Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Battleship Row, Pensacola, Florida (May 2026)

Our next camping trip of the season was to the Pensacola Naval Air Station’s Blue Angels FamCamp.  There are two separate camping areas in this park. Anchor Cove is more rustic and some sites are very close to the bay. Battleship Row has paved sites with full utilities. Since we planned to stay at this campground for a couple of weeks, we reserved a site in Battleship Row for Rosie, our Airstream trailer.

Battleship Row at Pensacola Naval
Air Station's Blue Angels FamCamp

Reservations used to be similar to a hunting license. Individual sites were not reserved and you simply hunted for the best spot available.

Things are different now. You make reservations for Battleship Row or Anchor Cove and the office assigns your specific site a day to two before you arrive. We felt like we won the lottery when we checked in because our site was on the front row overlooking Perdido Bay.

Sign directing us to Battleship Row

Our site "on the front row!"

It looked like an Airstream convention on the front row as we were the third Airstream there when we arrived. In fact, our site was next to another Airstream trailer. We enjoyed talking to our Airstream neighbors. He recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps and his family was living full-time in their 30 foot Airstream trailer. To make that couple more interesting, they had six children living with them in that small space. We guessed the oldest child was 10-12 years old and the youngest was barely one year-old. We could not imagine how eight people lived in that small space. 

Half of the neighbors children outside
during the presentation of "Colors" 

To the parent's credit, all six of the children appeared to be well behaved and helped with the chores around the campsite. 

Rosie on Battleship Row

We had about three days of rain while camping in this park. We had projects to keep us busy. I wondered how our neighbors kept their children entertained during the prolonged rain periods. 

We normally see deer when camping in this FamCamp and we were not disappointed this time. In addition to deer, we saw raccoons, dolphins in the bay and baby herons in their nest near Anchor Cove. 

Raccoon in a tree near the trash dumpster

Heron nest

Baby heron bird in the nest

We always enjoy visiting Johnson Beach while camping at this FamCamp. The beach was beautiful and we enjoyed being there. 

Entrance to Johnson Beach

Boardwalk to the shore

Becky along the Gulf of Mexico

He is probably dreaming about the fish he can eat

No trip to Pensacola Naval Air Station is
completed without a fly-by from the Blue Angels

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were two campgrounds (Battleship Row and Anchor Cove) and multiple loops in each campground

• Our site was a back in

• Our site had shade

• Most sites had some space on both sides

• Our site was paved with asphalt with a concrete pad. This site was level.

• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 

• Our site had a water connection

• Our site had a sewer connection 

• The trash dumpsters were near the two laundry buildings in both campgrounds 

• There was a bathhouse in the campground 

• The park did not provide WiFi service 

• AT&T provided 2 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 

• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Antenna-TV, Bounce, Charge, Comet, Court-TV, Cozi, Dabl, Grit, ION, LAFF, ME-TV, Outlaw and Rewind

• There were restaurants and shopping nearby

• This was a pet friendly park 

Sunset along Perdido Bay

A break in the rain clouds

Selfie along the many trails in this campground

Selfie along Perdidio Bay

We found a battleship that was once part of a
putt-putt course. A hurricane destroyed that course.

Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground (U.S. Military FamCamp) Destin, Florida (March 2026)

There is always a great deal of excitement surrounding the start of a new camping season. There was more anticipation this year as it started our 15th camping season with Rosie, our Airstream trailer. Of course, we had nine camping seasons in our original 2007 Airstream Safari and five in our 2020 Airstream Flying Cloud. Fortunately, both of our Airstream trailers answer to the name Rosie.

After a long and very cold winter, we looked forward to heading to the Florida Gulf Coast beaches during "Spring Break" season. "Spring Break" is a family tradition because we spent many years tent camping in Port St Joseph Peninsula State Park during March in the days before Rosie. One of goals was to avoid the college students and Port St Joe was far enough from Panama City Beach to accomplish that goal.

We continued to camp in Port St Joe State Park in Rosie during “Spring Break” until the park closed due to hurricane damage. When it reopened, it was virtually impossible to get a reservation there unless you were a Florida resident because the State changed the reservation rules.

