Over on the left coast of Florida, a hundred miles south of Tampa and 200 miles from Miami is a nice little town called Venice. My Mom lives in Englewood... an even nicer little town just south of Venice. Whenever we go over there to visit, we like to take the trailer and stay at a funky campground outside of Venice called (appropriately enough) Venice Campground. It's situated several miles out in the boonies from the coast and hard on the banks of the scenic Myakka River. The facilities are superior, the sites adequate (if somewhat less than private). There's lots of shade from the live oaks in the hot months, a swimming pool if the shade ain't good enough, and plenty of places in the campground and nearby to kick back and really relax. The one caveat I'd be remiss to not mention is that the management doesn't want you to have visitors while you're there. They very much discourage local families and friends from sharing your accomodations while you're in attendance. If you do not have local residents coming to visit while you're there, this is not a problem and in fact may be a relief.
They have a boat ramp at the campground so bring your canoe, kayak or small john boat. If you don't have one, they have plenty for rent. The ramp is located on a little creek that offers access to the Myakka River. That creek also is one boundary of a small spit of land... almost an island... that is undeveloped and has some short walking and biking paths through it.
Just down the road a few hundred yards from the campground is Snook Haven. This is an old style Florida Cracker bar cum restaurant cum boat rental place cum country music concert venue. The beer is cheap and the ambiance sublime. It's a nice place to hang out and get some good fish sandwiches or bar-b-q. On holiday weekends, they almost invariably have live bands on their outdoor stage.They also have a launching ramp, boat rentals and some cabin rentals on site. This joint also seems to attract more than it's share of bikers. So if the prospect of dozens of overaged and somewhat overweight Harley riders is distressing to you, dine elsewhere. If the ambiance and people-watching opportunities of this crowd intriques you, welcome home.
Access to Venice Campground is a cinch from I-75 (it's less than a mile from Exit #191 - River Road). If you're passing through the left coast area with your camper, you could do a LOT worse than to spend a night or three at Venice Campground.