Tucked away under a live oak hammock, where nearby the long horns roam, awaits a compound with style.
"It was kinda cool being out of your comfort zone," says Ava Bozzo.
Yet, for roughing it, there are a lot of creature comforts here.
On the Polk County - Osceola County line, you'll discover a campground that feels more like a hotel.
"We call it Glamping. Glamorous Camping," boasts Ray Duncan, who's known as The Trail Boss at the Westgate River Ranch.
"Folks tell me I am like the Mayor of River Ranch," Ray says with a laugh, while wearing his cowboy hat.
The mayor here, is also the rodeo announcer and pastor of the on-site church. He says the campground is popular, since it features tents complete with beds!
"There are actual beds. They are air mattresses, but they are beds," says Ava's sister Julianna Bozzo of the sleeping conditions.
Inside each tent, find sleeping space for four people. Most tents have one king-sized bed and two twin beds, along with a table, clothes dresser, reading lights, a ceiling fan, a microwave, a refrigerator and a portable air conditioner.
"Flip the A/C on and you're good to go," says Ray like a proud father.
"It's like camping, you get the outdoor experience," says Grace Bozzo of the tent she shared with her mother and two sisters.
Even with the modern conveniences inside, I know what you're thinking: "What do you do when you feel the call of nature, here in the middle of nature?" Leave that to Ava.
"If I have to use the bathroom, I grab the key and go."
Just behind the glampground rests a bath house, where each tent has its own private shower, toilet and sink, complete with towels and soap. And like a hotel, there's even a blow dryer.
"You don't have to find a leaf. You don't have to use any of the Spanish moss out of the trees and getting chiggers," laughs Ray.
Forget about making breakfast on the grill. The campsite has a concierge who hand delivers breakfast at dawn. Inside the breakfast basket lovingly placed inside each tent two hours before checkout, find fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls.
Meals here are family time, because as Ava says, you're phone won't work.
"There is no signal here," she recalls of how mobile uploads to Facebook will have to wait.
After Breakfast you can relax around the tent.
"We played monopoly in our tent and just kinda talked," Ava said of the quality family time.
Yet, here's something to talk about. Activities at River Ranch include horseback riding through the planes of Polk County and through some shady hammocks too. Plus, the farm on-site allows kids of all ages to get close to a wide variety of animals seeking affection.
But you won't sit still for long when a monster school bus roars to life.
Swamp buggies bounce around riders through untouched Florida, the same way cattle drivers from Spain found the land more than 400 years ago.
And when it's all over, you can return to the Glampground and take a nap.
"Would you do this again?" I asked Grace.
"Yeah," she answered. The Trail Boss agrees.
"I want them to leave with the sense of not only reconnecting to nature and seeing what the real Florida is about," Ray concludes.
About this destination
Where: River Ranch, Polk County
Open: 7 days a week with reservation
Average Cost Per Night:
$152 to $170 (depending on season)
Sleeps 4
Address:
3200 River Ranch Boulevard
River Ranch, FL 33867
Phone:
863-692-1321
Parking: Free
Website: westgatedestinations.com/florida/lake-wales/westgate-river-ranch/accommodations/glamping
Accessibility Notes:
The glampground is not paved, rather a natural surface covered by mulch. Each tent site is raised above the ground, and sits on a deck. There are two steps leading to the tent deck. The bathroom complex includes a ramp.
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.804827
Longitude: -81.218316
Latitude: 27° 48' 17.3766"
Longitude: -81° 13' 5.9376"
Drive Times:
From Orlando: 1 hour, 45 minutes
From Tampa: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Tankful on Television
You can catch new Florida on a Tankful stories each Thursday and Saturday on News 13 and Bay News 9. New editions play at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m. Classic Florida on a Tankful stories can be found each Friday and Sunday on Bay News 9 and News 13 at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m.
Tankful on Demand
This story was part of the Florida on a Tankful Summer Road Trip. Catch the 30-minute special with Scott Fais now on Bright House Local On Demand, Channel 999. Use your remote to scroll to the right to the TRAVEL category. Then SCROLL DOWN to TANKFUL.