Camping and RV Parks near Hudson

Camping and RV Parks near Hudson

Hudson never had to sell itself as a destination. For a few decades it was timber, until the Fivay Company failed in 1912 and the town stalled. Then the water took over, and shrimping and fishing employed about half the working men from the 1930s through the 1950s. Later, the town proclaimed itself the gopher racing capital of the world, and nobody disputed it. That’s the spirit you’re parking an RV into.

The campgrounds here are not resorts. They are places to sleep, hook up, and get to the water. Some are better than others. All of them are honest.

The Big Two

Three Lakes is the one most people mean when they say “the campground in Hudson.” It sits at 10354 Smooth Water Dr, rated 4.4 from 363 reviews. That’s a solid score, and the review count tells you it gets real use. It’s a working campground, not a ghost. You will find it off the main drag, close enough to the coast that the air changes.

Encore Barrington Hills, at 9412 New York Ave, pulls a 4.0 from 340 reviews. Encore is a familiar name in Florida RV circles, and this location holds up. It’s a little more organized, a little more scheduled. The rating says it’s fine. The review count says people come back.

Neither will surprise you. That’s not an insult.

The Middle Ground

Gulf Breeze RV Park on 9014 Bolton Ave gets a 3.8 from 112 reviews. It’s smaller, quieter, and closer to the old Port of Hudson neighborhood—the one W.L. Hendry and his sons dug out of the coast in 1950, using the fill to raise dry ground for houses. You are camping on land that was marsh before it was anything. That’s worth a thought.

Word Of Life Florida is the outlier. 4.0 from only 20 reviews, at 13001 Word of Life Dr. It’s a church-affiliated campground, which means it runs on a different rhythm. The rating is fine, but the sample is small. If you want quiet and don’t mind a little structure, it’s an option. If you want anything else, skip it.

The Honest Ones

Lakewood Travel Park sits at 11517 State Rd 52 and pulls a 3.6 from 172 reviews. That’s not bad; it’s just not great. It’s on the highway side of town, which means convenience over scenery. You are near the road, and you know it.

Hudson Hollow RV Park is the lowest rated on the list at 3.4 from 62 reviews, at 14026 Old Dixie Hwy. Old Dixie Highway is the spine of old Florida, and Hudson Hollow sits on it like a reminder. The reviews say the basics work. The rating says don’t expect more.

Both of these are fine for a night or two. Neither is a destination.

What You’re Actually Here For

Nobody drives to Hudson for the campgrounds. They drive to Hudson for the water. Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park, built in the 1960s, is still the community’s beach. It’s a few minutes from any of these spots. That’s the draw.

The town itself is small—10,873 people, with 2,042 vacant housing units. Almost one in five homes is empty, and a third of the occupied ones are seasonal. Median household income is $49,063, and 18.1 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or better. This is a working, retired, and part-time town. It never pretended to be more than it was.

The gopher racing capital of the world doesn’t need to impress you. It needs you to park, sleep, and get to the beach.

Pick Your Park

If you want the safe bet, go to Three Lakes. If you want the chain experience, Encore Barrington Hills. If you want to be close to the old Port of Hudson, Gulf Breeze RV Park. If you want cheap and simple, Lakewood Travel Park or Hudson Hollow RV Park. If you want quiet with a side of faith, Word Of Life Florida.

The campgrounds range from 3.4 to 4.4. That’s a narrow band, and it means you won’t be miserable anywhere. You also won’t be blown away. That’s Hudson. It’s a town that stopped trying to be something else a long time ago, and the campgrounds follow the same logic.

Park the rig. Walk to the water. Watch a gopher tortoise if you’re lucky. That’s the whole trip.