Manatee Cove Campground

I am staying here till the 26th and I can tell you that I love this Famcamp. This my first visit and I will be back. The fishing in the intercoastal for catfish (hook & release) is great. I have seen the manatees swim by as I fish. Park is clean and well kept by the host staff. Pads are level and hookups are good. No CATV but great WIFI. If you never have been here call the camp for directions and bring pet rabies certificates they will be checked.

This is the first time I have camped on Patrick. Scott was very helpful and the site and hookups were outstanding. I was only woken up once with range firing at 0645. By the way, once you get off the Pineda causeway onto A1A it is only .9 miles to the truck gate. (But you can do a u-turn at the main gate).

I had the best experience at this campground. The directions were great and Pinkerton man Tony was so helpful when I first arrived. The FAM CAMP staff was wonderful, especially Jimmie the host and Scott who checked me out. I am sorry I had to leave early because of knee. I was traveling alone with my 2 PUGS and felt so safe. It was quiet and I saw K9 unit patrolling frequently. I will visit here again. The campground was the cleanest I have ever seen. I enjoyed watching the search and rescue training exercises esp the parachute drop into Banana river. The small arms fire did not bother me..it is the sound of freedom to me (qualification range near campground).

Love this campground! Wonderful waterside sites. Out of the way from the main base which is OK with us! Next to the firing range, OK with me but Rocky (the dog) wasn't happy!) But we all need to remember that the primary mission of any military base is NOT the campers! Great MWR staff and camp hosts! And the price!!! All of that said, the new wifi system needs to go! The rates have gone up $2/day and the system is worse than dial-up. Can't get on and if you do, very very slow. Would prefer the system other campgrounds have gone to where each camper pays for wifi if they want it. Very cheap at $22.00/month and very fast!

This was a great last minute weekend trip. The views are great and there is a beach, playground and fishing pier within 200yds of our campsite. The staff was great and the front office even had free ice. Only con was not the small arms range but the midnight helo flyovers. The kids didn't hear it but it did shake the RV. The whole family loved the campground and we will come back again.

NOTE: Base does not have an ER. Closest hospital is about 10 miles.

We spent one night in dry camping, then got a partial hook-up (W/E) site. A week later, we got a FHU site and stayed there for a few weeks (30 days max). The campground is nice with lots to do in the area. You just need to get used to the small arms firing range in the middle of the campground. We liked our FHU site located on the Banana River. We think their rotation method from dry to partial to FHU, then back to dry is very fair. Active Duty get priority and can make reservations for FHU. Otherwise, its first-come with a 30 day limit in any type of site. During our stay, we saw people rotating everyday. Nobody stayed in a FHU site longer than 30 days, except for the 2 camp hosts (who were great and keep everything running smooth). We'll be back!

If you have a son or daughter stationed there and if they just returned from a deployment don't count on being able to get a slot during the winter, it seems that the snow birds who move there during the winter have priority. I shouldn't be so mad, as this is true for every FamCamp in the military. Overall the camp was OK, they even came by to make sure we were leaving when we said, or to remind us to LEAVE.

Great news! WiFi is up and running and available at all sites to include overflow. The restroom/shower facilities re-tile job is complete and looks great. The grass cutting is still a issue. Not many people want to cut grass but there is a lawn mower, weed wacker, and blower for guest to use.

We had active duty reservation and called the day before to coordinate. Based upon this discussion and the cp layout we selected a site and were assured it would be reserved for us. Upon arrival, a person without a reservation standing in front of me was given the site we reserved. When I questioned what was happening I was told there was no note that we wanted that site. The tone of the conversation made it clear this discussion would have made me the bad guy if I had insisted and had the "little old lady" give up the site. They did work with me to select another site which turned out to be just fine, but it should not have happened. The stay was good and the value was good, but I must agree with the individual that complained about the uncut grass. It was like camping a hayfield. We will go back and hopefully not start with such an unpleasant sign-in.

We stayed from June 8th thru June 18th and found the only thing we did not like was being advised that if we wanted to have the grass around our motorhome cut and trimmed, they would have a mower and weed-whip available for us to use....if I wanted to do yard work, I would have stayed home and cut and trim our own lawn. Also, the restroom/shower area was infested with mosquitoes. This may have been resolved on the 18th, spraying was being conducted starting on this date. The stay would have been much more relaxing without the firing range being active each day at different times of the day (if you have pets, this could be very disturbing to them). For those wanting to watch rocket/Shuttle launches and not having tickets for viewing on NASA property, I would recommend Jetty Park. It is very easy to get to by going north on A1A, turning east prior to passing over the bridge (going towards the cruise terminals), following George King RD to the end. There is a snack bar, tables, seating and a viewing area upstairs.

We only stayed 1 night and came in after a large rain storm. Some of the roads heading to the camp after entering the main gate were flooded. We were greeted by the campground host. Very friendly and courteous. We have a small dog and were not aware we needed the vet's certificate for rabies. He let us stay. TV signal was very good since most of the stations already went digital. We didn't use any of the amenities on this visit but have visited Patrick on previous stays in area campgrounds. The famcamp is not on the beach. We will probably go back in the future.

Good news for those waiting for Wi-Fi as all the hardware has been purchased and the next 60 days the logistics will be worked out for the installation. New tile in shower/restroom area is not moving as quickly as hoped for but they hope to have it done for the winter season. Big project going on right now is the environmental abatement near the gun range and this should be done by August. Maybe just maybe the air conditioned building at the firing range will become the activity center for the campground but this is just in the hoping stages. It has been several years since we have been here and the manager and the host are top-notch, very forthcoming with info and extremely helpful about the area. Will not wait so long to come back the next time.

