Manatee Hammock Campground

We were hesitant after reading reviews but we wanted to do a shakedown trip on our newly purchased class B and we were pleasantly surprised with our experience. Check-in was easy and we navigated our way to our site without difficulty. Our site was a pull through facing the river and near bathrooms/small laundry. The campground is very family friendly. The sites are sand and shaded by large trees. We did have to move slightly as it became quite windy and we had not looked carefully at the trees(the one “originally “ above us had some dead limbs). There was plenty of room for our 23 ft camper and vehicle. Our four legged camper enjoyed the large dog run area. We felt very safe in the campground. The pool is not open but we can understand why families would enjoy camping here when it is open. There is a large pier for fishing (and for watching launches!)

We chose this campground because of its location to the Kennedy Space Center. It was perfectly located and had a fishing pier you could possibility watch a rocket launch. We missed a launch by one day but met a family that got to see it and said they could see it perfectly. The campground was quiet and safe we saw an employee on a golf cart patrolling multiple times a day to make sure everyone was following the long list of rules they asked us to follow at check-in. But we didn't mind because it wasn't anything we would have done anyway. Our only issues were that our site had a half dead tree that the birds loved and we had bird poop all over our site and truck. Also, the trash was a little out of the way and difficult to find since they did not note it on the camp map. Other than that a great trip. We would definitely stay here again just in a different site.

We chose this campground for a visit to the Kennedy Space Center. It was perfectly located and if there was a rocket launch this campground has a fishing dock with a perfect view. Unfortunately, we missed a launch by one day but met a family that got to see it and said they had a great view. The campground was quiet and we constantly saw an employee patrolling multiple times a day to make sure everyone was following the long list of rules they provided at check in. We didn't mind though because we didn't do anything that they asked us not to anyway. One issue we came across was our site had a half dead tree that the birds loved so we had bird poop all over our campsite and our truck. 🤢 I wouldn't book this site again but would stay at the campground.

I usual camp here in my travel trailer. I do so due to convenience to family I'm visiting.
First: beautiful piece of land on river/back bay, view of rocket launches, pier, dog park, swimming pool, well shaded. Paradise, Right!?
UPdate: It has come to my attention that many of the tenters are veterans, some a little down on their luck. Tenters are being profiled as undesirable here. Not being judged by their individual behavior.
I have added two pictures, for fun, showing the shower/urinal walk through and the crowded RV sites.
This week I was in a tent, while I get repairs done to my travel trailer. Anyone with a tent is automatically a second class citizen. They have enacted a 14 day stay limit for tenters only. This does Not apply to any other camper. In fact rvers can stay almost 5+ months. I noticed when I was here previously that the tenters were moved around during their stay, so that they had to drag their tent to a different site after so many days. I witnessed it this evening in fact and no one moved into the tenter previous site. Moving for fun? The tent sites are sizable, much unlike the rv sites which bump slide outs without proper planning. $26 for rv full hookups. $26 for tenters, water & electric. As a tenter it was my first time to use the bathroom. Shower #3 opens right onto the men's urinal. You have to sidle past the urinal, at the right time of course.
As I mentioned before. This is a highway mecca for planes, trains and automobile noise. There is a daily reek of raw sewage in the air at multiple locations. There a clogged up drainage canal that reeks just as much.
This is a county run campground and it has seriously gone wrong. Although I have family 15 minutes from here, I will not camp here again. U really should take pictures of the bathroom and overcrowding; then you'd really get the beauty and the wrongness here.

Sorry, this got a bit long winded :-)
Pros:
Location, full hook ups, pier and very reasonable rates are a plus here. Also fewer homeless campers than other Brevard county campgrounds.
The maintenance staff here are very friendly and top notch- kudos to you folks. Perhaps they could take over the office as well.
Note: when searching for sites Do Not specify the size of your RV if you want to see all your choices.
Cons:
-traffic/plane/train noise 20 hours/day. I can not emphasize this enough.
-a good bit of mud in the sites when it rains.
-when walking around there is the random smell of sewers; our trunk line did back up, but was cleaned out very quickly.
-check in is still confusing and inconvenient.
-check in staff are very unhappy people; if you ask the right question you may get the answer you need.
-I have never seen any weekly rates or discounts of any types.
-they do have monthly rates, which are very difficult to get unless reserving/paying a year in advance. This year I was told I could split reservations to get the monthly rate- UNsure about this though. Interestingly I heard a different monthly rate from the four campers I spoke with. Hmmm...
-there is a large overflow parking area near the dumpsters, but, as in my case, I was not allowed to use it.
I had to make split reservations due to poor planning. So that meant camping for 12, moving somewhere else for 2 nights and returning for another 5 days after that. Can I store my RV in your overflow (unoccupied); I'd be happy to pay you. NO, we have no overflow. And yet I see a used car for sale allowed, parked at the entrance of the park.
-they continue to jam more camping slots onto the grounds making it increasingly cozy. Site #7 is hardly a site at all even for our 24' TT. Perhaps a van or tent.
-I have also noticed that a number of sites were unavailable for rent, but at the same time were not occupied; they were some of the prime sites.
-I love dogs, but did they really need a 1/4 acre play park right on the water?
From the old timers I only hear about how much better it was when it was privately owned; perhaps that's just the way it goes when government takes over.

