Oak Grove Park and Cottages

FYI: We were told by CG office staff that there is NO WEEKLY RATE, only daily or monthly rates and that this has been so for a few years, so the rate info above is not completely correct. We have a regular RV site (not waterfront) and it is $23 a day. Also, effective Sep 20, 2016 you cannot reserve a site by calling the phone number listed above. ALL reservations must now be made through 1-877-628-9233 or www.dodlodging.net. If you are trying to reserve a site the same day as arrival, they will transfer you back to the CG office (but won't give you the direct number). Make sure you have the agent stay on the line until the transfer goes through however, as we were hung up on twice before it worked. Now for our review: This is our first visit to this particular campground in our RV and we are pleased so far. The office staff and the camp host are pleasant and helpful. The sites are close, but not overly so, and we had no problem parking our 34' motorhome and our toad on our site. The pads are large concrete pads and we have full hookups. The WiFi works well, the digital cable is also great. The laundry room has many front-load washers and dryers and is very clean, as is the bathroom. There aren't a lot of activities on base compared to some other CGs used by snowbirds (like Key West, for example) but there is a very nice theater just a few miles drive or bicycle ride away, and there is the Navy Aviation Museum and Pensacola Light house within walking distance. There is a also a nice paved bike and walking trail right at the CG entrance, and non-paved hiking or walking trails all around. And of course, the beach is within a short walking distance of the CG, with some sites having a bit of a view of the water. The beach is beautiful, with white sands and clear water. No swimming is allowed right off the CG area, but you can swim further down the beach within walking distance. We saw a 3-4 ft shark as well as moon and pink meanie jellyfish in ankle deep water, so be aware and watch where you step if you stroll barefoot in the water. All in all, a great place to relax!

Looks like a great park! I say 'looks like' because we spent most of our two days there either inside our RV or at the Naval Air Museum thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Patricia that had 40+mph sustained winds and seriously heavy rains. We drove around the facility on our way to the NEX/Commissary a few miles away at Corry Field (Deb at the office gave us a map and helped us with extending our reservation an extra night). I'll agree with the other reviewers comments regarding poor signage - especially at night and in the rain! That said, once you have an idea where you are going (or have a good GPS app) you can get around easily. We arrived at the main gate as the back gate is only open limited hours. We didn't use the facilities due to the weather, but they looked good from a distance. Utilities worked fine, although we did lose power at the museum for an hour during the storm (uncertain if it affected the campground, but probably did), water pressure was fine as was the cable TV service (to windy for me to put out our Dish). We certainly look forward to coming back, just keep in mind you can't reason with hurricane season.

Our second stay to visit our daughter who is in training here. Weather a bit cooler but one of our favorite campgrounds. This time with fall temps the water is nearly crystal clear, such a change from the summer brown. Camp hostess Deb came to our rescue and recommended Blue Angel Tire and Automotive out the back gate for us. We needed some repairs on the RV and they took us right in on a Monday morning. Doesn't get any better than that. Such a pleasure to have a laundry where all the machines are in working order and a change machine. Rest rooms are kept clean too. We camped in a 32' motorhome with tow dolly and car.

First time staying at Oak Grove and it won't be our last. Sites are a bit tight, but the bathroom and laundry facilities are very good and cleaned twice a day. The staff and Camp host's Frank and Deb were awesome to meet and work with. Saturday was grill and karaoke night and we all had lots of fun. Short walking distance to the beach as others have stated. Signage could be better locating the campground entrance which we passed first time and just happen to see campers behind the trees. Were able to see the Blue Angels practice but want to go back to spend more time on the base visiting the Naval Aviation Museum, the Redoubt, and Fort Barrancas. Beautiful location, the only downside we experienced has been true anywhere along the gulf is that a lot of trash washes up and the water a brown tint.