Hotels & Places to Stay

Where to Stay in Florida

Grand resorts, city hotels and small inns, and the condominiums, campgrounds and RV parks in each Florida county, with what each one is and where it sits.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Eight things to check before you book.

A nightly rate is not the price of the stay, and a scouting trip has questions a vacation does not.

Nightly rate and all mandatory taxes or fees
Parking, resort, pet and destination charges
Deposit, cancellation and refund rules
Kitchen, laundry and workspace if staying longer
Drive time to the communities—not only mileage
Accessibility, elevator and mobility requirements
Storm, evacuation and interruption policies
Direct confirmation from the property or platform

HOTEL DIRECTORY

Pick the county. See where to stay.

Choose a county to compare distinct hotels, locations and trip styles.

65counties with listings

435places to stay

CHOOSE A COUNTYPutnam County9 Researched Properties

HotelOrange Springs

Orange Springs Retreat Center

Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 71 Google reviewers

A private retreat center on more than a hundred acres at 168 Shalom Camp Trail in Orange Springs, bordering the Ocala National Forest. It takes one group at a time, from about sixty people to more than two hundred, with over two hundred beds in heated and cooled buildings and meals cooked and served in a dining hall. There is a spring fed lake with a sandy beach, ropes courses with zip lines, sports fields, archery, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

HotelSatsuma

Georgia Boys Fish Camp

Rated 4.7 out of 5 by 307 Google reviewers

A fish camp at 217 Butler Drive in Satsuma, on Dunns Creek. Rentals come with one, two or three bedrooms and a kitchen, by the day, the week or the month. There is a boat ramp and covered boat slips with easy entry to the creek, and a bait shop with live and artificial bait, tackle and non ethanol marine gasoline.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

Campground & RVPalatka

Rodman Campground

Rated 4.6 out of 5 by 392 Google reviewers

A campground of sixty-seven sites on Rodman Dam Road near Palatka, about nine miles southwest of the town off State Road 19, on the Rodman Reservoir. The reservoir covers nine thousand five hundred acres and was made in the 1960s for the Cross Florida Barge Canal. There are restrooms, water fountains, parking and a picnic pavilion, a boat ramp, fishing for trophy bass, and trails for walking, hiking and mountain biking. It is part of the Cross Florida Greenway.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

HotelGeorgetown

Georgetown Marina, Lodge & Rv Park

Rated 4.6 out of 5 by 180 Google reviewers

A marina, lodge and RV park at 1533 County Road 309 in Georgetown, on the St Johns River at the northeast corner of Lake George. There are seven cabins, each an efficiency with kitchen appliances, a separate living area and a screened porch, sleeping four to eight. Thirty-three RV sites have full hookups, with twenty, thirty and fifty amp service. The marina has non ethanol fuel, a pump out, a launch, docking to sixty feet and a tackle store.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

HotelCrescent City

Renegades On The River

Rated 4.5 out of 5 by 2,972 Google reviewers

A riverfront resort at 1171 County Road 309 in Crescent City, at mile marker 65 on the St Johns River, about half an hour from Interstate 95. There are six cabins, forty-six RV sites and thirty-seven boat slips, and boats and jet skis can be rented through a partner. The waterfront restaurant serves seafood, pizza, full dinners and alligator tail, and the tiki bar is open every day with live music.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

HotelPalatka

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Palatka Northwest by IHG

Rated 4.4 out of 5 by 428 Google reviewers

A hotel of seventy-two rooms at 3813 Reid Street in Palatka. Breakfast is free and children eat free. There is an outdoor pool open from nine in the morning until nine at night, a fitness center with treadmills, a bicycle, an elliptical machine and free weights, a self service laundry, a meeting room, free parking with in and out privileges and free wireless internet. Pets are not allowed.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

