This is a very well run campground that can handle everything from tents to large motorhomes. The owners go out of their way to accommodate everyone from over night to long term campers. Lots of activities for every age & the campers are very friendly. Yes, the rules are enforced but this is not a bad thing. Wi-Fi is excellent, the pool is great, cable is available & all sites have full hookups. Sites have partial shade so satellite worked fine. Close to shopping centers & public transportation is within walking distance. The fishing is great too & canoe rentals are available. We will be back. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This is our 6th year camping at Venice CG. They have added a very good internet connection at a moderate price. These guys do a good job at taking care of camper requests that are reasonable. They also ban campers who create problems for others. This year's long hard rain resulted in flooding some of the sites, and we were told that regarding would be done to eliminate the problem over the off season. This is very much a friendly campground with many of us returning year after year. Dust continues to be a problem (because the roads are not paved) even with frequent watering to keep the dust down. We like the Old Florida ambiance and will most likely return. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

When we checked in we were required to pay for the two months at once instead of one month at a time. I would have left after the first month had I not already paid. We had friends in the area and wanted to meet at our site for lunch and then go on a river cruise at a nearby county park that was within walking distance. We were told that we could have only 2 people at our site (other than us). Since we had 5 people coming, that created an issue. The rules say "no visitors" but visitors are allowed up to 2 but not over night. When we said it was only for an hour we were still told no. They didn't want large gatherings in the park. But, every night there were groups of 10-20 people with their chairs in circles on a site having happy hour or dinner or sing along. Basically, the campground doesn't want outsiders. The internet was expensive and iffy at best. Very slow. The TV reception was slim to none for just one or two channels. We would be watching and the channel would disappear. You need a dish to have TV in this park. The on site water treatment plant's pump went "out" several times when we were there and the sewer water could not be drained from the RV. The half mile dusty or muddy (depending on the weather) dirt road into the park was not well maintained and was like riding on a washboard. The place is very expensive for the amenities provided which are none. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Families Beware! Only two kids allowed at this park. As I was waiting, a mother was told she should've left her third child (a baby) at home. The owner is extremely rude. He made several rude comments to us and when we questioned him about it, he insisted on cancelling our reservations, saying they only wanted "happy" campers at their campground. We were extremely happy, until we walked into the Venice campground office and met this guy. We ended up at a fantastic campground down the street...a Ramblers Rest. The staff there was wonderful. Avoid Venice Campground and this unhappy man at all costs. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This park is beautiful, very "old Florida" in its natural setting. If you want fake disneyland, this is not your place. They have upgraded WiFi so it is available on all sites in the campground. 6 hours a day is "free", after that, or for higher speeds it's a very reasonable fee. I had excellent signal during my stay. This is my 3rd year visiting and I book a year ahead. If you want a premimum water site you must reserve way in advance as most people return year after year. I love the park, it's not perfect and the owner is sometimes a bit abrupt, but the beauty of the area and the very friendly campers more than make up for it. The campground has a boatramp so you see many people here for fishing, boating or kayaking. BEAUTIFUL Venice beaches are close by and even has a "Paws" park (dog beach) on the gulf water. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

I agree with the previous poster that the owners are extremely rude (and we don't have children to be rude about). They get away with their high prices for few amenities because there are few other choices in the area. I dearly hope Ramblers Rest upgrades and put these "boys" out of business. Campsites have very little charm. The ONLY value is it's location on the water and next to the cool restaurant (where the food is merely OK, the location is it's saving grace). We could not wait to check out and will never return. We camped here in a Motorhome.