We enjoyed our stay here and it was a good experience. The campsite we had had a pole in front where we parked and everytime we pulled out it got hit. So we finally ties a flag to it to remind us that it was there. If you park there and there is a pole we highly recommend that you flag the pole for that reason. But you may not be as oblivious as we are. We stayed next to the Banana River and the only thing about that was that when the wind blows a certain way you can smell that horrible smell, whatever it is. Great place to stay very helpful staff. They have a lot of things available like ICE if you just ask. Can't wait to go back.

This is the second time we have stayed at Patrick AFB. As it was early May, it was not nearly full, although when we checked in all the Banana River frontage sites were taken. I asked the camp host if there was a waiting list for these sites, and was told there was not, and she offered to check her list and see who was scheduled to leave - which she did. There were two that were leaving the next day, and she said as long as they didn't extend (which you have the right to do until you actually leave), we could have one. The next morning we moved across the street to Space #2. I was MOST IMPRESSED AND THANKFUL to Camp Host Lorri & her husband for being so accommodating. 3 Cheers!!! Otherwise it was about the same as last time. While the overall appearance is good, additional electrification of the dry site will add to the value. NICE multi-workstation fitness course adjacent to campground makes a light workout easy to do, plus the running opportunity to catch a 2.5, 3 or even 4-miler are right there...no need to drive! Distance to the Commissary/BX is not a walk - it is across base but easy to do, plus there's a gate adjacent to the Commissary with access to AIA......exit the gate and take your first left....it takes you to AIA. One thing to remember, if you're ON AIA, you can only access this 'side' gate by leaving AIA on this street....I recall it is called "Ocean Drive" or "Ocean Street". There is NOT an access to the side gate for traffic heading WEST on the causeway from AIA over to US #1 and Wickham Drive. Plenty to see and do here, beside a great beach, too. One major drawback is the lack of wi-fi, and campground hosts are very aware of that need. There is good 24/7 connectivity outside the Library as well as in the front parking lots of the Visiting Officer Quarters. As PC's are quickly advancing to the presence in our lives as cell phones, campground priority improvements should definitely include computer connectivity, as many RV's are occupied by active duty and reserve people who are working, as well as retirees with need to be online. Overall this place is definitely a 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5, and again, the staff does EVERYTHING to help the customers!

We enjoyed this FamCamp. As the others have stated, the FamCamp office staff is wonderful. The RV park was only about half full when we were here. As another reviewer said, books, CDs, VCR tapes and DVDs can be checked out at the library (which is close by) even if you're not locals. The librarian was truly nice and very helpful. The DVD limit is 6 per sponsor's family and they have a HUGE collection. There is a free book exchange at the library. There are also VCR tapes for loan in the FamCamp office and they have a book and magazine exchange. There is even a small book and magazine exchange in the laundry room. There are 5 washers/5 dryers and they are 75cents each a load. The BX and commissary are nice sized and they have a nail salon in the BX mall if you need a manicure/pedicure. We were close to the banana river but there is only a strip of sand to walk on. Not really like walking on a beach. The waterfront spots were really nice--wish we'd have been able to get one of those--it would make for quite a nice view AND having access to the water right out your back door! We got quite a few TV stations with our antenna, unlike the previous reviewer, but maybe it was the location we were in. Wish they had a clubhouse.

Beautiful location and grounds were very clean. My tent site was near the water with a great view. On the down side there wasn't enough privacy in the shower area for my comfort. One shower didn't work. The handicapped one was great, but I'm not handicapped. It would be nice if the Tent sections were made larger and expanded. Seems like there is lot of room and people in tents don't need much so it would just be a matter of increasing lot sizes I’d think. Also, there are more then 5 existing ones. Over all I liked the place and wished I could have stayed more then two nights. I’d been to Patrick TDY twice in the 90's, and it’s still a beautiful place.

Many positives but a few negatives. Camp host Jim was very helpful when we arrived and got us settled in dry camp telling us we would get a w/e spot the next day which we did. Was close to the showers so we saved grAy water that way. Very nice redwood deck at our site. Little beach area to sit and watch sunsets. CG office staffed by great people who are very helpful. Good walking area. Far from commissary and px (great facilities), no wifi although available at library. TV reception without dish limited to 2 stations that showed same movies over and over and 2 Spanish stations. No activities or meeting area for campers in CG. Overall, did enjoy our stay and will be back.

This is an outstanding campground. Talk about location. Beautiful sunsets. The main gate directly across street from beautiful beach. The staff and hosts were extremely accommodating. We had to continue our trip but wanted to watch the Shuttle liftoff. They said just come back this way and we will find room for you. Fantastic. We stayed in overflow area. We would definitely return to this campground if in the area.

Stopped by to check on availability last week. Daytona 500, shuttle launch and bike week coming up. Camp host said they have 125 spots, 135 rigs, and have never turned anyone away, and was not going to start now. Kudos.

Since our last visit here this past September (see review below), the MWR folks have done a good thing by having campground office hours seven days a week. It certainly simplifies check-ins and plan changes on the weekends. And, once again, kudos to the hosts and office folks here for outstanding customer relations. We showed up this first week of December 2008 with no reservations, and had our pick of several sites (w/e only). It seems the tough economy has slowed down the southward migration. The sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular.