Mid Bay Shores Maxwell/Gunter Recreation Area

We would probably visit again. The road off the main highway to the campground is recently paved which is a big plus. The Location is also good and love being on the water. It was pretty rustic, almost rough but it turned out to be OK. Looks like there have not been any upgrades or real maintenance on the property in a while. That being said, it was a good location. The trees prevented us from getting satellite coverage but I saw that a few with mobile dishes got a signal. My neighbor let me use his cable connection so we had TV for the weekend.

Still no wifi in the RV's, managers are nice people but no improvements have been made in the park in all the years I have been coming here. A few homesteaders are still allowed to stay in the park, lax enforcement it appears and good old buddy network appears to exist in getting sites for more than a few days. This could be a beautiful park due to the location but it needs major attention from Maxwell brass, appears that will not happen.

We gave the amenities a 1 as there isn't anything at the campground other than the campground. We did not find this to be a problem but don't come here expecting a short walk to a PX, theater, or other such facility. It's just a nice place to camp. Definitely not one of the top rated milcamps. Sort of had a state park feeling to it. Just a campground. The road off the highway to the campground is paved but has a few holes. It keeps the speed down. Sites appear to have at least some shade and some are fully shaded. They are spaced far enough apart so you don't feel like you're too close to your neighbor. Some noise from the bridge traffic but it wasn't too bad. Restroom/bath house was always clean. Cable TV on our site was unwatchable. Picture was usually so grainy that you couldn't make out what was on TV. We eventually gave up hoping the picture would improve and went to OTA. It was not a big factor as we were not there to watch TV but it would have been nice to get reliable news. WiFi was slow but reliable. Manager was very friendly and helpful.

I was expecting more from all the comments we read about the place. Although we really had no complaints, I just didn't think it was all that fabulous compared to other places we've been. I didn't think the hosts were all that friendly but one thing I WILL say about them is that they are always working about the campground, checking up on things and cleaning, etc. The traffic noise from the bridge took some getting used to. We're just glad the weather was cool and we had our windows closed most of the time. With windows opened, it would have been annoying. The bay beach area had a lot of washed up grassy stuff and seemed to be a little smelly and there aren't very good walkways down to the beach - it's pretty steep going up and down. In the CABIN area, there are several groups of wooden stairs going to beach, so I don't know why they couldn't do that in the RV area. Eglin AFB is about a 15 min drive and we went to commissary and BX mall, which is nice. The base library allows a TWO book checkout with library card for non-locals (two books PER sponsor family) and they have a HUGE DVD section, so that's all we got while we were there. The BEST shopping and restaurants are over the toll bridge, so that will cost you $5 for a round trip. I think there are 4 washers and 4 dryers at $1 each at the laundry house. They have DVDs at the office and you can check out two a day for free. They give you a list to look at because the tapes are behind the counter. There were several days while we were there that there were loud explosions that rocked our trailer. We were told that it was demolition of old ammunition and that it happens OFTEN. After we knew what it was, it was OK, but it was alarming at first.

Nice park. We were in site #11 and had some trouble leveling and maneuvering to a spot where we could get our slides out. Park staff are great!

Hopefully I will be able to input a more detailed and valid revised Rating after my visit but just wanted to go on record thanking whoever is responsible for solving the "homesteading" problem that this FamCamp had in the past! We travel to this area frequently since I have a brother in Niceville and have tried for over 6 years to get a spot here with no success. After wondering why nothing was ever available I visited campground in person about 3 years ago and was told that all spaces were occupied by permanent residents, with a waiting list if someone departed and created a vacancy. Email to Maxwell AFB; replied that the camp management was contracted out to DyanCorp with contact point for them Email to DyanCorp was never answered. Have stayed in area at Ft. Benning Destin, Eglin AFB, and both local FL State Parks, so am really anxious to be able to check out MidBay! More to follow.

Wonderful place to stay. Would have rated it higher, but it needs some capital improvements (paved or at least level sites and better access to beach i.e stairs). Comfort station was very clean and well cared for. Rocky and Eggy Lorenzo (host and hostess) were extremely friendly. Lots to see and do in Destin area. Highly recommend renting boat from either Eglin AFB or Fort Benning Recreation area and exploring the bay and beaches. Would definitely stay again.