We have stayed here for the last 4 years. The park does have its drawbacks such as poor internet connections and I wish that would be corrected. Drainage is poor during heavy rainstorms and some sites flood. Seasonal rates have gone up each year with no improvements in the campground's conditions. Bathroom/showers are in need up upgrading. The upside is that the campers are very friendly and we have made good friends there. If present patterns continue a lot of us are discussing moving en mass to another campground but I hope that conditions improve enough for that not to happen. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

I was disappointed. Mother Nature does her best to make the park beautiful, so you can't beat the huge oaks and beautiful river, but it is really not well maintained. There are two parts to this park - one side is all RVs and the other side is tents and RVs. The tenting side has all the old oaks and is very shady. The RV side is crowded, but if you are lucky enough to be on the water, I imagine you can overlook everything else. It was very cold while we were there and we were not allowed to have campfires, so night life was early to bed. Next door to this campground is a restaurant/bar called Snook Haven. Snook Haven is well known in the area and pretty crowded. They have great bands playing there all the time. The food is expensive though for what you get ($19 for a ribeye steak) and with that you get a very small salad and one side, such as french fries or vegetables - all served on paper plates with plastic utensils. The pool is very small. The meeting room they advertise is a room connected to the office with long tables in them. There is internet access in that room as well. In the office they have three rather empty shelves of supplies and no food items. I stopped in the woman's bathroom about 9:00 p.m. and one of the toilets was clogged and they were out of toilet paper. I went back at 9:30 a.m., and nothing had changed. There are two showers and two toilets. The tops of the shower stall came up to my neck, which I did not like. Although I do not have kids, I thought the playground was the worst of all. There is a large sand area with weeds growing throughout it. There is one swing set with two swings. That is sum total of the playground. All in all, it is not terrible, but certainly not worth the $45 they charge each night. The picnic tables are small, and the lots are not groomed. The nature is beautiful though, which is really their saving grace. Oh, one more thing, the "gravel road" they advertise is a long dirt road with some fair size potholes. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.

We are native Floridians, and this is one of our favorite weekend getaway parks. It's not fancy, but it is very comfortable and laid back. It is also not near any of Florida's theme parks or major tourist attractions, which makes it attractive to those of us who prefer NOT to be near those things! It is on the Myakka River, and canoe rentals are available. There is a small boat ramp as well. Right next door, so to speak, is "Snook Haven," a waterfront restaurant with tasty fried seafood and a funky real Florida atmosphere. If you want flashy or fancy Florida, this isn't it. But if you want a quiet place to kick back and relax without all the hoopla of the other mega campgrounds, Venice Campground is the place to go. The owners are friendly and helpful. There is a tent area that is separate from the RV area. You will see everything from tents to luxury motor homes, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. We camped here in a Motorhome.

We came to this RV park after a couple of others that we had checked with were full. We read the previous reviews and should have paid more attention to them. We just hoped that in a year it had improved. Well, it hasn't! The roads within the park are for one vehicle only; if you meet someone, one of you has to back up. The roads are poorly maintained, full of pot holes along with being quite narrow. The site we were on was fairly level, but also very tight to get into and out of. Had anyone been home across the way when we got there or left, we would have not made it. The sewer connections are all higher than normal, so as they say, it needs to flow up hill. A neighbor that is in a permanent told us they raised all the sewer connections to keep the ground water out. While we were there it rained and the park turns into a muddy swamp. The drainage is just non existent, so it stayed that way for several days. They have Wi-Fi & cable at an additional cost, but there was not any reception for the wifi at the site we were on. The park itself is very old with mostly permanents. We definitely would not stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

We had a great stay here. It is a real campground with shaded sites in a wooded environment. We canoed on the Myakka River and launched right from the boat ramp area at Ramblers. We saw all kinds of wildlife along the river and had time for a swim in the huge pool. It is a very quiet campground, which is just what we wanted. We would recommend this campground to anyone who is looking for a safe, friendly family environment. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.