That started us looking at other options. Of course, there are private campgrounds near where we wanted to be, but most of these parks were expensive and their sites tend to be too close to each other. 

Another option open to us was the half dozen military FamCamps in the Florida panhandle. We are grateful that we qualify to camp in them and this turned out to be a great alternative to state parks.

Our new tradition is to make reservations in the Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground. While it is hard to get reservations there, it is not impossible.

It was exciting going to the storage area where we keep Rosie to start getting ready for our new camping season until we found a problem. 

We knew one of our propane tanks was probably very low on fuel. I inspected the tank and tried to use the regulator to switch tanks. The knob fell off in my hand and Becky started smelling gas. We had a problem!

We had used the service department at Alabama RV Service and Storage in Wetumpka, Alabama several times in the past for non-Airstream issues. We called and they said they would squeeze us in the following week. We must have sounded desperate as we told them we planned to leave before then and really needed someone to help us. The service person asked if we could have Rosie there in 90 minutes. We said we could.

Heading to the service center

We immediately raced home to put the hitch on our truck and returned to the storage area to quickly hitch-up and pulled out heading to Wetumpka. We arrived there with a few minutes to spare. We planned to be there for a few hours, but they finished about 30 minutes later.

It was a good thing that we took Rosie to the service center when we did because one of hoses from the regulator to the LP gas tank was also leaking. They replaced both hoses as a safety precaution and topped off the tanks. 

We took Rosie back to the storage facility after our brief and unplanned visit to the service center and continued to prepare for our upcoming trip. 

The weather changed on our travel day to cold, windy and rainy.  It didn’t take long to get on our way for our first camping trip of the year.

The last time we drove to Destin, our truck misread one of the signs for Florida Highway 85 and moved our cruise-control from a comfortable 55 to 85 mph. It happened again on this trip, but we were ready for it and quickly reset the speed.  

Water tower we pass heading to the Destin Army FamCamp

Check-in was quick and we were able to park without any problems. Most of the sites in this campground are "tight" and we were thankful that we didn't have to ask our neighbors to move their trucks. 

The Destin Army FamCamp

Rosie in the Destin Army FamCamp

We were the third Airstream trailer in the camping area when we arrived. A fourth Airstream trailer arrived a few days after us.

The weather cooperated during our visit. The first few days were on the cool side then it warmed up for the remainder of our time there. 

This is an excellent park to enjoy the colorful sunsets. It is normally hard to find an empty chair and benches along the bay during sunset. 

Sunset at Destin Army FamCamp

Sunset view from the Splash Pad for children

Sunset over the pier at Destin Army FamCamp

Another benefit we enjoy while at this campground is beach access. It takes less than 10 minutes to drive to a public beach along the Gulf of Mexico. The water in both the Gulf and the Bay was beautiful.

Dancing along the shore to Glen Miller's 
"In the Mood," as suggested by our granddaughter 

Enjoying walking in the surf 

We had some entertainment while at this campground. Our neighbors directly across the street from us quickly tore down their site and hitched up to move to another site. About five minutes later, another trailer backed into that site and set up for a visit. We learned later that the original family at that site misread their reservations and thought they had an additional day. They were fortunate that the FamCamp had an additional site open for that night. I'm surprised I haven't made a similar mistake while camping somewhere. 

Rosie in the campground area

We heard the jets from Eglin Air Force Base more than usual. That probably reflected the world situation at that time. 

An added bonus was that we attended a birthday party for a one year-old boy. We got to know the child's parents, who were the campground weekend hosts. We were glad to share in their joy.  

