Florence Marina State Park

5.16.25-5.18.25

Pack your bug spray!

Florence Marina State Park is located in Omaha, GA on the northern portion of Lake Walter F. George (Lake Eufaula). Situated on the Georgia/Alabama state line, this park is known for its fishing and the proximity to Providence Canyon State Park. Florence Marina has 41 full hook-up RV campsites, 7 cottages, and 8 efficiency units. The park has 66 boat slips available to rent at its marina. Other amenities include fish-cleaning stations, boat ramps, a playground, and mini golf. 

Originally we had this trip booked in January, but canceled due to weather conditions. At that time we had one of the best campsites, 24. It is a large pull-thru campsite with no neighbor on the front side of the campsite. There is a large yard to the front of the campsite that would be great for kids and dogs. The campground road does loop around the site, so it’s not private from someone walking or passing by, but all of the campsites seem to be laid out this way.

When switching our reservation we booked campsite 9, another large pull-thru site. The campground host site was to the left of us (behind our camper). Nine was level side to side and had a decent amount of grassy area for kids and dogs to play. We did not feel as though we were right on top of the campsites on either side of us. Many of the other campsites at Florence Marina State Park were too close together for our liking. The sewer connection of one site was located right next to the picnic table of another site. 

We played a round of mini golf ($4 per person) and the employee at the visitors center let us hold onto the club and ball all weekend. That way we were able to play after dinner, even though the trading post had closed at 5 p.m. The trading post is well stocked with snacks, games, t-shirts, RV camper needs, and bait. 

There is little cell service at Florence Marina State Park. AT&T seemed to work better than Verizon. Because we were so close to the state line our phones kept jumping back and forth for the time change. The roads throughout the campground really need to be repaved and the fishing pier located outside the gate was trashed and falling apart. These negatives wouldn’t keep us from camping at the state park, but one thing that might—the bugs.

Florence Marina State Park is located “below the gnat line” (Central and Southern Georgia below Macon and Columbus) Much of it is swampy area too, and the gnats were terrible. They were constantly in the face of our 1-year-old causing him to be pretty miserable outside. Our citronella candles and the campfire in the evening helped to keep them away, but throughout the day I wished we had some relief. We prefer to not cover ourselves in bug spray, but I should have done more research in natural ways to deter them. 

Omaha Brewing

Saturday evening we drove over to Omaha Brewery just 5 miles from the park. We heard they were having a food truck and we didn’t feel like cooking back at the camper (I forgot the noodles.) The Ripley’s eat it or not food truck was delicious. We purchased take home beer and wine to enjoy at a later date as well. The brewery is huge, family and pet friendly. There was live music, multiple seating areas, and pool tables.

We brought the stroller and our 1-year-old’s little balance bike. He rode back and forth around the brewery having a ball. The owners of Omaha Brewery were so friendly along with the staff. We enjoyed chatting with the bartenders at the brewery, and eventually the conversation turned to bugs. They shared the local wisdom of using dryer sheets. When we returned to the camper I rubbed the toddler down with a dryer sheet and it didn’t completely keep them away, but there was an improvement.  

Providence Canyon State Park

Florence Marina State Park is just 8 miles away from Providence Canyon State Park which does not offer camping with electrical and water hook-up. Providence Canyon State Park does have a couple pioneer campsites available to rent. We found that many people camping at Florence Marina were there to drive over and do the hike at Providence Canyon, just like us.

Providence Canyon State Park was a bucket list hike that I have been wanting to do for years. Even with the three-hour drive through Atlanta, Heather said this is one of her favorite hikes ever. When we arrived the main parking lot by the visitors center was full, but there was other parking close to the Canyon Loop Trail. We went to the visitors center first to grab our passport stamp and purchase a sticker. I spoke with one of the rangers about the hike and asked how they would suggest we route it. 

The ranger suggested hiking down to the right behind the visitors center and going into each canyon first and then finishing up the Canyon Loop Trail if we are up for it. She said that canyons four & five are the best of the nine canyons to see. Somehow we passed the turn to canyons 1-5. I’m guessing because we weren’t expecting the trail to be along a sandy creek bed. We completed canyons 6-9 and then backtracked to 1-5. By the time we were finished with all the canyons we were over 3 miles of hiking, it was getting close to lunch time, and a storm was coming. The hike out of the canyon was steep, but worth it. 

Be sure to wear the correct shoes for this type of hike. We saw some people going through the canyons barefoot, we were happy in our Chacos, but we also saw some people trying not to mess up nicer tennis shoes. 

Friends of Georgia State Parks Pass

Recently we renewed our Friends of Georgia State Parks pass and purchased the supporter membership. That one includes two car tags, three free nights camping, along with other discounts. When we checked into Florence Marina State Park we received our refund of $82 for the two nights because of that pass. We also received a discount at both park stores. You can find the website to purchase your Friends of Georgia State Parks pass here. Use code Imaginecamper to receive 15% off of the membership.