Ruskin, FL - EG Simmons SP - 01/08/18

January 8, 2018 – Monday
EG Simmons County Park
Ruskin, Florida

We enjoyed our visit to Cedar Key, Florida over the weekend. We had our obligatory “World Famous Clam Chowder” at Tony's Seafood Restaurant (one of our favorite places here). We visited one of the local fish shops and purchased some fresh fish to make fish tacos (they were so good – no leftovers!).

We travel further south, following the gulf coast, to EG Simmons County Park in Ruskin, Florida. Fortunately, all campsites are first-come-first-serve and we had no problem selecting one to our liking from several available.

There are two campgrounds at EG Simmons County Park: East and West. We prefer the more spacious campsites in the East Campground.

EG Simmons County Park is close to Sarasota (39 miles) to the south and Tampa (29 miles) to the north which is an easy drive to visit both places. In Sarasota we enjoy visiting the Ringling Brothers Circus. In Tampa we enjoy visiting Ybor City and dining at the many fine Cuban resturants that encompass this area.

Just a short drive north of EG Simmons County Park, seven miles on US-41, is the Manatee Viewing Center (6990 Dickman Rd, Apollo Beach, FL). It is located just south of the Teco Big Bend Power Station. Manatees hang out along the warm water discharge canal from the power station when the Tampa Bay water gets too cold. The viewing season runs from November 1 to April 15, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

There are sometimes sand flies (no see ums) at EG Simmons County Park. They are a family of tiny biting flies that can be quite pesty at times. They are often just as much of a pest as mosquitoes. They are attracted to carbon dioxide, therefore, CO2 mosquito traps can be used to attract and kill them. We have found Avon Skin-So-Soft to be an effective deterrent to these tiny pests. Fortunately, on this visit we did not encounter a problem with them.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Travel Details:
Departed: Cedar Keys, FL
Departure Time: 10:40 am
Arrived: Ruskin, FL
Arrival Time: 2:20 pm
Miles traveled: 160

Campground: EG Simmons
Type: County Park
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.73900 N
Longitude: 088.46600 W

Camping Daily Fee: $18.00 (includes small discounts for seniors)
Campsite: 76 – East Campground
Campsite Hookups: Electric and Wate
Campground Amenities:
Flush Toilets, Hot showers, Water Spigots, Trash Dumpster, Sewer Dump

Verizon Cellular Service: 4G-2 Bars
Verizon Internet Service: 4G-2 Bars (JetPack)
Dish TV Satellite Service: Excellent