Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont

The kiddos call the beach at Lake Louisa, wine beach. The water is red and you can’t see the sandy bottom. That makes me a bit nervous especially seeing the “gators in the water” signs. It’s surrounded by tall grass and reeds and stays shallow a long way out giving lots of room for smaller kids to play. There’s a big playground and soft sand. A bit of shade off to the sides with picnic tables and BBQ grills. We like to hike with a purpose and the rangers sponsor GEO Caches throughout the park (ask for the sheet when you enter). Bring plenty of water it gets warm walking in the sun all year round. We have kayaked Dixie Lake (rentals on site). It’s fine for beginners with no motorboats. It a small round lake and takes an hour to paddle around it. Lots of lily pads and two neighborhood gators in residence. $5 for a day pass is worth it for an easy hike and quick dip to cool off.

The luxury care-free camping was an incredible experience, from the smooth check-in/check-out process to the amenities to the beauty of the park itself. We chose to try this out particularly because it is a pet-friendly option and we are not “camping people” per se. The bed was very comfortable and even for being a true outdoors experience, we didn’t have any unwelcome creepy-crawlies. The bathrooms in the campsite area are extremely well-kept and showers get hot and have great water pressure. We saw red-tailed hawks, a kestrel, fox squirrels, a gator, lots of butterflies, and even a paw paw while hiking! Wish we could’ve stayed longer and can’t wait to go back.