Jetty Park Campground

Nestled in amongst the cruise ship and gambling boat berths is the Jetty Park Campground in Port Canaveral. This was such an interesting campground - just a few minutes walk to the beach, and you could watch the cruise ships leave form your campsite. Also there was a lot of military fly over action during the day, but it stopped by about 6pm so it didn't keep you up at night.

Arrival, and layout

The campground is NOT well marked, we wandered in some parking lots for awhile before we found the way in by the Ron Jon resort entrance. Once inside, the office is right when you drive in and the staff was friendly. There was a slight misunderstanding at check in as we asked for a site "near the tent area" and were given the actual tent area. We had friends that were tent camping there and we wanted to be nearby. It was quickly rectified and for $25 we were all set. One thing to note - our friends told us that a powered site was $37, but we got a deal because of the mix up. The Jetty Park website doesn't specify, so I'll have to check on it next time.

The campground is quite wooded (tropical style) on the east side, with more oaks and open fields on the west side. It is also a first come/first serve kind of things - you can reserve a spot, and even make a request, but they don't promise any specific site numbers. Check in and out times seemed very loose as well, but that could have a lot to do with it being summer time. We stayed on the west side, near the west tent area. We had a nice oak next to us for shade, but otherwise we were out in the open.

Things to do

The main draw here is the beach. It was a 10 minute walk from the west side, and would be about 3 minutes from the east. The kids had a great time at the beach, and there are rocks that form a jetty. The surf was pretty flat and it didn't look like it often got rough. There was also a long, tall fishing pier. This went out the end of the jetty and was packed all day. Its open 24/7 and from what I could tell, people were having at least a little luck. We spent some time on the pier and saw sea turtles and dolphin, while hearing reports of manatee and shark.

Outside of the ocean there is a small camp store with the essentials, clean bathrooms, horse shoe pits, shuffleboard, and volleyball courts. On the way to the beach was rental pavilions and a nice little park for the kids. You are not far outside of civilization, so if you need to run to the store or you want to go out to dinner - its all very close by.

Summary

This is a great summer camping spot - beach, breeze, lots of sea life to look at. Winter may not be the best as there are no campfires allowed and the main source of entertainment is the Atlantic. We had a nice time though, and we are already planning the return trip. We got to test out the Aliner stove for the first time, and happy to report we were "cooking with gas". Affordable, lots to do, friendly staff, and a safe, fun environment. We will be back for sure!