Emory the American Bald Eagle Capital, Canton First Monday Trad Days (the world's largest flea market), and Edgewoods' Heritage Park and Historical Village. There are 251 full-hookups.
Amenities include adult lodge, boat ramps, boat storage, cafe (with awesome food), family center, conference/meeting rooms, pool table, fish cleaning station, horseshoe pits, laundry facilities, marinas, mini golf, nature trails, pickleball court, RV storage area, shuffleboard, spas, swimming pools, trading post, video game room, volleyball court and bicycle rentals. The peak season is during the summer. We did some fishing and had a blast!
http://tjmarshall.blogspot.com

Wauchula, Florida

We arrived at
this beautiful preserve
on 12.20.06. It was
cloudy and a little humid
when we arrived.
This 'Resort of Distinction',
preserve is called, "Peace River". Situated along a half mile of the Peace River, the property offers more than 400 RV and tent sites on 75 acres. The mild climate and comfortable amenities will enable this resort to remain open year-round. Among the resort's amenities are 50-amp electrical service at some sites, a heated swimming pool, a hot tub, and a sauna. There are also meeting pavilio0n facilities as well as food service facilities at the park. Nature trails on the resort will give hikers an advantage in viewing indigenous wildlife, such as deer, eagles and turkeys.
The local attractions are just 75 minutes south of to Orlando and Tampa metropolitan areas near the juncture of US Hwy. 17 South and State Road 64. The Peace River campground is ideally located to explore the surrounding loacal attractions. Big-city sports arenas, amusement parks and arts districts are a pleasant drive away as are day trips to the famed white powder beaches of the Bradenton/Sarasota areas to the west. Gulf Coast (50 mi). Orlando, Disney Wild (80 mi), Sebring Gran Prix (25 mi), wildlife and bird watching.
We really enjoyed our stay here. The people were nice and the weather was gorgeous most of our days there. We spent Christmas with my twin sister and her husband in St. Petersburg, FL. and it was nice. We also rode in the "Toys for Tots", marine ride while we were in St. Petersburg. There were about 300 bikers at this one. There were kids lined up on the streets waiting for a biker to toss them a toy. It was so cute. The ride finished up with a big hog roast and a raffle. I believe about $2000 ended up being donated to the "Toys of Tots" foundation. The weather for this event was awesome.
http://tjmarshall.blogspot.com

Orlando, Florida

We arrived at Thousand Trails Orlando preserve on 11.22.05. Yep, right before Thanksgiving and almost one year ago. I really will catch up you know. :0) It is a big preserve and we got a pretty site with short palm trees as you can kind of tell from the picture.
Located In the heart of Florida's orange grove country, this 255-acre campground is the ideal place to explore endless year round recreation and relaxation. Tired of the crowd? Relax on the preserves 60 acre spring fed lake with white sandy beach or try catching the big one on Lake Hancock. The experienced staff lead a wide variety of planned activities...from arts and crafts to sports tournaments. This preserve is the perfect base for visiting Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World and Busch Gardens. The Orlando preserve is in high demand December 19th through March 31st. They recommend non-members call 1-800-759-1000 up to 60 days in advance for reservations during these months.
They have all types of amenities to offer such as: an adult lodge, boat ramp, canoes, family center, horseshoe pits, laundry facilities, nature trail, mini-golf, ping pong, playground, rowboats, RV storage area, shuffleboard courts, spa, swimming pools, tennis courts, trading post, video and game room, volleyball court and wading pool. We were there at busy season and yes they do fill up. It is nice there in the winter and all the 'snow birds' head that way. I rated this one as very nice.
http://tjmarshall.blogspot.com/

Live Oak, Florida

Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of this Resorts of Distinction park. Known as The Spirit of the Suwannee, it is close to the Florida/Georgia borders. We arrived on 11.15.05 and it was sunny, windy and cold. There is plenty of outdoor activities on 700 beautiful, serene, Spanish moss draped wooded acres along side the famous Suwannee River. This park is family, outdoor, music and event oriented plus everything is conveniently located. Pampered to Primitive camping options with over 800 RV sited, 2000+ primitive ten camping sites, park model cabins with all the conveniences of home, plus other rental units. The ultimate overnight experience is the "Adult" size modern Tree house exclusive in this area. Lots of cool, shady spots in four main park areas.
There are plenty of indoor and outdoor music concerts held throughout the year in the Music Hall, Amphitheater, Outdoor Main Stage or impromptu jam sessions at one of the pickin' sheds. Top stares prviously featured: Alan Jackson, Wynona Judd, George Jones, Aaron Tippin, Alabama, B.B. King, James Brown, Train, The Florida Boys, The Dixie Boys, plus other great talent.
There is swimming in the famous Suwannee River or Parks outdoor pool, as well as, a clubhouse, hiking, biking trails (bike rentals available), canoeing, snorkeling, fishing in the river or at 200-year-old, spring fed, catch and release Rees Lake, white sandy river beach area, chapel, picnic area, playgrounds, ful service horse stables, golf court & bicycle rentals, general store, craft village, mini-golf, planned activities and more. There is just about everything you could possibly want to do on your next vacation at "Spirt of The Suwannee Music Park".
http://tjmarshall.blogspot.com