Melodie M.
Yelp
First off: their fake Native American village of teepees is atrocious, shameful, and completely racist and inappropriate. I tried not to let my kids see this but it is hard to miss.
My family gathered here decades ago (pre-fake village), and we reunited there again recently. Location wise, it is a decent in-between place to meet, coming from South Florida, Orlando, and Tampa area.
The website is lacking, incredibly confusing. Very difficult to understand what is free and included as part of staying there and what is for pay. Truthfully, I would have never gone here if it wasn't for meeting up with my family, because the information is so difficult to obtain - and for not wanting support the above mentioned part of the resort.
However, in the end, I am glad we visited, and I would consider returning for another family meetup.
I read the reviews ahead of time that said that there are no grocery stores nearby so I brought in all our own food and shopped before I left home. We stayed in the 'rail car' which is just a tiny house, and it had a full-sized fridge, two burners, a tiny sink, and cooking amenities, so this was fine. The rail car is great for accommodating more than 4 people - there is a large bed in the master, a bunk bed built into the hallway, and a pull out couch in the living room, the kind you have to put back in each morning to be able to use the living room. Screened in back porch and front porch were nice. Lots of issues: tv was broken the whole time, wasps on the back porch, bugs, dust, dirt, barely any outlets, broken porch furniture, but oh well. A special thank you to the awesome person from maintenance who came out and tried to fix the tv and addressed the wasp.
The rail cars were perfect for small kids due to their location. The rail cars are set in a row, and the front of each opens out onto a shady field with lots of trees, a perfect play space for kids. You can be in the house and still see your kids running in the field. The field is fenced on one side and set back far from the road. My kids climbed the trees, re-lit the fire in the very safe and well-built fire pit, laid in the hammocks, ran in the field, and fed the horse living behind the fence at the back. Paradise for them.
FREE THINGS we did while staying there:
-Fishing at the pond/marine - line poles with hooks are free to borrow- my kids didn't catch anything and there are lots of gators but it is still a pretty spot and nice to try fishing without worrying about reels and hooks flying about
-mini-golf (free use of balls and clubs from the rec office) - this 'course' is moldy and run down but my kids had a blast
-rec center equipment: some small bikes, large games, lassos, and other small activities outside of the rec center, plus a free craft available
-petting zoo: the highlight- we could have gone every day
-playing in the fields, petting the farm animals around the property
-use of fire pits outside
There are lots of things that were pay-only that we did not do, and we didn't pay for any of the food options. If you're gathering here with others, make sure you try to stay in the same area of the resort. I would definitely go to the rail car again with a friend/family member next door. But also would consider camping here as it is much cheaper than any of the lodging options, though very expensive for camping standards! Other family members stayed in a cabin. So having to drive to each different housing section was a pain. I am not a fan of golf carts and there are a ton here. It is lamentable that there are no sidewalks and it is not feasible to walk from section to section as the various lodging options are set far from each other.