Camping with Kids in South Florida: What We Learned After a Few Sweaty Attempts

It is absolutely worth doing. Here is how to do it better than we did the first few times.

Published: June 25, 2025 | South Florida Adventure + Camping | Play Outside Co.

South Florida camping is a specific experience.

It is not the Pacific Northwest with misty mornings and cool nights. It is not fall camping in the mountains where the air has that particular crispness. It is hot, it is humid, the wildlife is more present than in most other places in the country, and it is genuinely wonderful in a way that takes a couple of sweaty attempts to fully appreciate.

We are here to shortcut the learning curve.

When to Go

This is the most important variable in South Florida camping, more important than any gear decision.

October through April is the ideal window. Temperatures are comfortable, humidity drops significantly, and the bugs are manageable. If you camp during this window, South Florida delivers some of the best outdoor nights you can have anywhere.

Summer camping is possible. We have done it. You need to be prepared for heat that does not break at night, humidity that coats everything, and bugs that mean business. It requires the right campsite (shade, airflow), the right gear, and a mindset adjustment. It is also the time when the parks are least crowded, which has its own appeal.

If this is your first time camping with kids in South Florida, aim for October through March. Then in a few seasons when you know what you're doing, try a summer night at Oleta River and report back.

Where to Go

Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Hobe Sound. Our top pick for a first family camping trip in South Florida. River access, kayak rentals, good shade, well-maintained sites, and enough wildlife that kids stay interested all weekend. Book sites in advance — they fill up fast in the good weather months.

Oleta River State Park, North Miami. The most urban camping in Florida in the best possible way. You are in the middle of a city and surrounded by mangroves. Kayaking right from the campsite. Great for families who want the camping experience without a long drive.

Markham Park, Sunrise. Local and underrated. Good facilities, plenty of space, and easy for Broward families to get to without a full travel day. A good intro camping trip for younger kids.

Our full South Florida camping guide has more detail on each of these plus a few others worth knowing about.

What to Actually Wear

Florida camping gear advice that does not account for the heat is not useful advice.

Cotton at night feels fine and then traps humidity by 2 a.m. and becomes uncomfortable. Heavy layers are unnecessary even in South Florida winter. What works: lightweight, breathable fabrics that move moisture away from the skin and dry fast if they get damp.

The ONE Shirt as a sleep layer in cooler months and a daytime shirt year-round. Bamboo's temperature-regulating properties matter here in both directions: it keeps you cooler in heat and adds just enough warmth on cool nights without adding bulk. The kids' version pulls the same weight for the small people. One shirt that covers daytime sun protection and nighttime comfort layers is genuinely useful when you are trying to pack light.

Wide-brim hats for daytime. Closed-toe shoes for evening when the ground becomes everyone's habitat, not just yours. Lightweight long pants or leggings for after dark when bugs are active.

The Bug Situation

It is real. DEET or picaridin-based repellent for evening and nighttime. Permethrin-treated clothing if you are going somewhere with significant mosquito or tick activity. Do not skip this step.

The good news: South Florida mornings are usually fine. It is the dusk-to-dawn window that requires preparation. Once you have that handled, you can relax and actually enjoy the night sky, which in the less-developed parts of South Florida is genuinely extraordinary.

Why It Is Worth It

There is something specific that happens when kids sleep outside.

They wake up differently. They notice things they don't notice at home. The sounds, the light, the feeling of being in a place rather than just passing through it. The patience it builds, the small problems it requires them to solve, the independence that comes from being a little bit further from comfort — those things don't come from a hotel room.

South Florida's ecosystems are some of the most remarkable in the world. Getting your kids into them overnight, not just for a day trip, is worth the sweaty trial-and-error runs it takes to figure out.

We promise.

Shop The ONE Shirt for women | Shop The ONE Shirt for kids | See our South Florida camping guide

Play Outside Co. is a South Florida brand making bamboo UPF 50+ sun shirts for women, men, and kids who refuse to stay inside. We test them in the same conditions you do.