This used to be a very nice campground but now it's starting to get run down and it seems the Navy doesn't want to put any money into it. Almost 3 yrs ago Hurricane Sally hit the area and caused a lot of damage. Aside from clearing tree debris and such, it seems not much else has been done. Of course, they had to clear the debris, they wouldn't be able to make any money had they not. But they covered the entrance/gate shack with a blue tarp and also the large red bath house in the Battleship row. The three years has taken its toll on the tarps and they have shredded and pretty much blown off the roofs. The camp store is only open on the weekends and the A/C in the nice bath house in Battleship row has a weak A/C system. And get this, the large red bathhouse in Battleship row has no A/C at all. It's broken and I didn't see any repairmen work on it the entire time I was there! To top all this off, they raised their rates by about 30% last spring! Sigh....
We stayed here for five days while we explored the Pensacola/Gulf Shores area. It's a great park with full hookups, a playground, boat and kayak rentals, wooded walking trails and even a Frisbee gold course. The campground was easy to access as it is not on the base proper. We made reservations in February for an April stay. I think this is the time when most of the snowbirds start heading north. Check in was easy, the camp host met us at the entrance and gave us a choice of several sites. We picked site 71, a small pull through in the Battleship Row section. All sites in this section are concrete pads. The roads are asphalt and easy to navigate. The park is very well managed. We did not use the shower/bathroom facilities, but I did find them to be clean and in good repair. Garbage dumpsters were emptied twice in our short stay. Overflowing dumpsters are a problem with many campgrounds, but not here. We camped at Blue Angel Naval Recreation Area in a Travel Trailer. Historical Note: The large boat ramps you can see in the pictures, which are adjacent to the campground are seaplane ramps from the decommissioned NAAS Bronson Field, which once stood on this site. The base was opened in 1942 and last saw active use in 1967. During the war, it was a training base for dive bombers, fighters, and seaplanes. According to Wikipedia, Ted Williams trained here. Pretty cool for a campground!
Loved it here. Some of the buildings and beach area stuff seemed a little run down. Great showers, but vents were not working and it was like a sauna in them, and a nice laundry room. Level pads, great hookups, nice space between rvs, and quite a few trees for shade. Located some ways from NAS services, so need vehicle to get to the nice NEX, Commissary at Corry Station and a great Beach on Pensacola NAS. The park's beach is an inlet area, water a lot more brackish, and lots of dead jellyfish when we were there. The Light House and National Naval Aviation Air Museum on the NAS is a must for any visitors. When in town the Blue Angels practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lot's more to see, but the grandkids drove our trip. Definitely would stay here again.
This famcamp is always full when we come to Florida. This time we were able to secure 6 nights on Battleship row. A very nice campground by the waterfront with good utilities and facilities. The NEX and Commissary are a drive as the base is spread out over a large area. Reservations are a must for an extended stay in any famcamps in Florida in the wintertime. We will stay here again.
NOTE: Per 16 Jul 2020 memo by SECDEF Mark Esper, no political flags or signage apart from the American flag may be flown or displayed in common areas or public spaces on DOD properties. Installation commanders are increasingly enforcing this directive to keep peace in famcamps across the country.
Great location and very nice in the Battleship Row section. The other section is more wooded and less pavement. Lots to do in the RV park and surrounding area. Very nice laundry and bath facilities too.
We found this to be a very quiet place. Most of the people there were retired military so there were few children except for Thanksgiving weekend. The sites are large. You can make a reservations but you cannot reserve a site. You just drive around until you find one you like. We travel with 3 dogs so we chose one on the back row. We also have a toy hauler so we were able to have the deck down the whole time. There is lots to do here but no mini golf anymore. The main base is a great place to visit with the Lighthouse and Aircraft museum. If you are going t the museum plan on a whole day. It is huge. It has a food court and movie theater. There is a shopping mall at Corry Station. Lots to do there, commissary, Exchange, package store, gas station, a place to work on your car/truck and so much more. We will be back next year!!
Battleship Row. We stayed here in a 44' 5th wheel toy hauler. The first thing you notice about the campground is that there is no litter or trash, anywhere. Roads in campground are paved and wide to allow easy access/backing for even the biggest rigs. Sites, in general, are large, level concrete pads with good utility connections and with plenty of space between them. Grounds and landscaping are well maintained. We picked a site along the eastern boundary of the campground and it offered a great deal of privacy along the sides and back. Did not use the bath house or laundry but noted the facilities were clean and in good condition. No WiFi but T-Mobile 5G was 4 bars. This was our first snowbird trip and very glad we were able to get a site here. About %75 - %25 mix of long term (>30 days) and short term campers. Learned a lot from many of the veteran snowbirds here. Welcome Center staff was very helpful and check-in process was quick and informative. They even offer instructions on having your mail/packages sent to you while here, a valuable benefit this time of year. Not sure why a previous reviewer complained about blocking traffic at the entrance, clear directions for RVs to park off to the side to allow others to pass. Disc Golf courses are open and busy on weekends, marina and mini camp store were open and offered ice and propane. Mini golf course was being demolished but all other recreation facilities, including the biking and hiking trails were in good shape. Grocery store just about a mile from the gate, NEX, Package Store, Naval Hospital and VA a few miles further down the main road (US98) at Corry Station. Close to NAS, Gulf Islands National Seashore and lots of regional historic spots. All in all, Battleship Row provides an outstanding experience, especially for the price, for short term or long term residents. To clarify, current rules are that the maximum stay is 90 days after which time you must vacate the area (including Anchor Cove and Oak Grove campgrounds) for 60 days unless a waiver is approved.
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