Jacksonville RV Park

We have enjoyed staying at the Jacksonville RV Campground - having done so many times over the past 5 years of full-time RVing. We only stay from a few days to a week at one time. My husband is a DOD Retiree with the US Air Force, as his spouse I am a retired Realtor. JAX RV Park has always accepted us even though the Military Campground Directory said (at one time) "no DOD", now it states "Jacksonville DOD Retired". Just to clarify in our own minds; I called JAX MWR in late March and they very politely told me, "Yes, we do accept DOD Retirees from other branches - your husband is welcome to come stay". Then she asked me if I was also a DOD Retiree...I told her "no". She explained that the latest change of rules offer RV sites to DOD Retirees but if the spouse or significant other is not DOD Retired or Active Duty then they are NOT permitted. I laughed thinking she was kidding, but she assured me that - that is now the rule. She also said many of their regular RVers are very unhappy after being told that the only way they can stay is by leaving their "non-DOD Retiree Spouse or Significant Other" at the curb or at best; at home (if you have one). She agreed that it's a very unfair reg. We just wanted to alert our fellow RVers of this situation before they drive on base only to be rejected because your spouse is not allowed to stay with them. And if you want to get it changed spread the word and become a squeaky wheel.

P.M. left this review using the Directory software: - The park is being updated. They have torn out the lower sites and are replacing the electric, paving the sites with gravel, removing extra trees so we can get satellite and the bigger rigs can use it. Should be great when done. Meanwhile, half the sites are not in use. Re messages on "homesteaders" the base allows people who are in their school to live at the park.

I'm going to echo "bcrocker", below. We reserved a full hook-up weeks in advance. I called in on the day we were arriving and was told we were being downgraded to a 'no sewer' site in the lower area (woods) because they were moving all long termers to the upper, pad sites, and had nothing for the 4 days we were going to be there. HOWEVER - the entire time we were there, there were 3 or more empty pad sites in the upper area. The individual who did this was not one of the ladies I have encountered before, all of whom were very nice. Don't know if this person was the same one bcrocker ran into, but I also suspect some type of agenda, and/or incompetence. He was also one of those people who seem to exude: "this would be a nice place to work if it weren't for those pesky customers". Otherwise, this remains a nice, clean, convenient area.

Nice campground and good location. Reservation process was quick and friendly. We also called a couple of hours before arriving and given our campsite on the phone. Check-in was very quick. Staff at MWR/Campground check-in were very friendly, helpful, and efficient. (Good job ladies!) Campsite was clean and access was easy. Sites were plenty long for our 40 ft 5th wheel and parking for our 22 ft pickup. Shower house was very clean. Did not use laundry. Our vehicle sticker had expired 12/2012 and due to only Army and USAF facilities locally had been unable to renew the sticker. Security here does not require sticker for retirees, only active and permanent party. Retirees only need ID card to access.

We were in site 37, a large concrete pad, 50/30-amp back-in. Sites are well spaced with picnic tables. We called ahead and were told to park in Site 34 and then come back to the MWR Office for check-in. After getting settled, we got a call from the office telling us we had to move as the power in that site had been reported as having a problem. Seems maintenance won't work on the problem with someone in the site. OK, we moved. About an hour later a large MH pulling a very long trailer pulled into #34 (being directed by another RV'er already here) and settled in. Maintenance had not been out yet. Don't know what that is all about but something seemed fishy to us. Laundry has five washers/dryers and is free. All facilities were clean and well maintained. We will return.

R.L. left this review using the Directory software: - Staying here currently after being at Pelican Roost (Mayport) for 2 weeks. Big disappointment. No office or host onsite. Pads are not level. Normal general delivery mail at the post office works fine. Needed to order something from amazon.com. RV office told me to us MWR RV Park and my space number and UPS would deliver to my site. Wrong answer. I checked with the MWR Warehouse, base warehouse, commisary and finally the NEX warehouse where UPS actually delivered. I understand this could simply be a mistake on UPS part but my advice on packages is to find a local home address to have packages delivered to.

Yes the price is reasonable for full hook up and partial spaces. But, what is price if a FamCamp starts to fill up with homesteaders and you cannot get in? Jax NAS should follow their own rules on length of stay and make homesteaders move on. A Fam Camp is not a mobile home park.

