Peace River Oaks — Hotel in Bartow

The campground is very nice and the restrooms are very nice, we came all the way here from Ocala Fl to ride our ATVS in their trails, this is where we ended up having an issue, first off the website is very miss leading shows pictures of sunset and muddy ATVS and says 70 acres of trails, it’s one trail one way very dusty can’t even see the river from it and it’s all most 2.5miles total you see the trail you already traveled while in the trail. Only way to see the river is down the hiking trail to oxbow which is very high up so can’t get close to the river from there. They don’t tell you until you’re in the process of purchasing the passes to ride you must surrender your personal ATVS to their parking lot where they keep theirs and they don’t lock them up. Then make you sign all these wavers stating they are not responsible for your ATVS that they leave you no choice but to park there. I even asked if I could trailer them to the trail and trailer them back to my side and leave them in the trailer he said zero tolerance if at his park must go in that gate. It’s nice if you have a beginner rider or something along those lines, we found out they basically named their park the same as the one we thought this was peace river campground in Arcadia 45 mins up the road, that’s what we thought this was and with the misleading info on their website we thought it was the right place. Once we realized what happened we went to the office and explained it to them and showed him their own website and was told sorry but our policy is 3 weeks out to cancel or 2 weeks sacrificing half. We ended up leaving after 1 day and going to the proper place and enjoyed time in the river and trails but had to pay for a second campsite. Again place is nice but to do the activities they offer expect to spend a lot, the fossil find 125.00 ea or 150.00ea we asked the desk if we could access the river without guid and was declined the opportunity. Place is beautiful and relaxing if that’s all you want but the rest just didn’t seem worth it and I have over $30,000.00 in ATVS I didn’t feel right leaving them unlocked outside of my trailer when I had a trailer I didn’t understand why I couldn’t leave them in my trailer at night. They said incase we ride through the park, no intentions in that happy to load and unload right there as needed but...

Maybe a little too good to be true?

Peace River Oaks (Resort) is a new facility. It has a freshly paved camping loop and campsites. It has wifi connections. There are 100 AMP breaker boxes with sewer at every site. The campsites are open with little privacy. There are oaks but about half of the sites are very sunny. Glamping tents are available as well. There are some other amenities such as games, movie nights, a hay ride, and a rustic playground with a zipline for younger kids. There are 5 atvs, 1 side by side and canoe trips for rent. The trail for atvs is nicely manicured and there is a separate trail for bikers and walkers. Both trails appear to be around 3 miles in length. The canoe trips also offers a shuttle. My family stayed in a 5th wheel on a campsite and we have ebikes, 2 dogs and grandgirls, 6 and 9. We did the canoe trip for 1 hour but not the atvs. Sounds great? It's a nice place BUT...micromanage much? They should put the "rules" on thier website. They have quite a few. Most weren't followed. Speed limit is posted at 15mph but "rules" say 5mph? No dog pens? Several dog pens...You can only use the firewood they sell, no outside wood and no gas fire pits. No lights on the outside of your camper because light could disturb people?????This place is lit up like Fort Knox. They have MANY street lights. I can't make this up. But wait...we got a "rule" made for us while we were there. BUCKET LIST CHECK OFF....no sidewalk chalk. Pictures included. We were there for 3 nights, 4 days. We chalked the pavement up 3 hours after we got there after the 15th or 20th time the little teeny popper on the 6 passenger side by side went by while texting on her cell phone. We use chalk often when camping to let drivers know we have kids here and at play. As you can see it says "kids". The management came out and asked us to tone it down with the chalk?? I was quite snipity. They were quite petty. I watched 25-30 people over the course of 4 days hopscotch on our hopscotch boards. It was unfortunate that they had to put such a bad taste in my mouth about thier place. I don't mind simple rules, especially in regaurd to safety and noise. Enforce those. Don't yuck...

I’m so excited that the Peace River finally has a dream camp ground. The entire staff is fantastic. Special shout out to Daniel and Maria. Beautiful people with big hearts and endless kindness. The glamping tents are every kids(both old and young)fantasy! Every detail has been taken into consideration. You can tell that this is a passion project for the owner. I arrived after hours and Daniel gave me clear directions on how to find my spot. Found it on my first try. The paths are lit and tents clearly marked. The have carts to bring all of your belongings to the tent. I pre ordered fire wood and it was waiting right next to my fire pit. I cooked dinner on the gas grill while watching the beautiful Peace River flow by. Each tent has its own bathroom with shower. The path to it is lit and they provide a lantern to walk with if you wish. The key to your tent also opens your personal bathroom that is under a minute to walk to. The tent had three beds, table with four chairs, lights, AC, mini fridge and microwave. We ate both indoors and out on our picnic table. An owl visited us. Then we went In the river to fossil hunt. They have a wonderful area to launch your boat. You can also rent a canoe (they will pick you up down river) we had our own kayaks and found a megalodon shark tooth, horse tooth, turtle shell, armadillo osteoderm,gator teeth, mastodon tooth fragments, and hundreds of smaller shark teeth. All of this was found only half hour paddle down river. When we paddled back a band was playing great music then we heard a bell ring. Curious we walked over to find out that for $15 you could buy fresh BBQ with a drink. Hefty portion and delicious. I got the brisket with Mac and cheese and baked beans. The whole campground is gorgeous. I wish I lived there. After dinner they were going to project a movie on the screen. They have a camp store and an area in a tent to hang out with TVs and a video game. There is even an area to buy ice cream. They thought of every detail and I can’t wait to go back. Thank you SO much for these beautiful...