Lake Manatee State Park Campground

The sites are fantastic here - big & private feeling. It's a small park and not really near anything EXCEPT a motorsport park. On many weekends, they run from morning until after midnight and it's the constant sound of VROOOOOM.

We made the mistake and booked here over such a weekend. And it made the stay very unpleasant.

Be sure to check the Bradenton Motorsport Park schedule before booking here (and hey, if you like such things, this may be the perfect stay for you!).

We live really close to Lake Manatee so we decided to check in out. We were able to get two days in Feb 2017. Place is popular in the winter months with folks from out of state. Hubby spent two days feeding the fishes at the boat ramp and watching folks fishing with their boats on the lake. I took tons of pictures of the wildlife. We will be back. Our spot didn't have a lot of shade, but in Feb. it wasn't too hot. Only complaint was they need a larger dumpster or more of them.. it was full on Monday and over flowing on Wednesday when we left. Would be nice if you had more than one picnic table near the boat ramp area...

We stayed for two weeks while visiting family in the area. The campground was nearly empty Sunday to Thursday and filled up for Friday and Saturdays. This is also when the nearby dragstrip was open. Even being in the back of the park it was loud, but quieted down after 11pm.

The facilities were clean, but took a hike through a sand trail to get to, unless we drove around. The playground was nice and there was a pavilion for picnics. There was a also a boat ramp for use.

The sites varied in size, but all seemed easily accessible. They offered water and 20/30A power at every site and the dump station was easily accessible.

The landscape is typical Florida scrub land with stray pines and palmettos. There were a few trails to walk or bike through. We did see a terrapin crossing the road one day and could hear wild boars at night.

I tried to book a short trip for two weeks following, but there was no availability for any sites on Friday or Saturday. So book early.

We just stayed here 3 nights and had a quiet stay. There were some light engine rumbles a few times from the speedway but it was otherwise a very quiet and clean campground. Bathrooms stayed clean entire weekend. Office staff friendly. Lots of birds and rabbits.

Just a quick night to check out my new trailer. Sites are clean and well kept. Fire pits have heavy grates. Gate staff was extremely pleasant. Firewood for sale. Clean dump facility. Pretty good privacy. Quiet.

We camped here during the week so it was quiet. The sites were large and private, campground was clean and staff was very friendly.

Chose this state park for our first trip in our new TT as its close to home. No frills, 30amp service and water at each site. Place was fairly empty when we arrived but filled up quickly. Bath house was clean, but lacked A/C. There was a sign which advertised bike and kayak rental, however we didn’t use those. We did have some ants at our site (15) but they didn’t seem to be a problem. Overall we were happy we chose here for our first trip.

I have come to expect certain things out of the Florida State Parks when it come to camping. Lake Manatee State Park is everything I expect and then some. The sites are spacious and private. It is an easy back-in and setup. The sites were level. The bath houses were clean and modern.

The only odd thing I found at the campground was that I never saw a camp host in the three days I was there. I didn't need one, but normally they make themselves known to the campers.

We loved this place. We were in Site #9 right next the the trail/path down to the lake. Some reviews mentioned the drag strip miles away, and while you can hear them in the distance him you really try), they are so far away you don't really notice them. The park was clean, easy to get into and the hosts were awesome. Even enough trees to hide your neighbors. We camped at Lake Manatee State Park in a Travel Trailer.

Sites here are huge, level and easy to get into. They are so suited to big rigs that it is a wonder the power has not been upgraded to 50 Amp. We enjoyed paddling our canoe on the lake and hiking the short trails around the property. Saw many types of birds, a gopher tortoise and an armadillo. It’s about an hour to get to the coastal beaches from here and 15 minutes to the nearest grocery store. Unable to stream anything with AT&T but oodles of over the air channels.