Lake Manatee State Park Campground

Nice park. Very quiet during late night and dark at night. BUT the night we stayed there were drag races at Bradenton Motorsport Park which is nearby. The races were LOUD! and kinda destroyed any idea of a nice relaxing evening.
We did not have any bugs; there are a couple of trails to walk/bike. We camped in a truck camper on RAM 3500 DRW and had room in our site (42)
Staff great. Restrooms good. Verizon strength varied but fine for what we had to do.
Do check the calendar for races on the motorsports website before going

The above rate reflects base fee plus the reservation fee and taxes divided over a four day stay.
There are many huge sites in this campground. All sand with some limited gravel but fairly level. Easy to negotiate around the loop and back into sites. The lake is clearly the attraction here as there is only some limited hiking.
We were here in July so I think there was only scaled-down activity at the nearby racetrack. While we did hear some noise it wasn't bad at all, though I could see it being a nuisance if there was a full slate of racing activity going on.

In this video, we provide you a walking tour of Lake Manatee State Park and Campground; video uploaded here on Campendium for your immediate reference. Lake Manatee State Park offers scenic RV camping, and I show you the best campsites. The lakefront offers a picnic area, restrooms, kayak and canoe rental, a swimming area, a boat ramp and two docks. Several multi-use trails provide hiking opportunities within the park. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 23.9 Mbps download speed and 0.11 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 18.8 Mbps download speed and 1.94 Mbps upload speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 67.1 Mbps download speed and 0.66 Mbps upload speed.

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent 4 nights. Really liked this park, but not our site. Was bordered by the camp road and the bike/walking path so often noisy with no sense of privacy. Bad mosquitoes, but to be expected. And our only site in six months that had noticeable litter- food waste, random trash, etc. On the positive side, we did have a resident armadillo who visited every night and provided hours of entertainment. The sites on the outside of the loop looking out into nature, even right across the road, looked wonderful! And honestly, we were grateful we could even get in during the holiday season with fairly late booking. Good walking/“hiking”/running trails around the park. Good for dog walking. Loved the day use area and water views. Great day trips into Sarasota and nearby beaches. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the drag racing across the street.

Come during the week to avoid loud dragstrip 1 mile away. You will hear it! Some road noise from route 64 but not bothersome. Most sites spacious with good privacy side to side and some shade. Electric and water hookups are in the middle of sites rather than at the back. Quick check-in. Paved roads, great for walking, sandy / dirt sites. Large oak trees with spanish moss on many sites. The two loops are connected to each other and the day use area on the lake by paved walks, very nice touch. No beach at lake, more for boating than swimming. Bathrooms looked clean but I did not use them. Book well in advance. No stores in the area, must drive to Bradenton. My rate was the Florida senior resident rate. I will return.

We were here last year when the hurricane evicted is, so this is our return. Seemed to be an active weekend at the speedway, but it was not overbearing (though some people obviously feel differently in their reviews). Mostly peaceful. Big sites - but vary somewhat. Enough vegetation to give feeling of privacy. Pleasant staff always help make stay better. Will return

Sites here are huge, level and easy to get into. They are so suited to big rigs that it is a wonder the power has not been upgraded to 50 Amp. We enjoyed paddling our canoe on the lake and hiking the short trails around the property. Saw many types of birds, a gopher tortoise and an armadillo. It’s about an hour to get to the coastal beaches from here and 15 minutes to the nearest grocery store. Unable to stream anything with AT&T but oodles of over the air channels.

We loved this place. We were in Site #9 right next the the trail/path down to the lake. Some reviews mentioned the drag strip miles away, and while you can hear them in the distance him you really try), they are so far away you don't really notice them. The park was clean, easy to get into and the hosts were awesome. Even enough trees to hide your neighbors. We camped at Lake Manatee State Park in a Travel Trailer.

I have come to expect certain things out of the Florida State Parks when it come to camping. Lake Manatee State Park is everything I expect and then some. The sites are spacious and private. It is an easy back-in and setup. The sites were level. The bath houses were clean and modern.

The only odd thing I found at the campground was that I never saw a camp host in the three days I was there. I didn't need one, but normally they make themselves known to the campers.

Chose this state park for our first trip in our new TT as its close to home. No frills, 30amp service and water at each site. Place was fairly empty when we arrived but filled up quickly. Bath house was clean, but lacked A/C. There was a sign which advertised bike and kayak rental, however we didn’t use those. We did have some ants at our site (15) but they didn’t seem to be a problem. Overall we were happy we chose here for our first trip.