Oktoberfest in FL

[DeMac]

We're having a few skoolie friends stay on our farm from 25 Oct. - 3 Nov. and we'd like to open the invitation to any one who's driving a skoolie.


My neighbors, the Brown Brother's, have an annual Fall Harvest Festival which I go to every year. Twice last year, as it's grown significantly over time. This year is expected to be the largest yet. The Brown Brother's go all out to provide inexpensively fun & entertaient for both adults and kids alike.



The Corn Maze above is only a small fraction of the event's land. The scale and size of the attraction is absolutely huge.

10 Acre Corn Maze
Over 30 Attractions
Free Fireworks Every Friday Night!
Wine Tasting & Sales
Barnyard Animals
Regular Six Gun Territory Show (Sat/Sun)
Regular Candy Cannon Blasts
Are Throwing
Several Rides
Face Painting
Caricature Drawing
Memories with Family & Friends to Last a Lifetime!


(Click on the photo for more festival info)

All of my skoolie friends are invited to stay all week at Our Happy Place. We have a handful of RV spaces with power and water. Plus 15 acres of cleared skoolie parking and another 5 acres of wooded trails and primitive tent sites. I already have some picnic tables, fire ring and dozens of traffic cones. I can buy more if we have a large turn out.




find the bus, RV and Jeep in this photo

We are not trying to get rich. I don't really care breaking even nor collecting fees, but I will accept donations as I'll rent some port-a-lets, a dumpster, and a few other necessities


I'll add more details to this thread regarding the Browns' Fall Festival, Our Happy Place and the local area surrounding our farm.

I hope we, as a community, can begin planning events together. Inexpensive fellowship filled with new ideas, companionship and constructive assistance.

Private Message me for the address & my cell number
*Space is limited, please contact me in advance to make sure we have a spot for your rig.

[DeMac]

October 25, 26 & 27



Join in the festivities with tasty food, trick or treating, a costume contest for all ages, and multiple Halloween photo ops to treasure memories made with family and friends!




Below are some of my photos from last year. I'm wearing the blue Air Force cap.

[DeMac]

Our Happy Place is located at the Northern side of The Villages of Florida, dubbed the nation's fasting growing retirement community.

We're within a few minutes of all types of shopping and nearly a hundred restaurants, for those who enjoy a wide selection of dining options.

Restaurant Map

We're the yellow star in the left

We're in the heart of Florida's RV stores. For builders who want to work on their conversions, we are within a few short minutes of Camping World, The RV Supercenter, PPL Motorhome Parts, Campers Inn RV Parts, The RV Swap Shop, Ace Hardware, (2) Lowes locations, Home Depot, a large flea market and all of the major automotive suppliers: (2) NAPAs, (2) Autozones, (2) Advanced Auto, (2) O'Reilly and a Pep Boys and several local truck stops. We're at the meeting point of the FL Turnpike, I-75, US441, US301 & US27.

For groceries and general shopping, there's also (2) Walmarts, (2) Publix, (2) Aldis, a Winn Dixie & two local farm stores.

[DeMac]

Anyone who wants to arrive early or stay late, that's fine, too. There's a School Bus racing event in town on the following weekend. Ocala Speedway is 28 miles from Our Happy Place.





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United Tiny House Association returns to the Sunshine State with the 9th Annual Florida Tiny Home Festival, on November 23-24, 2024, in Palm Coast, FL, on the grounds of the Florida Agricultural Museum. 90 miles from Our Happy Place.


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Skoolie Swarm is having their third annual gathering at Doe Lake from Dec. 6th - 12th.

Our Happy Place is on the same highway as the entrance to the lake, 21 miles away. Skoolies traveling to or from their event have stayed here all three years.

[nikitis]

Count me in. Need a 30 ft spot for ole Humpty Dumpty here.

[cadillackid]

this looks like alot of fun thanks for inviting everyone down!..


theres even coffee shops within 30-40 minutes.. quite a few

restaraunts are a big deal for me since i wont have cokking facilities (truth be known i eat out every night pretty much anyway).. love exploring the new small towns and who doesnt love a good corn maze!!

[turf]

im a...probably....

i want to head to florida this winter and check it out. that was the extent of my plans so.... ima see if i can get my **** together and make the trip.

sounds like fun!!!

[Kentucky Dreaming]

Sounds fun, Danny.
I won't have a bus by then. Maybe next year if you do it again. Hope a good time is had by all.

[nikitis]

Originally Posted by Kentucky Dreaming

Sounds fun, Danny.
I won't have a bus by then. Maybe next year if you do it again. Hope a good time is had by all.

You don't need a bus. I'm sure you're welcome to trip down in a car. I think a couple of others are planning to do that.

My bus may break down mid trip and I end up there in a rental.

[DeMac]

Terrific. I'm looking forward to meeting up with each of you.

I'm interested in reading everyone's ideas. We want input from the experienced minds of skoolie.net. Members with group or club camping history, converters who've attended previous skoolie gatherings and folk who bookdock full time and any avid campers.

What can I do before you arrive to make the stay comfortable, fun, restful, informative, safe & sanitary?

Let's build something together, something we all want. So it doesn't become something we don't want. Pitfalls?


