Turtle Beach Campground

We loved the campground with direct beach access! On the beach there are turtle nests signposted, unfortunately we didn’t see them come out of the eggs. The sunsets were unbeatable: no clouds at the horizon. The sand on the beach is soft, nice and clean. Across the road you can walk by the marina to the docks to lookout for dolphins, manatees and pelicans. The trolley bus stops at Turtle Beach campground and brings you to Siësta Key Beach at no charge. The campground hosts Mark and Gloria were very nice and helpful. They are doing their job with love and care 🙂

From 20-23 August, my wife and I stayed here for 3 nights in our 18' travel trailer that is towed by my Dodge RAM 1500 crew cab. It's a very nice LITTLE campground........IF you are in a SMALL Class B RV or have a small travel trailer without slideouts. You won't be able to camp here in anything over 32 feet long. The campsites are wide enough for a small travel trailer (without slide outs) and a tow vehicle parked abreast, but they are only about 35-40 feet deep. Backing in my trailer was a bit of a challenge, but made much easier only because the site directly across the single lane road from mine was vacant (when we arrived). As the map shows, this campground is RIGHT OFF THE BEACH, and the beach here is pretty nice, even though the sand is a bit gray and crumbly from a recent beach re-nourishment project (offshore sand dredge pumping). The camp sites were rather expensive per night (63.28 with tax), especially for a county-owned and operated park, but this place is heavily booked most of the entire year BECAUSE OF ITS PRIME LOCATION. It's probably one of less than 10 campgrounds in Florida that are just a few steps away from the Gulf or Atlantic. We endured some very heavy downpours on two of the three days/nights we camped there, so the single lane entrance and exit road, which splits the north and south sides of the campground, was flooded with about 6-8 inches of standing water. The campsites (made of crushed white shell) did not flood because they are slightly elevated above the level of the road, but they only had about 2" of reserve elevation. In order to bathe, we had to wade back and forth to the shower house/restroom across this road, through ankle-deep water, to bathe, so it was a good thing we'd brought rubber shower shoes. It was also very hot and humid during our stay, as you would expect in Sub-tropical SW Florida in August. The mosquitoes and no-see'ums were not too bad, but probably because Sarasota county sprays for them nightly during this time of year. The restrooms and showers were VERY CLEAN and NEWLY REMODELED, so that was a major plus. They also have an attached laundry room (which we didn't use). I'd guess only about 50% of the sites are shaded, and there isn't much privacy between the camp sites because they are so narrow and shallow. There are two casual restaurants located directly across the road from the entrance (i.e., Turtle Beach Grill and Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay (waterfront view)) that are literally 100 yards or less of a walk away from any of the campsites. There is also a very nice fine dining restaurant about 3/4 miles south of the entrance called Ophelia's on the Bay worth going to if you are celebrating a special occasion and brought the spiffier attire for it in your wardrobe. VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE: The entrance to this campground sits just south of a blind curve on VERY BUSY Midnight Pass Road. We saw many construction, landscaping, and food delivery trucks whizzing past the entrance well over the speed limit. All drivers need to be REAL SLOW AND CAUTIOUS when pulling out of here, especially if you are towing a travel trailer when you check out and leave. Otherwise you just might get T-boned by a big truck barreling down Midnight Pass Road. There is not even a blinking light or a warning sign to tell drivers to slow down just before the entrance, and I'm surprised there hasn't been a road fatality here yet.

Small sites with full hookups and a picnic table, big showers and an outdoor beach rinse, washers and dryers, very quiet with some street noise. Beautiful sunsets-free trolley to the main areas-our favorite camping spot!! The thing we most enjoyed on this stay was the campground hosts, Debbie and Greg-they were welcoming, very helpful, and home made sausage balls for us on our last evening for our travel day breakfast, fantastic customer consideration-big shout out to them as our best park hosts ever!!

I had the pleasure of coming to this site twice recently. It is absolutely blissful. The grounds are clean and extremely well kept, the communication about reservation is clear, and the beaches are simply breath taking. There is a laundry room. A very clean bathroom area with big showers with enough room to dry off and change. The road is illuminated from the floor at night so you can see where you’re walking. Each site has a picnic table. I didn’t see a single mosquito either time i was there. I was in a sprinter van, but because of the amenities I would absolutely do a tent here. The beaches feel intimate and not over crowded, by far my favorite part is the beach, a short walk from each campsite. Active marine life and very clear water. It truly is paradise. Come for the beach and don’t forget to stay for the sunsets. Can’t wait to come back!!!

Update camped 6/23-6/26/24 site 44. Same issue with trying to maneuver into the site with very little room. Host could have been more helpful and tried to navigate traffic that was backing up onto the road, instead we were just the entertainment! I would try and avoid the peak check in time at 1:00 since everyone is trying to get into these tight spots. To be aware, there is a large summer camp that takes over the beach right in front of the campground from 8-12:00 M/T/Th/F. The beach is coned off and practice surfers will get very close if you impede their area. The summer noise from the road was quite intense at times even with the windows closed and a/c on. We really enjoyed our time and access to the beach, and will most likely return. Pricey but worth it! Reserved online site 44 (closest to the road) for 3 nights in April. It is a beautiful, clean and well maintained campground with the most beautiful beach access. The sites are tight and hard backing in. There is not much privacy and a wood wall is all that separated our camper from the road close by. The road is supposed to be 35 mph but be advised there is a curve and speeding is the norm. Loved that there are 2 restaurants right across from the campground. Bath houses absolutely clean with such a nice outside shower/foot wash but odd shower doors providing “half” privacy. Illuminated road leading to beach access. Many gather at sunset for official conch symphony. Access to the public park right next door with kayak launch. Rode the tram (pick up at next door park turn around) to Siesta Key. We preferred our Turtle Beach access due to privacy and less crowds. Beach restoration due to start end of April.

Beautiful! Right on the beach, clean and well maintained. Wonderful camp hosts. We had the kids along, ages 4-8, and they had an absolute blast. We took the trolley bus to the village for dinner. Seems everyone had the same idea! Siesta Key was as busy and crowded as I’ve seen this weekend. Will be back if we are lucky enough to get a campsite reservation again.

If you're expecting a spacious campground with private sites this may not be for you however if you want a short walk to a beautiful beach it's worth all 4 stars. The reservation system is still cumbersome and feels like there is some favoritism to friends and locals, I get it's a county park. Enjoy it if you can get in.

We had a great time at the beach! We got to watch the sun set over the gulf coast and swim in the ocean. It was a beautiful evening.