Henderson Beach State Park

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Stayed 13 nights in 35 foot RV+tow car in 3 different sites at $35/night. We did not intend to stay this long but when the winter weather forecast for TX came in we were more than happy to hit the brakes here for longer. Lovely natural setting but with all of the craziness/amenities of Destin right out of the gate. It was nice to have such close access to groceries, coffee, Target, etc but then leave it all behind when driving through the park entrance gate. Easy walk on the boardwalk across the dunes to the gorgeous sugar sand beach which was a daily activity. Really enjoyed the nature walk as well. Bathrooms were so clean. Did day trips to two of the other nearby state parks which were an easy drive.

We had a pull-through site here and it was humongous! Probably around 100 feet long. Sites have trees and shrubbery between them and feel very private. The campground was very clean. It was a 10-15 minute walk to the beach, which was beautiful! Verizon cell was 1-2 bars, but overall sometimes on the slower side (even with booster). We were able to do zoom calls, but it lagged a little.

Overall we really enjoyed our stay here. The biggest drawback was all the air traffic noise (there was quite a bit of street traffic noise too). There is an air force base nearby, so there are lots of planes, jets, and helicopters. Some of them were LOUD and even made the windows shake. It was pretty much nonstop during the day, but at night not an issue. They also fly over the beach nonstop, which isn't really an issue apart from the noise. We got used to it, but thought it was worth mentioning.

I very rarely write a review but I feel tent campers need to be warned. I have been up since 4 am due to road noise and trucks backing up with that beep, beep, beep noise. At first I thought it was a garbage truck and that it would end soon. Nope. 5 am and that noise is going strong so it’s probably construction work. Other than that really big downfall, it’s a beautiful beach and the sites are really private. If in an RV or if you are a heavy sleeper-great place for camping. But if you are like me and sleep light, not the right campground.

The beach here is simply amazing. Being at the campsite, you get access to the quieter part of an otherwise busy beach. Tourist helicopters and planes were more irritating than I expected them to be. The walk to the beach was ~5 minutes on a nice boardwalk.
The sites are great - Plenty of space with a picnic table and fire ring. Trees between sites make them feel even more private.
Showers and bathroom were standard - nothing flashy but comfortably clean.
Laundry available for $2 (with a change machine in case you don’t have quarters)

I love this park and the staff is great. Unfortunately the tourist helicopters flying over all day, every day distracts from the beauty of the park. The park has almost everything you could desire - power and water (no sewer), clean heated / air conditioned bathhouses, laundry facilities, easy access to the beach. The campground is very nice; there's plenty of space, there's great privacy between sites and the campground is spotless. The beach is gorgeous and not overrun - there were times when I was the only one there. The location is very convenient with access from US98 - but with the current road construction, you can't turn left into the park. Walmart is literally right across 98 from the park and Publix is easy driving distance away. There are any number of restaurants along 98.

I absolutely in every way loved this place. I had no idea how lucky I was to get 2 nights, as it seems to be booked in perpetuity.

1. Incredibly private sites, both back in and pull through
2. Extremely modern, clean restrooms
3. Hot showers
4. Beautiful landscaping makes you feel like an RV Resort in the Keys
5. Amazing staff and the camp hosts helped us move spots during our stay by keeping us up to date on when we could transition

Very hard to imagine a park any nicer with this view, beach access or access to shopping/touristy stuff anywhere. We love our boondocking setup but this place is our top list to come back to.

Although it rained on us most of the weekend. We had a totally spacious and private site. We had no sites behind us and tons of brush between us and the neighbors. Can’t even tell if there was someone next to us. Given that it rained most of the time the site drained perfectly. We were two spots away from the bath house and there was a trail that lead to the beach. Definitely want to come back in the summer when we can enjoy mor of what the park has to offer.

It was a bizarre experience, turning on 98, passing numerous strip malls and restaurants on both sides of the road, with the gps telling us that our destination was only a mile away. But, as soon as you turn into the park, it is as if none of that stuff even exists. You can see the resorts at the edges of the park from the beach, but inside the campground- you have to struggle to try and see something around the thick, low foliage. The saw palmettos create privacy between each campsite. You couldn't see your neighbor at all- at least not where we were.

I swore we heard the waves all night the first night we were there. There was a huge weather system moving in, so the waves were bigger.

The heated bathrooms are so clean, and all the toilets worked just fine, with locking stall doors and hot showers.

The campground hosts and park volunteers were some of the nicest people we encountered on our trip. Firewood was easily bought from them, but make sure you have exact change.

The only downside I found was that you can hear the highway in the daytime, but at night it is mostly quiet. Occasionally, loud planes fly in and out of a nearby airport, and sightseeing helicopters fly overhead- but Destin is a bustling community so it would be silly to expect absolute peace and quiet.