Camp Gulf, Destin FL

Overview

  • Location: 10005 Emerald Coast Pkwy W, Miramar Beach, FL 32550
  • Price: We paid $100 per night in June 2021 (used GoodSam 10% discount)
  • Sites: Full hookup RV sites (front sites are on the sand!), Glamping tents, Cabins, and a Beach House available
  • Amenities: Beach access, two pools (one with water slide, one with hot tub), Bath houses, Laundry room, Recreation complex including playground, basketball court, corn hole, inside – billiards, games
  • Website: campgulf.com
  • Reservations: website or (877) 226-7485
  • Full video tour in highlights on @thecampermom on Instagram (click Camp Gulf highlight)

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Before buying our Coleman Lantern 17B earlier this year, our family tradition for years had been to take a beach trip to 30A and rent a house in Santa Rosa Beach, Seaside, or Seagrove Beach every summer. While we always enjoyed this trip and looked forward to it every year, it would easily cost thousands of dollars to rent a house for a week during the summer. At that price, it was definitely a once a year type of trip. Now, with our camper, we can take multiple trips during the summer (and the rest of the year!) and explore many different places!

Still, our love for 30A runs deep (although it is becoming increasingly popular and super crowded during peak times!), so we were so pleasantly surprised to find that Camp Gulf was actually closer to some of our favorite 30A spots (about 20 min) than to Destin itself (about 30 min). We were able to easily get down to 30A to visit some of our favorite restaurants and treats – Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Seagrove Village Market, and Blue Mountain Creamery. We even visited our old favorite Seaside town center one day (although it was SO DANG CROWDED that we left, would be better in a non-peak time!). Camp Gulf is also almost directly across the highway from the outlet mall if outlet shopping is your thing!

If you are looking for beach access on the gulf with pool amenities and activities for the whole family, then Camp Gulf is the perfect destination for you. Our family had an absolute blast during our stay at Camp Gulf! Our site was about halfway between the beach and the entrance, and we had close access to the pool with the water slide and backed right up to a bath house. The bath house was decently clean, and there were also laundry facilities available.

While our family certainly enjoys some beach time, I think at this stage in life my kids actually just really enjoy a good pool time even more! This campground has two pools, one with a hot tub and the other with a small water slide into the pool and a big water slide to the side. The big water slide was open (when we were there) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12-2. This pool area has nice umbrellas and seating, and is right next to the food truck that is there for most of the year. We ate dinner from the food truck on the last night of our stay, and they were THE BEST fish tacos I have ever had!

Camp Gulf also has a great Activity Center that is next to the water slide pool. There is a sand playground that my children loved, as well as basketball and cornhole. Inside was billiards and board games. This activity center is also next to a small pond that my children loved to walk by and look for turtles.

Since our site was toward the middle of the campground, we had a bit of a walk to get to the two beach access points, but it was really only about a five minute walk. The biggest tip I can give is to go first thing in the morning to stake out a spot on the beach with your tent or chairs. In the summer, as the day goes on the beach gets very crowded! The morning was definitely the best time for us to have our beach time for this reason.

Beach, pool, and fun activities for the kids – what more can you ask for? As long as we have our camper, Camp Gulf will be an annual trip for our family for sure!