I reserved the Manatee County Park tent location for two nights, but this review is based on lots of caveats. First, it was a torrential rain when I arrived. The main office was closed, but you had to park your vehicle and walk to the location to check in. I could have driven, but the signs did not say that was allowed. You truly get what you pay for here, and had I read between some of the review lines better (now I know), remember that phrase. The camp is evidently on a river, but the waves were crashing up and over the rock barrier, which was horrifying to someone driving 1,500 miles from the North of the U.S. The person who checked me in gave me a map but did not specify that a part of the road was blocked off, so when I got to that one-way area, with no way to turn back around, I had no choice but to get around the barriers. Later I was told by the other check-in person that that had eroded away and was closed and dangerous. Plus, the original map I was given did not show how to get to the tent area, which was all one-ways. That did not alleviate my fears of sinkholes. I asked the second person about the waves and potential flooding, and he said the campground is on a river and doesn't flood. Well, where I come from, rivers do flood. I asked if there was anyone to warn the tenters if there was flooding, and he didn't seem to be worried. When I finally got to the tenting sight, there was one tenter, which looked abandoned (wise move), and no one else. The previous reviewer mentioned the rundown feeling, and that's what I experienced. The big RVers were so close to each other, unless you had very good neighbors, this was not a place to stretch between the spots. The tenting area was even worse with no barriers whatsoever. It is such that it's like a fan, and if you don't tent right next to the access road, you, literally are next to each other in your tents. Because of the torrential rain, I did not set up my tent. So my caveated review is based on the bad vibes from the bad map and trying to find my way, the crashing rain over the rocks, and the feel of the place. Again, you get what you pay for. I was able to get in early to Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, so I took the loss on my second night and left early. I have no idea about any other sites to visit in the area. I can understand why this is a hot spot during launchings at Cape Canaveral. A different park ranger told me that he didn't realize that the launchings are at 11 p.m., and VERY loud. So I'll throw that in there for a warning. Also, the train was very loud and frequent here, along with some unidentifiable noise at 2 a.m., sounded like a revving Big Monster truck close by. Caveat emptor!

We concur with all the other reviews here and additionally if you visit in the winter time expect there to be hundreds of birds (mostly robins) in the trees directly over head of your campsite. So with the birds come bird poop and it ends up everywhere. On your truck, trailer, picnic table and anything else on your campsite. But hey it all washes off if you get to it quickly enough!

We visited this campground from 01/18/19 until 01/21/19.

We love back-country camping, boondocking or just plain living off the grid peace and quiet but when it comes to camping in Manatee Hammock the noises never end. But first,
the positive.
1. Spacious and hammocked with trees. Full hookups
2. Easy to make reservations
3. Friendly, attentative staff
4. Friendly wildlife (squirrels)
5. Super clean bathrooms and showers
6. Hot water in showers with good pressure!
7. Small park but large enough to walk, run and/or bike
8. Price is fair, no qualms
9. Space launches and wildlife viewing (if timing is right)
10. Safe, good lighting with great wifi service that's FREE!

Negatives:
1. Traffic: Never stops. Location is along side a highway
2. Trains: Didn't know it till tent was set up but there is a train that come maybe once an hour, you'll hear the engines first and then, as luck would have it, there is a crossing right in front of the park entrance! The horns are usually 3-4 blasts till the sound of buffalo fade in the distance. This happens all thru the night!!
3. Planes: There is an airport not far from here across the street. It's small but stays busy. Planes come and go, and like cars and motorcycles with terrible exhaust pipes, you'll get some planes that should be shot down.
4. Camp sites: Mixture between dirt, broken cement and rocks. Some sites have grass and mud.
5. Staff (hosts) drive a gas powered golf cart a few times an hour around the grounds at night. That's great that they're thinking of our safety and concerns for loud, obnoxious people who have never camped before or at least feel that everyone should hear their conversation or their terrible music, but gas powered? At night, things calm down and start to become more quiet. When it's time to sleep (in a tent), the sound of the cart becomes a nuisance; all thru the night.

So, the pros outweigh the cons. If we're down here again exploring we'll consider this place again but will keep in mind to bring ear plugs for sleeping because I don't think the planes, trains and gas powered golf carts are going to stop for us.