We have stayed at Ramblers Rest many times for over 20 years and I must say that since Encore has taken possession, the conditions of the campground has gotten terrible. There is Black mold growing in the mens showers which the cleaning staff does not remove. Two of the sinks in the largest shower house (mens side) were clogged and running over and when that was reported the solution was to remove the handles instead of pour in a little drain cleaner. Others have reported on the electric, internet service and lack of security and I agree that it is bad. Another issue is the swimming pool. The heater is broken with no repairs in sight. A major concern is the water supply. Last week one of their well pumps broke and the park was without any water for over 12 hours. During that time I observed some of the repairs. The on site lay staff were required to re-plumb some of the water pipes in a dug hole with dirt getting in some of the pipes. There was NO requirement or NOTICE to boil the water before using. This was and is a dangerous condition I am sure the local health department would not be pleased with, had they known. If this is an example of how Encore operates their properties I do not know how they stay in business. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.

Read the January 09 review as it is right on the mark. We add that we were here on a special Encore promo to meet with family and were given a 30 amp only site. The power box was really low to the ground and the sewer connection ( we needed 40 feet of hose ) was the strangest we have ever encountered. The sewer and power says that this is an old park with mostly park models. The trash was a lengthy walk from our site and not centrally located and they don't offer a morning trash pick up. We we under the trees and therefore our satellite dish on top wouldn't pick up. The sites are typical Encore - very narrow & tight. The exit route out of the park is very narrow and a driving challenge. The special rate because of our memberships made this an OK park but their normal rate would keep us out of this park. They should upgrade their wi-fi and just make it free as part of the fee. The park is 20-30 minutes from the beaches but for these and the other kids activities (except pool/volley ball/ping pong) one has to get in your vehicle and leave the park. You're a distance from shopping/dining. The back part of the park is on the Myakka River but while I watched nobody caught anything except branches and debris. We would stay here if we needed to visit family again, especially for the price. Every park resident and the staff was outgoing and friendly and that's a big plus. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Lots to do!! Tons of activities, beautiful views of ponds and lakes. Great campground with very friendly staff. Kid friendly except for all of the alligators. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This is an big and friendly park. Some sections are beautiful, especially near the river. However, the park has some serious drainage problems, especially in the circular central area. Due to that, there are pot-holed roads and big puddles to drive through. As difficult as it is to wash an RV, you may not appreciate leaving with mud-covered tires and fenders, especially at $62 a night. With updating and road work, Rambler's Rest has the location and potential to be a 10. In my estimation, however, it rates a 6. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Ramblers Rest RV (owned and operated by Encore) is located on a large area between North River Road and the Myakka River in Venice Florida. It is adequately staffed, and the grounds are very well maintained. Rates are negotiable and the longer the stay the better the discount. A camp store is practically non-existent and with the campground being quite far from any stores, should be better. The pool area is very clean, with plenty of lounge and upright chairs, and several umbrellaed tables with chairs. Lots of organized activities and field trips, dinners and entertainment. I wouldn't recommend for families with young children, as this is primarily a retirement park. Campground is comprised of around 80% permanent residents, with plenty of scattered over-night, -week, -month sites, many shaded and quite a few rental units for extended stays. They have a mail room and mail boxes, so they can and do handle forwarded mail. Security at night could be tighter as there were many cars broken into in February '09 and gps units, computers, cameras etc., stolen. I would have given them 10, except that the fee driven Wi-Fi vendor (Tengo Internet) they recommend is completely unreliable and connectivity is spotty and slow at best! Given the amount of online activity that snow-bird travel necessitates, and given that this is the unavoidable way of the future, this is a huge drawback for us, and will prevent us from staying here in the future. This saddens us because we really like our site, and the pace and atmosphere of this campground suits our lifestyle. If you don't need or care about internet access, then I highly recommend this campground. If you do need or want good internet access try to find a campground with a better wi-fi provider or have your own. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Stayed two weeks. The park is a very clean well kept park with adequate rest rooms, showers and laundry facilities. Sites are mixed in with long term resident park models. Most sites are shaded and easy to get in and out of. Many sites are on or near small ponds and streams. Fishing is available on the Myakka River that runs along the rear boundary of the park. Has a few alligators in the park ponds. The only downside to the park is their wireless Internet which works on and off by the office and does not reach into the park. It is a corporation park and staff are not available after hours and on Sundays if you have problems. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Described in the Encore brochure as "A Premier RV Resort in Venice, FL". Huh? This is an old, run-down, shabby campground. Electric voltage is low. Running one air conditioner alone on 30 amp reduced voltage to 109. Running the microwave alone reduced voltage to 106. Office staff and other campers were friendly and helpful. Campground setting is out in the country. Streets are narrow for large rigs. Because of the electrical voltage and run-down appearance, we would not stay here again. Price indicated is the Passport America rate. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Park is nice. good for a few days. lot of seasonal campers. Price as usual with KOA much to high. Will check out area for other parks if we go to that area again. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Super clean bathrooms; very homely. Extra marks for effort made to recycle trash. This is a good stop over park for us. We camped here in a Motorhome.

