We finally did it! We splurged by staying at a Sun Outdoors RV Resort. If you are not familiar with them, they are a brand of luxury RV resorts throughout the country typically offering plentiful amenities, activities and beautiful views.
After traveling the country for two years, we hunkered down a bit in Maryland (our home state) to welcome our daughter who was born in late September of 2022. Determined to get back to traveling, we hit the road a short 2 months later. However, staying in the Mid-Atlantic for the winter was a bit too cold with a newborn, so we decided to head south and try our hand at snowbirding.
Like many of our RV-dwelling compadres, we headed to Florida to find some warmth and sunshine. We don’t typically stay at the resort-style RV parks, but we wanted to ease back into travel life with a newborn and figured that the included amenities would be a nice bonus to have access to. But instead of going to the bigger destinations in Florida, we wanted a bit of a slower pace and opted to stay in the panhandle in Panama City Beach right down the road from 30A. We found the Sun Outdoors Panama City Beach RV Resort and decided that it would be our home for the holidays and booked a month-long stay!
Resort or not, we always love it when campgrounds have a pool; Sun Outdoors PCB (Panama City Beach) has two…AND they’re heated! This was one of our must-haves because our son Kade is learning to swim. So, we wanted to be able to practice with him, and we just love relaxing pool days whenever we can squeeze them in. If two pools weren’t enough, there was also a hot tub to soak in for those unexpected chilly days and evenings. Plus, it was a great place to meet other campers and strike up conversation.
Sun Outdoors PCB is a beautiful resort. Located about a mile from the Gulf of Mexico beaches, it’s peppered with beautiful palm trees throughout the resort as well as outlining several of the driving road areas. All drive surfaces and camp site pads are either concrete or pavers. The campsites are decently sized, include a picnic and/or bistro table, landscaping and are very flat which makes leveling your RV a breeze. We also enjoyed having palm trees in our “yard” during our stay since we aren’t used to seeing them up north. Our son enjoyed them too by searching for lizards living within the palm trunks.
There are 2 lakes on the property, the larger Emerald Lake has a paver patio with tables and chairs as well as a gas grill for use by campers. They also allow catch and release fishing in the lake to add to the fun. Keep in mind though, this is Florida, so no swimming in the lakes!
The amenities don’t stop there. There is a fitness room, multiple bath houses, laundry facilities, basketball, pickleball, and volleyball courts, plus a multi-use pavilion. There’s also a clubhouse complete with a ping pong table, card/game tables, and a TV lounge area. They use this room for all sorts of activities including bingo, game nights, potluck dinners, karaoke and more! Additionally, there are two separate fenced in dog run areas; one is for larger dogs over 15 pounds while the other is for smaller dogs. You will also find multiple dog baggie stations posted throughout the campground to help keep the grounds tidy when walking your furry friend.
We actually spent a lot of time at the campground due to catching up on work and an unseasonably cold weather front that rolled through Florida. The resort provided exactly what we were hoping for with plenty of things to entertain us during our stay. We did enjoy several days at the pool and in the hot tub. Kade would make friends on the basketball court. Spencer was able to use the clubhouse to get some work done and we enjoyed taking evening family walks through the campground after dinner.
Since we were there for a month, we also got to get out a bit and enjoy exploring several towns nestled along the Gulf of Mexico.
With Panama City Beach being a mile away it’s a great spot to spend the day or a few hours. We found a public beach access 5 minutes from the campground and spent quite a few afternoons hanging out. One of the days we even went with another family we met while staying at the Sun Outdoors PCB.
Given that it’s a tourist town, there’s no shortage of entertaining things to do. As you drive down the strip, you’ll see Ripley’s Believe It or Not, WonderWorks, go karts, mini golf, and even a zoo that’s actually right next door to the campground. If you like to shop, you will enjoy walking the small-town beaches, and restaurants with gulf views in the 30A area. Think beachside Charleston vibes where you will find pastel buildings, white fences and everything is meticulously clean and classy. Rosemary Beach is where 30A starts, and it is about a half-hour up the road from PCB. Here you will find local shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and biking paths. A little further up you will find Seaside Beach which was one of my (Kristi) favorite spots. So much so that we returned a few times to enjoy epic sunsets and their food truck park which is actually all vintage Airstream travel trailers. It’s definitely a cool place to hang out for daytime and evening fun! Beyond that is Grayton Beach, an artsy beach community with very little parking but super cool shops and places to eat. You can even get a permit to drive your vehicle on the beach.
Nearby there are also several state parks, water parks and natural springs. A visit to Morrison Springs or Ponce De Leon Springs is definitely worth it! You certainly won’t be bored coming to this area. And if for some reason you have a hard time finding something to do, check in with the RV resort staff. They are extremely friendly and eager to make sure you have a great visit! Many of the resort staff also stay at the campground so they can easily relate to you as a guest!
