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Campground Review: Island Oaks RV Resort

Island Oaks RV Resort is an RV park located in northern Florida in a small town called Glen Saint Mary. It was opened in April 2022, making it a brand new park.


Island Oaks is, in a word, AMAZING! From a beautiful heated swimming pool with a tiki bar, to a man-made beach, sports courts, a playground, an arcade, an on-site restaurant, and a gym, there is something for EVERYONE to love about Island Oaks!!


We were there for about three weeks and Brian was a little worried that we would get bored. Instead, we ended up leaving still not having done several things we had wanted to do!! Our family all agrees that Island Oaks is absolutely one of the best campgrounds that we have ever been to!!


RV Sites:


The RV sites are spacious with full hook-ups and brand new concrete pads. There are no trees, so navigating in and out of the sites is very easy.


Each site comes with a picnic table and most, if not all, have a small grassy area behind the pad, which is great for kids to play on.

Picture of our set up at Island Oaks.


Pool Area


The focal point of Island Oaks is the AMAZING pool area! With breathtaking hardscaping, an oversized heated pool, a bar, a hot tub, and several games (a pool table, a ping pong table, and arcade games), it is no wonder why everyone seemed to love spending time over there!


We spent several afternoons and evenings lounging by the pool, getting frozen drinks at the tiki bar, and enjoying the pool & hot tub.


Pond with Beach:


Another of our kids' favorite was the man-made pond with beach front! Right on the other side of the pool fence is a large beach bordering a pond.


The beach has palm trees, lots of seating, a volleyball net, and some hammocks. The pond is swimmable (although our kids said it was cold when we were there in April!). In the summer, there are large inflatable slides in the pond, but we were there off-season, so we didn't get to experience that.


For a small additional fee, guests can rent paddle boats and paddle around the pond. This was one of the activities that our kids wanted to do, but we simply didn't get to. However, we saw several other people paddling around the pond and it looked like they were having a great time!


The beach area is BEAUTIFUL, and it's a nice change of pace when the kids are tired of the pool. Our kids spent hours playing in the sand and swinging on the hammocks.

The beach at sunset.

The beach during the day.

Lauren and Brady playing in the sand with beach toys.

One of the two hammocks over the beach. Our kids were OBSESSED with these hammocks!!

View over the pond at sunset.


Activities:


In addition to the games in the pool area, the resort has several additional outdoor sports courts, games, and firepits spread around the property.


There is also a craft room (with board games and crafts) and a kids' playroom, filled with stuffed animals, a toy kitchen, toy trains, chairs, and video game consoles.


If you want to work out but don't want to do it in there Florida heat, there is a small, but well-equipped and air conditioned gym on-site.


Around the resort, guests can find:

  • Basketball

  • Pickleball

  • Shuffleboard

  • Gaga ball

  • Giant jenga

  • Giant connect four

  • Ladder ball

  • Corn hole

  • Mini golf,

  • Craft room,

  • Gym,

  • Kids' playroom,

  • A playground; and

  • Several firepits.

Once again, despite staying here for a few weeks, we simply ran out of time to do all of the activities. There is just too much to do here!!


Brian and I tried our hand at pickleball for the first time and discovered that we LOVE it!!! The resort lets you borrow all of the sports equipment for free, so we got to try pickleball without investing in any equipment up front.

Pickleball courts at Island Oaks.

Playground at Island Oaks.

One of the firepits on site. This firepit is near the breezeway, where many activities and outdoor movies are held.


Restaurant


Island Oaks has a full-service restaurant on-site. It has a great menu with something for everyone, from pizza to hamburgers to mozzarella sticks. It also has AMAZING dessert selections, including gourmet cheesecakes, elaborate milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, and more.


The restaurant area was impeccably clean and aesthetically pleasing, with lots of comfortable indoor and outdoor seating. It got VERY busy during peak times!!


We got ice cream here a couple of times and ate lunch here once. It was a great experience!

Some of the restaurant outdoor seating overlooking the pool area.


Organized Activities:


As if all of that somehow wasn't enough, Island Oaks also offers countless organized activities for guests to participate in.


They have an activities schedule during the week that remains the same week after week. These activities include several workout classes (for free!!), Bingo, and outdoor movie nights.


Each weekend, they have themed weekends. For example, while we were there, there were themed weekends for Easter, Spring Fling, and Earth Day. They announce their weekend themes months in advance on their Facebook page, so we highly recommend you follow them on Facebook if you're considering a visit!


For Easter, the activities included decorating Easter baskets, painting plastic Easter eggs, an Easter egg hunt, and an Easter-themed golf cart parade. The Easter bunny made an appearance and took pictures with the kids and sat on one of the golf carts during the parade.


Other activities throughout our time there included making and painting bird houses, planting gardens, making flower wreaths, water balloon tosses (and fights!), and a foam party.

Lauren and Brady showing off the flower wreaths they made at Island Oaks.

Brady having a blast at the foam party!!!


In all, we cannot recommend Island Oaks enough!!! We all agreed that it was one of the most AMAZING campgrounds we have ever been to. Whether you want to swim, lounge in the sun, workout, or do activities, there is something for you to do at Island Oaks.


We were all sad to leave Island Oaks and cannot wait to go back!!!


Happy camping, and safe travels!!




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