You really can't beat the price, $14 a night for full hookup's. You do have to register at the Auto Skills Bldg on Jason Rd about 3/4 of a mile from the Birmingham Gate entrance. Make a left off Birmingham and park in the gravel pull out on the right side of the road. After checking in, just go around the block to Birmingham then straight to the RV park entrance. Once you enter the park, if you are in the lower campground (trees/dirt sites) you go to the left at the laundry/restroom building, if you are in the upper sites (concrete/no shade) you go to the right. We enjoyed the park, very quiet at night and with the free laundry, life is good!

Agree with below comments regarding homesteaders. When staying at JAX NAS RV park for two weeks last December,2011, we noticed a hand full of them (mostly active duty and DOD civilians) who were there from our visit in 2010! We learned from other campers that some of these homesteaders have been in the campground for Y E A R S ! Agree with below post, we also wonder how "they swing that being there are length of stay rules." One active duty Navy O6, with a class A, has been there for years. One DOD civilian we talked with freely told my wife and I that they had been there for years. He retired from DOD last winter and will continue to stay in the campground! Another active duty Navy officer (flyer - choppers) had also been there full timing for a few years! But, when you ask at the office you are given the "party line" about your length of stay. Retirees were told they could no longer stay beyond a certain date. The ones with valid medical reasons should be able to stay longer. But the three mentioned above had no valid medical reason. They were full time homesteaders. The RV park is not a mobile home park. MWR JAX: enforce the rules equally and fairly. Which you are not doing now. One of the campers, was a trouble maker ( threading people !). The office and director was made aware of his threats and behavior. But, they did nothing to remove him from the RV park. On his own, he went down to Key West. Good luck to those people down there putting up with this guy. Which brings us to another point: when campers are out of line in military RV parks REMOVE them. If warranted give them a warning. Otherwise, let’s keep out military RV parks safe. Laundry room: thanks to one retiree who made it his full time job to run off unauthorized users of the laundry room, the washers and dryers were freed up! Every time we stay at JAX NAS RV park, people who are NOT staying at the RV park or the marina, get into the laundry room and will do clothes before paying customers! Again, whoever that retiree was, we thank you for running them out of the laundry room and calling the base security when needed. MWR: you need to change the combo number to the laundry room and bath house often. You ESPECIALLY need to have a different number for the women's shower room and the men's shower room and the laundry room. You are asking for trouble by having the same number for males and females! Back to the retiree: he called, and kept on the office, to get the exterior lights fixed, dryer fixed, street light fixed, dryer vent cleaned out (was stopped up), had the steel spikes sticking up out of the ground hammered into the ground (present a safety hazard) and other things done. A host would do the same job if you would get one.

Location is great for those that wish to play golf, walking distance to the course. Facilities were clean but a toilet in the men's area broke while we were there and remained not fixed during our stay. Close to commissary and NEX. They are making road improvements and access to the campsite can be tricky as the normal access point is closed (street becomes one way out) if you arrive after 3pm. you enter thru the south access point which points your rig in the opposite direction to enter sites, you need to go around the campsite and laundry/shower area to access the sites correctly. This should be corrected soon. Folks at reception are very friendly and helpful.

Nice location that is convenient to on base and off base shopping. Rv park seems to be in an electronic dead zone because of all the electronic and radar devices on base. Even antenna tv reception is very poor. Free laundry and clean showers and restrooms. Still a few homesteaders. Don't know how they swing that being there are length of stay rules. A convenient stopover point, but that's about it.

I drove out from Pelican Roost to check this park out for future use. Its location for me is not the best as it is about 45 minutes from the beaches. The roads are gravel with one section having concrete pads and the other one in the woods with dirt pads. The restrooms looked okay. It is located next door to the Navy Lodge and about a mile from the exchange and commissary. The maximum stay, I believe is 30 days although as with most military campgrounds there was one trailer with yard furniture he couldn't haul in his pickup and tons of stuff piled under the trailer. It looks as if they had been there more than 30 days. I would stay there if I could get a site with concrete pad, otherwise I would pass it up. I agree with last post, lots of traffic on 17.

Great location, easy to find. We used this as a hub to visit with family and friends in the area. Afternoon traffic jams on Rt 17 are awful. Everyone was courteous and helpful.

