Go camping in the wilds off of Weeki Wachee

Get a taste of old Florida in Weeki Wachee

FOX 13 photojournalist Jason Wright shows us a hideout on Florida?s Nature Coast ? one that takes you off the grid and into the wild.

WEEKI WACHEE, Fla - In the wilds west of Weeki Wachee, the Mud River is a highway to an escape from city life and the grind of everyday work.

To experience the Nature Coast first-hand, there’s nothing quite like spending the night under the stars without the intrusion of city lights. You can do that with Bayport Airboat Tours as they offer a camping experience that is truly off the grid. 

The backstory:

Captain Carey Gibson is a native Floridian who has been navigating these waters for over two decades. He knows the inlets and swamps like the back of his hand, so when a remote island became available for sale, he jumped at the chance to create a cabin in the wild. 

"Once here and looking around, we thought, why don’t we put a little place out here that we can bring people to," said Gibson, "People can experience the ‘real’ Florida here on the Nature Coast."

Mind you, there are no roads leading to and from the area, and there’s no access other than by boat. So Captain Gibson and his crew created an escape from the ground up.

"We have two small cabins that can accommodate about 5 people," he shared.

The structures are like a beach cabin. There’s a boardwalk leading to the front door. The kitchen is an outdoor cooking space complete with a seating area to take in the sunset. There is a generator to provide power for lighting and other electrical needs on site, but the real selling point is the venue itself. 

"Being born and raised here, this is kind of an everyday thing for us," said Gibson, "There’s so many people out there that don’t even have an idea of what’s truly out here."

Once settled in, campers can experience all sorts of outdoor Florida activities.

"For weekend adventures, we have all kinds of things we can do here," said Gibson.

Fishing

The obvious one is fishing, and there’s no better place to go fishing than the places where no one else goes. 

They offer duck hunting when the season is open here in Florida.

Then there’s night gigging. They will take the adventurer out after dark to spear fish in the shallow waters. It’s a great way to catch flounder as they move into the shallows to feed overnight.

Night Gigging

"The beauty of what we have here on the coastline is unmatched by any place I’ve ever been," admitted Gibson, "Our whole goal here is to get people out into the outdoors." 

What's next:

If you would like to get outdoors with Captain Carey Gibson’s crew, you can learn more about Bayport Airboat Tours and their camping option that’s available on their website here.