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Oxford Downs Casino

There's certainly a lot of options for eating, shopping and entertaient in our immediate area. We're right near the tri-county line, so we even have a nice clean casino, The Oxford Downs: Poker Room & Tik Bar - (GoogleMaps) which is only 3.5 miles from our farm.

For the golf lovers, there are dozens of courses in the area. I don't play golf but I pass the courses every day.

Ocala Forest is an off-roader's 4x4 heaven and also a Sportsman's Paradise. (Titlecase as the nearby town is named Sportsman's Paradise) I probably don't need to say it to the outdoorsmen in our community, but there are a hundred miles or more of fire roads and trails through nearby Ocala National Forest.

The deer, bears, and bobcats are smaller than the northern versions but the foul & poultry are large and numerous. Several fishing holes within driving distance. Eatons Beach is nice for watersports, warm weather permitting. The various Florida springs may be closed for the season.

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by nikitis

You don't need a bus. I'm sure you're welcome to trip down in a car. I think a couple of others are planning to do that.

My bus may break down mid trip and I end up there in a rental.

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That's Right!

[Manyjourneys]

What a great event! We can't make it this year, but sounds great for next year.

[Kentucky Dreaming]

I want to go and meet all the great folks, But work and household stuff may keep me and the mutts at home.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by DeMac

Anyone who wants to arrive early or stay late, that's fine, too. There's a School Bus racing event in town on the following weekend. Ocala Speedway is 28 miles from Our Happy Place.





---------------------



United Tiny House Association returns to the Sunshine State with the 9th Annual Florida Tiny Home Festival, on November 23-24, 2024, in Palm Coast, FL, on the grounds of the Florida Agricultural Museum. 90 miles from Our Happy Place.


---------------------


Skoolie Swarm is having their third annual gathering at Doe Lake from Dec. 6th - 12th.

Our Happy Place is on the same highway as the entrance to the lake, 21 miles away. Skoolies traveling to or from their event have stayed here all three years.

Would much rather come hang out at your place than Doe Lake. Plus $15 to park and hang out for a few hours is just too much.
I doubt I'll be driving the bus though. Will probably drive our van.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by turf

im a...probably....

i want to head to florida this winter and check it out. that was the extent of my plans so.... ima see if i can get my **** together and make the trip.

sounds like fun!!!

Come on down!

[EastCoastCB]

FWIW "swarm" is in Melrose, not Doe Lake. According to their FB page. Its been there the last couple few years I'm pretty sure.
So yours is the only central FL bus gathering.

on another "swarm" note- they're now having an event called "Christ centered swarm". They also tried telling people who weren't christian to not practice their religion while at "swarm". The backlash made them change that and now they'll argue that it wasn't how it happened. Turned a lot of us off. I know I want to stay well clear of any event of any kind that's overtly religious or political. They're now back to "All are welcome" but you do need to bring $15 if you want to come stop by for the day.

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by DeMac

Anyone who wants to arrive early or stay late, that's fine, too. There's a School Bus racing event in town on the following weekend. Ocala Speedway is 28 miles from Our Happy Place.





---------------------



United Tiny House Association returns to the Sunshine State with the 9th Annual Florida Tiny Home Festival, on November 23-24, 2024, in Palm Coast, FL, on the grounds of the Florida Agricultural Museum. 90 miles from Our Happy Place.


---------------------


Skoolie Swarm is having their third annual gathering at Doe Lake from Dec. 6th - 12th.

Our Happy Place is on the same highway as the entrance to the lake, 21 miles away. Skoolies traveling to or from their event have stayed here all three years.

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

FWIW "swarm" is in Melrose, not Doe Lake. According to their FB page. Its been there the last couple few years I'm pretty sure.
So yours is the only central FL bus gathering.
(......)

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I may have been mislead but the words Doe Lake & Ocala, Florida are specifically mentioned. Both are very close to our farm.



All of the photos in my original post
(quoted above) are click-able links to the event's, themselves. Click on the photos to read more details from each event's sponsors.

[cadillackid]

theres a lot of different swarm events that have come up.. pick the ones you want.. if one is religious and one isnt then fine.. im personally not into religion .. I personally think its possible for people of all political and religious views to get together and have a good time.. idea being that people dont shove their views into others faces and just enjoy hanging out and running through corn mazes or helping do bus projects, etc...



I do plan to come down for this event.. the latest business we have started is starting to get busy so i may not be spending the nights there as getting to a hotel allows me to connect to fast wifi and get work done..


not sure which bus i'll bring.. taking the Superior in the mountains still makes me a bit uneasy... its running better now and puttng out a lot more power than it did when i brought it home through the mountains and i overheated its transmission back then pretty easily.... I do have a fan-forced cooler for it, havent had a chance to put it on.. it does great on the highway over flat ground.. I took it on a close-to 1000 mile roadtrip a couple weeks ago and the freeway part i cruised at 65 without any trouble at all.. it was near 90 out.. its dash air kept me nice N cool upfront. the temp gauge never even reached the middle.. but ohio to northwest of chicago (wisconsin state line) is pretty much flat as a pancake.



the DEV bus is slow but all mechanical and great in the mountains with its MT643..
the RedByrd is a beast... it just moves anywhere it goes..

[turf]

School bus races?!?!?!?!

dang, im getting her tuned up....

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by turf

School bus races?!?!?!?!

dang, im getting her tuned up....

I'll brng RedByrd One....