We stayed here 3 nights. This park has a nice pool, laundry, free Wi-Fi, dog walk area and organized activities. It is south of Venice on US 41. The staff was friendly, professional and helpful. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This is the ONLY KOA we stay at by choice. Very nice smallish park. Good sized sites. Everything works and is well maintained. Best propane prices we found in the area. They make their own deals, so you can often get a decent rate rather than the standard KOA overpriced rip-off. Free WiFi. Rate listed is daily for $750/mo + elec (not bad for south Florida in December.) We camped here in a Motorhome.

While this park is new to the KOA name, it is an older park. Well run and managed by the owners. Excellent WiFi throughout the park. Some of the sites are difficult to back into due to trees, poles, etc. Many pull through sites looked fine for any sized rig. Do watch out for the leaning palm trees, as in places they extend out over the roads, in the park. The park was about 1/3 full when we were here. The actual town address on my GPS was in North Port, Fl and not Venice. Easy access off a 4 lane to the campground. We spent 3 nights here. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Price reflects KOA Value Kard discount. Paved streets and crushed shell sites with lots of park models and long term folks. Some low branches somewhat difficult to navigate with a big rig. There was a nice fenced pet area. There is noise from Highway 41, especially on the north side, but we were not bothered by it. We enjoyed our stay and would return. We camped here in a Motorhome.

A nice little park in a great area of Florida--between Venice and North Port, right on the Tamiami Trail. Lots of stuff to see and do in the area, and lots of friendly people in the park. We stayed for a week and enjoyed every minute of it! We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

This is a small park with about half park models. There are views of the Myakka River. We didn't see the park's canoe/kayak river access but we didn't ask about it, either, since it was cold that week. There are no activities in the park (contrary to the park's website). The laundry room is nice. The park is clean and is located half-way between Venice and Port Charlotte. Except for the neighboring seafood restaurant, nothing else right near the park. The Venice beach is 30 minutes away. We would stay here in the future for an overnight but not a longer stay. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Is now a KOA campground. Does not have any playground and is mostly long term guests. Nice spot along the river complete with alligators. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Nice small campground with good Wi-Fi but no cable and limited TV. Staff is friendly. Understand that campground is switching to be a KOA campground. Will be staying there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.

We have to disagree with the previous rater. We found both the weekend staff and the managers to be extremely friendly and helpful. When we asked if we could extend our stay, she went out of her way to try to find another suitable site for the rig coming into our site. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This park is under new ownership and has been updated as follows: New electrical service, new fence between park and Tamiami Trail, All sites clean and neat with shell gravel and concrete patios. WIFI service is strong and does not have interuptions. New owners are helpful and friendly. They gave a reduced prorate unsolicited on the monthly rent since our arrival was 6 days late. We camped here in a Motorhome.

The New Managers are Very Nice and Helpful. Weekend office woman is very rude. The park has really done alot of renovations since we have been there three years ago. Bathrooms and clubhouse are Immaculate. They really have Improved the park. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Short and sweet. The managers were rude when you saw them. Other wise they were never available. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.