The Gang waited on me to hook up the electric, the water, bring the slide out and lower the cockpit overhead bed patiently. After that we changed into our bathing suits and headed out on foot towards the lake.

Just a short little walk and we were there. First, we passed the pickle ball courts. They were packed with people knocking the green balls back and forth. Some flew out by us and we were happy to throw them back in.

Amazing Getaway close to home.

We loaded up our Class A 2025 Geneva 24VS and headed out. It only took us about forty minutes to get to the campground from where we live. It’s really nice to have a such a place so close to home. Yet, exclusive enough to allow us to feel like we were far away from home.

Amy, her Mom, Charlie, and I road together in the “Juniper,” opting not to flat tow our Jeep behind as we usually do. It was Labor Day weekend so we brought plenty of food, drink, and supplies with us so we didn’t have to leave once we arrived. Worked out great.

We heard about Island Oaks RV Resort by reading some posts our friends had made on social media. Seemed like everyone was having a blast when visiting and highly recommending others come check it out. We had no idea what it would be like but guessed it must be good if so many others were enjoying it. It is hard to book a site here as the spots tend to fill up pretty fast especially around the holidays. Turns out the campground was fully booked, even there cabins were all reserved. We got lucky, Amy had was told when she called that we would be taking the last open spot. The day before we left to camp Island Oaks Amy called the campground back just to see if there was a possibility we could upgrade to a premium site. We got lucky! The campground had a last minute cancellation and guess what? That’s right, a premium site had become available.

Amy easily checked us in at the front desk when we arrived. We later checked out the store out, same place we checked in, and it was packed with camping gear, clothing, some foods and drinks.

We entered our code and the cross bar rose into the air. We saw two food trucks immediately at the front, a smaller sized one that read Dip and Dots and the second was a huge bus which appeared to serve Mexican food. We would definitely be back to check the trucks out and see what they had to offer. On the campground’s website it states, “The Vacation Destination that does it all.” the campground proved to be just that. The perfect little spot, close to home, that had everything we needed to enjoy a long holiday weekend away from home. Charlie, ten-years-old was super excited and ready to get his bathing suit on and hit the floating obstacle course in the center of the lake. A short trip around the side of the lake lead us through a large parking lot, a huge building with an onsite cafe / restaurant, a large pool with a hot tub, pickle ball courts, hammocks waiting to be swung in and what appeared to be a little tiki bar. All this and a lake with a floating obstacle course? Awesome. We found our spot and backed in without delay.

The stone / cemented driveway was a nice touch. At the back of our site was a covered / “roof-topped” (that a word?) patio with a stone wall. In the center of the stone wall was a grill. Just behind the covered patio was a circular stoned fire pit with four hard plastic chairs that later proved to be quite relaxing. A good place to hang wet towels on as well! Amy and her Mom were greeted right away by neighbors on our left (if your facing the site of course). They seemed very pleasant even if they were Georgia Bulldog fans with a large blow up Bulldog in the grass area behind their site. Go Gators! You know what I mean? We met neighbors on the right later on that evening and they were super nice as well. This weekend was looking great. Until the golf carts came. We’ll talk about that shortly.

The vests they give you do work, but I would suggest invest in your own and bring it. Charlie didn’t much care for the vest but he didn’t complain either. Gotta do what a boy’s gotta do to get out on the water if you know what I mean? They had lifeguards out there that weren’t afraid to yell and blow their whistles. That was fine with us, safety is always a priority and it meant someone else was keeping a close eye on the kids out there playing.

Sometimes kids get a little pushy, a little rowdy. The adults too! It’s good they have rules to abide by. If you get in trouble you get in timeout!

We walked out on to the beach. Hammocks here, there, and everywhere. Volley ball area / pit, not sure what you call it, they had one. Noticed a tiki hut bar by the sidewalk near the pool entrance. Some island music was blaring, instantly you start jamming. Had a live Reggae band playing one day, sounded great. There was a large pool with a hot tub on the side, and ping pong tables.

We grabbed an open spot on the beach, there are numerous chairs to claim, and two areas with toppers over them. Guess you gotta get there early to claim those! We walked up to the small building and the lifeguards helped us get some life jackets (free, and you have to have one, adult or kid to go up on the floating obstacle course). You give them your last name and campsite number, then find one that fits.