Retirement……LOVE IT!

Well, we finally made it to Florida for the winter.  We are staying in Wilderness RV Park just outside of Silver Springs, FL.  We found it on the internet, and we got REALLY lucky.  It is a wonderful park with a lot of amenities and a host of activities to keep us busy.  It is also a gated community which makes us feel quite safe.

We were tired travelers when we arrived on November 10th, but unknown to us, a very nice surprise awaited us at our camp site.  Our oldest son, Jeff, who lives in Gainesville, FL (about 35 miles from Silver Springs), had conspired with the park personnel and entered the park before we arrived.  He set up the cutest “Welcome to Florida” celebration complete with a Gator wine holder, champagne, and glasses.  Needless to say, we were totally surprised, and this surprise gave us the needed “boost” to unpack and settle in.

This park has three sections, and we are staying in the Preserve Club which is the nicest of the three sections (I told you we got LUCKY!).  The sites are large with a gigantic concrete pad and plenty of space between you and your neighbors.  Everyone we have met has been super friendly and helpful.

The Preserve Club has its own entrance gate, and you need a special key to be scanned in order to raise the gate and enter.  It also has its own clubhouse, pool (heated!), and hot tub. RV sites can be purchased (QUITE expensive!) and deeded to the owner.  Here are some photos of the Preserve clubhouse (outside and inside) and pool area (you have to have a passcode to get in the clubhouse and a passcode for the pool, too).

Many of the owners have built upscale storage sheds that open on one end to a full kitchen/bar/grill area (complete with a fully stocked bar and bar stools), patios and gazebos furnished with lavish outdoor furniture, and screened-in hot tubs. Needless to say, we feel like the Clampetts from the Beverly Hillbillies with our “generic” outdoor setup!

The park has many amenities available to all campers. It has a restaurant (actually opened to the public), candy store (YUM!), Bath House (for the pool for the whole park), Fitness Center, Recreation Center, Mail Center (for permanent residents), and Laundry.  All facilities are well-kept and clean.

Sunday evening our son took us to a wonderful Veterans Day concert and celebration at a Veterans Park in Ocala. There was a big crowd, the concert was great, the emcee told some really cute jokes, and the finally with fireworks was the perfect ending to a lovely evening.

Although we haven’t even been here a week yet, I think we are going to really enjoy ourselves in this RV park.  What’s more, we are going to enjoy being close to our oldest son and visiting him often in the next few months!

So, for now ….. “On the Road Again!

Betty