Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo

I truly don’t even know where to begin, but here goes. I’ve been wanting to visit River Ranch for so long and we finally booked a camping trip that did not disappoint. Wow we had so much fun! If you’re a Florida resident or traveler, make your way to River Ranch, here are the details!

River Ranch is located on the west bank of the Kissimmee River in Polk County off of State Road 60. Here you’re able to visit the dude ranch and experience old untouched Florida in some really special ways. I found this article interesting where you can learn a little about the history of River Ranch.

River Ranch also has a property owners association which was fun to see the full time & seasonal residents enjoying the good life amongst the visitors. There is even a non-denominational chapel (which appeared to be a full house on Sunday), a post office, gym, general store & restaurants on the property.

All of the main areas you would visit as a traveler are accessible by car, foot or golf cart. This golf cart community offers golf carts for rental during your stay or feel free to bring your own. Also, I highly suggest pre-planning your trip and making all reservations prior to your arrival as things do sell out, especially if your travel is during the holidays.

River Ranch is a very beautiful & well maintained property; you’ll find herds of cattle, buffalo and horses roaming around. River Ranch is picturesque of a cowboy themed ranch so pack up your cowboy boots and hat and prepare for a photo shoot! That of which I did not, but will next time, haha.

Camping

Our camping experience at River Ranch was much different that our camping experience at King’s Landing however was a very enjoyable experience. The wash room was bigger and of more convenience which is always nice for the domesticated traveler. Rather than hearing the nocturnal animals come out after sunset, here you’ll hear a symphony of quality family time.

River Ranch is very family friendly/oriented. One of my favorite parts of camping was that we didn’t get bit my mosquitoes. I’m assuming they spray the grounds because we didn’t even have to wear bug spray. Also, the stars at night were remarkable; you could see all the constellations.

Now it’s important to know all of your camping options for River Ranch, you can visit this link to check that out. We personally did tent camping with our own set-up but I love the many options of camping they offer from platform camping to glamping.

Each of the camping options have their own designated sites however the tent, platform tent & RV campgrounds are on the same site. It would behoove you to get there early to stake out the best spot. There are areas nestled under large trees and spots in the wide open. We arrived on a Saturday during spring break so all the shaded spots were taken.

Activities

There are a plethora of activities at River Ranch which you can find here. Remember, you’ll want to book your activities in advance. We went to the rodeo which is only on Saturday nights. It was so much fun but seating is first come first serve and they fill up fast! So be there right when they open the gates. I love that they prayed before the rodeo began, giving God all the glory. It’s important for our kids to be involved in activities that put God first, so this was an unexpected and welcomed contribution.

We did some free activities like cane pole fishing in the catch and release pond and the petting zoo and we pre-booked/paid in advance for our airboat and swamp buggy ride. The air boat ride was up and down a portion of the beautiful Kissimmee River where we saw some gators and birds.

The swamp buggy ride was on a trail at River Ranch where we saw birds, turtles, gators, cattle and horses. The scenery reminiscent of what Florida looked like before settlers. I definitely recommend all of these activities! We will absolutely be back to tackle some more adventure.

While at River Ranch we were able to meet up with some old friends of ours from our hometown. They have a retirement home at RR where they stay on the weekends and holidays. They’ve been married for 50 years and mentioned something that stuck with me.

Abel said that camping makes a family stronger. It’s where you get the opportunity to work together, rely on one another and bond in ways that you wouldn’t otherwise. And it’s true. Our families first official camping trip brought out the best in all of us in an unexpected way. Have you had that same experience? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks for reading, before you go check out more family friendly travel ideas in Florida, here.