G.G. left this review using the Directory software: - This is the second and last time we will visit this facility. We visited last June and it took 3 days to get my daughter's temporary pass. Nobody on base seemed to know how to accomplish it. They kept sending us to see other people. Thought we'd give it another try. This visit we called at 11 am and were told we would be in site 34 and it was empty and to come on out. We arrived about 1:30 and there was a motorhome parked in our site. Called the office and Katie said they had just come in. She would find out what was going on and call me back. Cell service is sporadic so I called back after 45 minutes. She had been unable to reach the owners of the motor home but told us to pull in site 5 in the old section until she could get our site cleared. An hour later I called again and was told the motorhome had been there several days, but would be gone by 4:30 - 5:00. Check out is suppose to be 11 am. We set up in site 5 and then moved to site 34 the next morning. Site was fine. One of the neighbors seemed to be homesteading: permanent wood steps and handrail; 6-8 large chairs outside; carpet on the grass the length of the trailer; two dogs, one of which was a huge German Shepard not on a leash that barked every time someone walked by; tiki torches, plants, wind chimes, etc. Observed several pet owners not cleaning up after the pets. Had to watch where you walked. This could be a very nice park, if there was more oversite and rules were enforced.

We arrived on a holiday and were able to enter base by showing only our ID. Our advice - if you are arriving on a holiday, be sure to call ahead for gate openings. The people you call at the Auto Skills Shop are very friendly and helpful but there is no host or anyone to show you to your site. Also, be sure you understand the afternoon traffic patterns since street in front becomes one-way in the p.m. and you'll need to enter by the Navy Lodge. Our site and patio are concrete and the 50 amp power is excellent. This is a great place to relax yet close to shopping and area activities. Watch your speed on base!

Nice area, close to a lot of shopping and the interstate. However, I was disappointed with the lack of communication by the office personnel at the Auto Skills Shop. We arrived on Wednesday, November 23 at 3:15 pm only to find that the shop had closed early (normal hours were supposed to be 0900 to 1600). No one tried to contact me and being new to this RV park, I had no idea where to go or what site I was supposed to be in. When we got to the RV park I had to ask another camper what the code was for the restrooms. Fortunately, I very nice gentleman helped us out by making some phone calls and we go the information we needed. I wasn't able to check-in until the day after Thanksgiving and didn't find that experience very pleasant. I don't think that the Auto Skills Shop is the place to handle the RV park. I agree with another comment made that the Navy Lodge could handle this much better as they already handle reservations. I wanted to get the internet for the cost of $12.95 for a week but was unable since no one was in the office on Wednesday, November 23. So had to do without internet for my stay. It wouldn't hurt for the park to also get cable.

Pretty nice area. Clean, has a nice laundry room. No Cable, WIFI available for $$. Need to check in about 1/4 mile down the road from the RV Park.

No changes here. Just as advertised. It's very busy at this time of year so call for reservation. After two weeks of trying we could not extend our stay for an extra week. The cell phone reception (Verizon) has improved here and we had good connections all the time we were there, even with our Verizon MiFi. FastEagle

Stayed here one night on the way back to North Carolina. Called the morning of the 29th and made a reservation for a site with no problems. We were assigned a site in the newer area. Site had full hookup, concrete level pad and a concrete patio. Everything worked just fine. We were on the way from Sigsbee in Key West, I had paid for a month of internet at Sigsbee and it just so happened that the same service is used by this FAMCAMP, so I was able to log on to WIFI with my codes from Sigsbee. The campground was well taken care of, grass cut and sites clean. I checked out the bathroom, (OH, I forgot to ask for the code and no one said anything about a code when I checked in) but another camper gave me the code and I was able to get in. The bathroom was clean and ALL fixtures worked properly, I checked them all since one of the last comments I had read was that 2 of 4 toilets were broke. Didn't get a chance to wander around base much but did notice they have a huge gas station with a number of work bays in it. The exchange was close by the campground as well as the Auto Hobby Shop, which is where you have to check in. Overall I think this is a very good FAMCAMP and will make it a stop in the future when I can spend a little more time here.

Great campground but could use some attention to finer details. The office forgot to give me the code for the bath house (bummer). When I did obtain the code the bathrooms were dirty (10a.m.) and two of the four toilets were broken with one leaking water all over. Breakfast at Mulligans right down the street was great.