(Cover photo: State Archives of Florida)

With expansion of highways and a renewed lust for getting into the great outdoors, camping saw exponential growth in the 1960s and 1970s. And Florida was right in the midst of the boom. With these years arrived new innovations in camping, an enormous expansion of trails and campgrounds, and of course Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground.

the no-sweat sixties

This decade brought innovation. Lighter metal poles replaced the wooden frames of the heavy canvass tents of days gone by. Development of highways across America and Florida made access to remote areas much easier. Also, during this time, the Winnebago began mass production of the motorhome, making it more affordable for the working family.  (Reserve America)

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (below), was established in 1963 in the Florida Keys. It includes an under-the-water snorkeling park, the first of its kind in the United States. Pop-up campers, such as this one, also first came on the market in the mid 1960s.

While the Coleman two-burner stove has been a mainstay of camping since the 1940s, its market shifted to include family camping in Florida in the 1960s. While Fanning Springs in northern Florida (below) did not become a state park until the 1990s, it was a popular recreation area throughout the 20th century.

In 1966, Florida began the development of a nature trail, which now spans the state from Pensacola to Miami.  It was inspired by the Appalachian Trail, and has been developed over the decades by thousands of volunteers.

Motorhome sales tripled in America from 1961-1966, while the sales of travel trailers tripled (Orlando Sentinel, 1966).  Airstreams were popular, and were often sold at a regular car dealership like the one pictured below in Tallahassee, Florida. A 1967 Airstream Tradewinds retailed at around $6500 in 1967.

See America First campaign prompted both young and retirees to make long trips across the United States. Florida’s beaches (below) were a popular destination.

Fish camps were an important destination in Florida throughout the middle of the 20th century, but reflected the increasingly kitschy culture by the 1960s.  In one case, A Hawaiian couple moved to Florida, and purchased land on the Withlacoochee River in Inverness, naming it the Aloha Lodge.  Today, it is Riverside Campground and RV Park.

family camping seventies style

In the 1970s, Florida camping became as much of a part of family life as The Brady Bunch.  Camping became increasingly more luxurious, with investors building campgrounds with water and electricity. In 1961, there were only six private campgrounds in Florida.  By 1971, that number climbed to 660 (Orlando Sentinel, 1971).

Florida had more private campgrounds than any other state (Orlando Sentinel, 1971), and franchises, such as KOA, began rapid expansion.

A form of glamping began to take hold, with some RV resorts offering fresh-cooked meal delivery and housekeeping services.  Jack Foster, president of Pioneer Parks, explained “the song of the mockingbird is no less lovely because you’ve dined on a well-cooked meal instead of a warmed-up can of beans.”

During this time, tent campers began to be seen as second-class, as they were perceived to provide little economically to campgrounds. According to a September 1971 article in the Orlando Sentinel, the initial plan was for tents to be forbidden at Disney’s Fort Wilderness.

By 1973, nearly every one in six families in America had some sort of camper. Approximately 1,000 new campgrounds were added annually in the United States and Canada. Campgrounds became a way to not only seek out a more pristine, less-polluted America, but as a way to make new friends.

By the early 1970s Bahia Honda’s campsites were sold out for the Christmas holidays by July (below). Bahia Honda is in the Florida Keys.

In November 1971, Fort Wilderness opened at the Walt Disney World resort with the Orlando Sentinel calling it “ultra modern.” The newspaper suggested that its motivation in opening was to lure guests from many other Central Florida campgrounds to Disney World. Nevertheless, the paper surmised that people would not “spend an entire vacation within Mickey and Pluto’s confines.” (November 21, 1971). Instead, a vacation would include a couple of day’s at Disney, along with time at Florida beaches and rivers.

A 1972 article in the Orlando Sentinel described the “Pioneer Woman of the 70s” as one who enjoyed modern camping amenities of color television, air-conditioning, foam mattresses, and “shag carpeting.” However, in spite of an electric stove and modern appliances, she often still enjoyed serving the family with food prepared over an open fire or outdoor grill.

In 1979, Florida campgrounds experienced a more than 25 percent drop in bookings due to rising prices and shortages of gas, leading campground owners to increase rentals of park models and cabins (Orlando Sentinel, 1979).

Related: Forgotten RV Cooking & Camping Hacks That Your Grandma Rocked in the 70s