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JDHDKID · 02-14-2012, 12:01 PM

We live in the Mother Lode of California, east of Sacramento. We want to go to Florida this year with our 5th wheel, but I'm not sure when the best time of the year to go is, we are thinking about the end of Sept into Oct and Nov. We are retired now so we are open somewhat to time and how long.
If anyone has any ideas as to which way or time I would love to hear from you.

JDHDKID

HUCKSHAVEN · 02-14-2012, 12:21 PM

SEPT,OCT,NOV are smack dab in the middle of Hurricane Season . Florida is great during the end of winter early spring.

free2rv4fun · 02-14-2012, 12:51 PM

Actually, the likelihood of hurricanes after Sept are greatly reduced, as Aug and Sept are the most active months. We are also retired and have always planned our trips to FL for October, after kids are back in school. The weather is usually quite pleasant. Late winter and early spring gets busy with spring breaks. If you are doing Disney, Oct is one of their slow times (slow is a relative term here) and the rates at Fort Wilderness are lower. Being that you are from CA, you also have to consider weather along your route. There can be some nasty early winter storms even in Oct and Nov in areas that you may be traveling through. Another thing to keep in mind.

GaryKD · 02-14-2012, 01:23 PM

Hi JDHDKID,
Some of your decision depends on where in Florida you will stay. Florida is a very long state. From Jacksonville to Key West is about 520 miles. From Pensacola to Key West is about 840 miles. The weather is very different as one travels through the state. It is just like California (i.e., Los Angles vs San Francisco weather). High potential hurricane season for the Gulf side of Florida comes in two parts. June/July and October/November. The high potential on the Atlantic side is August/September. Because Florida offers high humidity, at no additional cost, I'd not arrive in north Florida until October. Then I'd work my way south through Florida seeing what interests me. While you may tour Florida with out too many advance reservations, January through March is a time where advance reservations are a must, if you plan on staying in one place for any length of time.

Since your home base is in CA, consider making your Florida visit for an entire winter. It's a long way to get here. You might as well see all you want to see and some things you discovered you want to see after being here a while. In the winter, from West Palm south is usually shorts and bare feet weather. Central Florida is long pants and a sweater. North Florida is the heat on every night and jackets during the day.

If you'd like to have some suggestions on what to see, post here or PM me. You know all the "name" sights. I'd provide some out of the way places you might enjoy.

DpDave · 02-14-2012, 01:53 PM

Hi JDHDKID;

While it's true enough that Florida is a great spot during the winter, (I'm sitting with doors and windows wide open at the moment, thinking about moving outside), there is one thing to bear in mind.

Winter is also our busy season, and if you are going to cruise down south, be aware of where you want to stay, as the CG's book up fast. If you were to roll in around now, I suspect you would have extreme difficulty find a site, particularly in a reputable spot.

Having said that, with a bit of planning, you will have a blast. Enjoy, and we look forward to seeing you!