Camp Margaritaville is where rural relaxation meets a tropical vacation.
Discover a lakeside retreat on the road from Gainesville and Ocala. Camp Margaritaville Resort Orange Lake sits in Citra, where the roads open up, the citrus groves outnumber the traffic lights, and the pace naturally starts to slow.
Some guests arrive towing an RV and set up for a few days of outdoor living. Others check into a cottage and get the same camp feeling with a little more comfort built in. Either way, the stay begins with more time outside, more time together, and four-legged campers are always welcome.
Choose Your Level of Chill
That’s the resort’s own phrase for it, and it holds up because people relax differently. A morning might start with coffee outside and drift into an afternoon at the Waterpark & Splash Pad. Or it might mean the Lazy River, Zero-Entry Pool, a line in the water on Orange Lake, or a shaded spot nobody’s in a hurry to leave. Most families end up doing a little of both.
Rooted in Central Florida
The setting is what makes this stop feel different from the usual vacation routine. The area around Citra still runs on open land, palms, and citrus groves. Ocala National Forest is a short drive away for guests who want to stretch the trip past the property line. Closer in, the Grove Street Farmers Market in Gainesville and the Ocala Farmers Market are easy add-ons for a morning before check-in or on the way out.
For Ocala-area residents, that means a weekend that doesn’t take months of planning. Day passes are also available for guests who want to enjoy the pools, lazy river, water features, cabanas, dining, and live entertainment without an overnight stay. For visitors, it’s a different way to see Central Florida, one that runs through quiet roads instead of theme-park traffic.
A Resort Day or a Weekend Away
Guests do not have to stay overnight to get a taste of the resort. With day pass options, locals can plan a pool day, float the lazy river, reserve a cabana, meet friends for live music, or let the kids burn off energy at the splash pad.
For overnight guests, RV sites and cottages make it easy to turn that same resort experience into a full weekend away. RV guests get room to spread out, while cottage guests get the camp experience without towing anything. .
By the end of the day, the best part may be that everyone found their own version of the trip. Someone got in the water, someone got quiet time, and the dog probably had the best day of all.