One of our frequent sayings while in this FamCamp was that we missed our bikes. We did go on several long walks along the Bay. Still, we missed our bikes. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• We found one loop in this campground
• Our site was a back in
• Our site had some shade
• Most sites had very little space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt and concrete
• Our site was slightly off level and we needed use our leveling tools
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The trash dumpster was at the entrance of the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. It was very clean 
• There was a laundry room in this campground 
• The park provide WiFi service. It was slow and worked best before 7 a.m. 
• AT&T provided 3 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch CBS, CW, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were ION, ME-TV, Movies
• The FamCamp provided a cable TV connection. We normally use the antenna and skip the cable connection.  
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Selfie with Suzy

Sitting on a bench to watch sunset

Pelican fly-by

The pier

Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Battleship Row, Pensacola, Florida (November 2025)

We wanted to squeeze one more camping trip in before having to winterize Rosie, our Airstream trailer. Once again, Becky wanted to head south to the Gulf coast. 

We first tried to get reservations in Big Lagoon State Park and were surprised to learn their campground closed nearly a year ago for renovations. We camped there after Hurricane Sally hit in 2020. Both the park and the campground suffered major damage from that storm. We are glad the State of Florida is working to improve the park.

I called a military FamCamp in Pensacola next. We were able to reserve two weeks on Battleship Row at the Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area. We always enjoy being at this campground.

In the past, we had to search for an open site once we arrived at the park. This time was different in that we were assigned a site when we arrived. I asked the person who assigned our site how the new system was working. She said it was fifty-fifty between those who disliked it and those who really disliked it.

Road sign for the Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area

Sign directing visitors to Battleship Row or Anchor Cove 

Battleship Row

Rosie in our site on Battleship Row

We watched several RVs back into their assigned spaces that appeared to be too small for their oversized rigs. One across from Rosie missed hitting a light post by what appeared to be a few inches. The new assigned parking system seems to be giving arriving campers something to talk about. 

Mobile (Alabama) was 90 minutes away from Battleship Row. That allowed us to travel there for our grandson’s birthday and for Thanksgiving. The FamCamp sponsored a “pot luck” Thanksgiving meal for the campers in the park, which we heard was great.

Thanksgiving with our grandson

Traveling through the I-10 Mobile Bay Tunnel while heading back to Pensacola

Many campsites in the park were decorated for Thanksgiving with lights and blow-up turkeys. That quickly changed over to Christmas decorations, lights and Santas the day after Thanksgiving.

Turkey decorations for Thanksgiving

We made it to Big Lagoon State Park to talk to a Ranger about their campground renovations. I was disappointed to learn they were not adding sewer connections to their campsites. The changes were focused on upgrades to the electrical and water systems.

Selfie from the tower at Big Lagoon State Park

Boardwalk at Big Lagoon State Park

We ate breakfast at Johnson Beach two mornings while camping in Pensacola. Johnson Beach is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We enjoyed walking on the beach.

Enjoying the view at Johnson Beach as we ate breakfast there

The temperatures dropped below freezing two nights while we were there. The heat pumps kept Rosie very cozy inside. 

Cold weather camping in Rosie

We noticed an abnormal number of "boat ramps" in this U.S. Navy FamCamp. I asked the camp host if this had been used to train pilots for boat planes. The camp host confirmed that most Navy flying boat pilots during World War II received their flight training here. He added that John Wayne starred in a movie filmed at that base called "The Wings of Eagles." I was able to find the trailer for that movie and was surprised at the number of buildings that used to be in what is now the campground. 

The large concrete pad with airplane tie-downs in front or Battleship Row

One of the many "boat launches: in this campground

We did notice a potential electrical problem one cold night. Rosie's batteries were down to a 30 percent charge. Normally, I look for a Navy Chief when facing a problem with our Airstream while in a military FamCamp. Past experience has shown that they can diagnose and fix anything. I could not find a Navy Chief, but a retired Navy pilot was about four spaces from us and he was willing to help. He also had an Airstream trailer and loved talking about how he did most maintenance on his trailer. 

Suzy ignoring the sign

Suzy in the playground area

We were able to determine that we had a "real" electrical problem with Rosie's batteries and that we couldn't ignore it. We called Foley RV in Gulfport, Mississippi and they said they would be able to work on Rosie the next morning. 

We left about 6:30 the next morning headed to Foley RV. We hoped their service department could fix Rosie before noon. 