HotelWelaka

Andersen's Lodge Bar & Grill

Rated 4.4 out of 5 by 228 Google reviewers

A lodge and bar and grill at 10 Boston Street in Welaka, on the St Johns River. The cottages date from the 1940s and the lodge from the 1950s. Rooms are paneled in cypress, with king or queen beds, memory foam mattresses, cable television and wireless internet, and some have a small kitchen. The bar and grill stands on a deck twenty feet above the river. Welaka calls itself the bass capital of the country.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

Campground & RVCrescent City

Cherry Blossom RV Resort

Rated 4.4 out of 5 by 205 Google reviewers

An RV park at 2359 US Highway 17 in Crescent City. Sites have water, sewer, thirty and fifty amp service, free cable and wireless internet, a picnic table and shade, and some are pull through. There are lodges to rent as well. On the grounds are an in ground pool, a clubhouse with cable and a computer, a laundry, free showers, a gated dog park, a pickleball court, a playground, barbecue grills and a supply store.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

HotelPalatka

Hampton Inn Palatka

Rated 4.3 out of 5 by 722 Google reviewers

A hotel at 100 Memorial Parkway in Palatka. A hot breakfast buffet is included every morning. There is an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a business center and one meeting room of four hundred and eighty-three square feet, free self parking and free wireless internet. Connecting rooms can be booked and cribs are available. Up to two dogs or cats are taken.

Check Rates on Official Site ↗Map & directions ↗

Booking disclosure: 1stFlorida does not sell hotel rooms or take reservations. Buttons open the property's own site or an outside booking site. Where a booking link pays 1stFlorida a commission it is marked as sponsored, and the price to you is the same. Verify rates, fees and policies with the booking site.

USE THE STAY TO TEST THE COUNTY

Three trip lengths, and what each one is for.

Choose the shortest format that still lets you test ordinary life without racing from one end of Florida to another.

3-day county test

Choose one county and two communities. Use day one for essential routes, day two for neighborhoods and housing, and day three for repeat drives and unresolved questions.

5-day comparison trip

Split the stay between two county areas. Give each finalist two ordinary days, then reserve the final day to revisit the strongest community.

7-day regional trip

Use two lodging bases rather than crossing the region every day. Compare no more than three counties and protect time for unplanned discoveries.

FROM THE FRONT DOOR

Six routes worth driving from the lodging base.

Morning commute

Leave at the time you would normally travel and use the likely work route.

Healthcare

Drive to the hospital, primary-care area or specialist you expect to use.

Daily errands

Test groceries, pharmacy, fuel and ordinary services—not only dining and attractions.

Airport access

Measure the full route, parking and realistic departure-time burden.

Weekend movement

Check beach, event or tourism traffic when that pattern affects the community.

Evening return

See lighting, noise, access and neighborhood conditions after dark.

PERSONALIZE THIS SCOUTING-TRIP GUIDE

Do you need a mover, realtor, lawyer or other local professional?

Choose your destination county and only the services you want. Each real active advertiser you select is placed directly into this report. No county is picked for you; the services start fresh on each page.

1 · DESTINATION COUNTY

2 · WHO WOULD HELP WITH YOUR MOVE OR NEW LIFE HERE?

YOUR PUTNAM COUNTY CONNECTIONS

Only the professionals you selected.

Select at least one help category above.

Your active county matches will appear here and will be included when you print or save this page.

Paid placement disclosure: Participating businesses pay for category placement. Only active real advertisers—not fictional demonstrations—can enter a visitor's printed report. Placement does not change 1stFlorida editorial information, county comparisons or report results. Verify credentials, terms and fit independently before hiring any professional.

NEXT BEST STEP · Turn the scouting trip into a decision

Record what each lodging base taught you.

Update the working plan while the routes, neighborhoods and ordinary-life observations are still fresh. Move into the complete checklist only after a county has earned the decision.

CONTINUE YOUR 1STFLORIDA JOURNEYUpdate the Moving WorksheetSave routes, dates and observations →

ALSO USEFUL HERERe-Compare the CountiesRe-score the finalists after the visit →Open the 51-Item ChecklistBegin execution after choosing the county →