This was our fourth camping trip of the year since getting the "go ahead" from my physicians after the bike accident. It was wonderful to be out camping again. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were two campgrounds (Battleship Row and Anchor Cove) and multiple loops in each campground
• Our site was a back in
• Our site had shade
• Most sites had some space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt with a concrete pad. We needed to use leveling tools to correct a side-to-side lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The trash dumpsters were near the two laundry buildings in both campgrounds 
• There was a bathhouse in the campground 
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 1 bar of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Antenna-TV, Bounce, Charge, Comet, Court-TV, Cozi, Dabl, Grit, ION, LAFF, ME-TV, Outlaw and Rewind
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Destin, Florida (September 2025)

Our first camping trip since the "bike accident" was a success. We decided we needed to go out again in Rosie, our Airstream trailer.

Becky wanted to see if we could get reservations in a campground along the Florida or Alabama Gulf Coast. Experienced campers know it is always difficult getting reservations in a prime park in that location. Starting the search less than two weeks before wanting to arrive is just about impossible to end successfully.

I had low expectations when I called Destin's Army Infantry Recreation Center. I was surprised when they said they had a "premium" site available for two weeks. Of course, I quickly grabbed that site. More than likely someone cancelled his or her reservations just before I called.

Welcome to Destin

We classify Destin as a top-tier military FamCamp. It is along the Bay in Destin and has the campground along with a hotel and cottages for guests. They also have a great swimming pool and splash pad setup for the children. The fishing pier in this park is well maintained and we enjoy walking out on it. This is a great park and it has some spectacular views of sunsets.

Entrance to the Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground

We had a unique experience with our truck while we pulled Rosie to Destin. Our truck is equipped with the technology allowing it to drive itself. It is better at catching speed limit signs than me. Often times, I'm just another passenger in the truck. 

As we were approaching Fort Walton, I noticed that we were going very fast. We were at 75 mph and accelerating. 

It was easy to figure out what went wrong. The truck misread the sign for Florida Highway 85 as the speed limit and was dutifully trying to reach 85 mph while pulling Rosie when I took over the driving responsibilities from the truck. That was the first time the truck misread a highway sign for a speed limit.

Sites are assigned when you arrive at this FamCamp. By the luck of the draw, we were assigned a site on one of the campground’s curves. That made it easy for us to park Rosie.

Walking around the hotel section of the campground

Walking Suzy in a park near Watercolor, Florida

There was a new gadget in the office area. It was a coffee machine. We enjoyed getting a cup of coffee every morning.

A pirate ship sails past the campground 

Plants in the park 

We were not the only ones enjoying the sunset

We celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary while at this FamCamp. We went out for an authentic Gulf seafood dinner.

Enjoying lunch on our anniversary

A couple we talked to one evening during sunset recommended the Gulfarium, a marine life aquarium and show in Destin. We both enjoyed the exhibits and shows.

Enjoying the show at the Gulf Aquarium

There was a bumper crop of sandspurs in the campground area this time. We had to carefully check Suzy every time we took her out for a walk.

We always enjoyed riding our bikes at this campground on previous visits there. Since the bike accident, our bikes are staying at home. We discovered that we also enjoyed taking walks. Our watches told us we walked more than five miles a couple of days.

We constantly looked for dolphins in the bay or at the beach while at this FamCamp. We saw dolphins on our last day in the bay near the pier.

Rosie in the Destin Army FamCamp

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• We found one loop in this campground
• Our site was a back in
• Our site did not have any shade
• Typical of most FamCamps, most sites had very little space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt and concrete
• Our site was level and we didn’t need use any leveling tools
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The trash dumpster was at the entrance of the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. It was very clean 
• There was a laundry room in this campground 
• The park provide WiFi service. 
• AT&T provided 2 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna
• The FamCamp provided a cable TV connection with more than 80 channels we didn’t want to watch
• The park has a swimming pool and a splash pad for children. The splash pad was closed for repairs 
• This was a military FamCamp. You must have a military ID or a VA Health ID that states you have a service-connected disability to camp in this park
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Enjoying the beach

Another sunset at Destin

Solo pelican flyby