Where to Snow Bird

[colbysmith]

Ok, just looking for some ideas and shared experiences of places. Rosanne is now retired, and starting in 2026, we think we want to leave Wisconsin during January and February. Can add March to that too, but then we usually have the Hontoon gathering to fall back on in March, and we just stay around down there for a few weeks. So here's some of our wants.

- Stay put in one location during that time (After Christmas thru beginning of March).
- Access to society, like church, civilization, medical clinics, stores, theaters, restaurants, etc. Ie. part of a community.
- Access to water to use C-Traveler for possible day trips, fishing, maybe a short excursion of only a few days.
- Prefer staying on land, ie, apartment or condo. But staying on boat in marina with full amenities considered.
- Reasonable rental costs. $3000 or < / month
- NO Snow. Temps rarely below freezing. Daytime temps 50 +, 60+ better.
- USA

Locations I'm thinking of. Arizona (Phoenix area preferred, other areas ok), California (San Diego? Rio Vista?), Padre Island area in Texas, Florida Keys or other locations. Kind of leaving the final decision of where we go to the Admiral.

Any suggestions or recommendations of places you have stayed at or recommend during the Jan-Feb season.

I know there are other forums more suited to snowbirds, but I'm also looking at somewhere friendly and accessible to boaters. I know we have a few snow birds in C-Brats.

[ssobol]

Not a lot of boating in Phoenix.

You might consider Boulder City or Laughlin, NV.

[gulfcoast john]

Colby,
Congrats on Roseanne’s retirement!

The very best marina deal for a C-Dory is the Pink Shell 5 star resort in Ft. Myers Beach. We’ll be heading down there on Thursday Jan 10 and stay until the Hontoon Hoot. It was wiped out in Ian (Sept 2022) and re- opened in 2024. The discounted marina rate ($39/day plus metered power) also includes all the amenities in the $69/night ‘resort fee’ except a free breakfast buffet. Like all South Florida resort marinas, make your reservation at least 8-10 months in advance.
https://www.pinkshell.com/fort-myers-marina

We wintered instead for 6-8 weeks at the Perry Resort and Marina in Key West the past two years. Their smallest dock is 40 ft, but there is a discount for stays over 30 days, two heated pools and an hourly free shuttle to downtown (parking is $20/day downtown). Reserve 8-10 months in advance.
https://www.perrykeywest.com/

Marlin Bay Marina in Marathon has a discount for over 30 day stays but again a min 40 ft dock. Best pool we’ve ever seen between here and Thailand.
https://www.marlinbay.com/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=yext&utm_campaign=website

Founders Park city marina Islamorada has monthly rates under $1200 but only allows reservations 60 days in advance so it fills quickly.
https://www.islamorada.fl.us/DocumentCenter/View/3059/PYH-Brochure_2024?bidId=

Calusa Island Marina south of Marco Island used to have good long term transient rates but was bought by Safe Harbors and no longer advertises rates. Other Marco Island marinas are very expensive. Maybe worth a call. Short drive to all of Marco Island.
https://shmarinas.com/locations/safe-harbor-calusa-island/

Coquina Marina Daytona Beach has great amenities and a flexible dockmaster, worth a call re a long stay discount:
https://coquinamarinadaytona.com/rates/

Since we know you guys are very adventurous, you might also consider getting an annual FL State Parks pass and:

Stay two weeks at a cabin on St Joe Peninsula SP with the boat (launch at Eagle ramp)

Then two weeks at Apalachicola marina or Water Street Hotal and Marina
https://www.guestreservations.com/water-street-hotel-marina-ascend-hotel-collection/booking?msclkid=cb656ece3e551a885b9409b7dc00c984&ctTriggered=true

Then two weeks at Caladesi Island SP Marina when it re-opens

Then two weeks at Bahia Honda SP Marina in the Keys

Then Hontoon!

Hope something here is helpful. See you guys in March at Hontoon!

Hope to hear from others about the best deals for snowbirds like us. It can be 45 degrees and rainy down here, and we just can’t stand it, so we understand you.

Sometimes Bob dickers with us on this subject.

John

[WannabeCBrat]

We winter near Palm Springs at:
https://www.missionlakescountryclub.com/
for golfing and best weather in the nation

$59 flight one way from Palm Springs, CA into Bellingham, WA
summer's (6months +1day) on Widbey Island, WA for boating and no income taxes.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

Colby - not sure if this would check enough of your boxes but we love Tennessee. Pigeon Forge area in the Smokey Mountains. Lots to keep you entertained there with shows inc. Dollywood. Or relaxing on the deck looking out at the mountains. We use a rental agency called Edencrest. All of their cabins we have stayed at have been 5 star. Some are in gated communities and all in the Pigeon Forge area. The first place we stayed was a fairly steep climb and you would have to make sure they had room for your boat and turn around. I ggogled 1 bedroom for 3 months with 22 matches - prices started at $6900.00 for Jan./Feb./March. Not sure about local boating sites.
https://www.edencrest.net/vrp/search/results/?search%5Bbedrooms%5D=1&search%5Bbathrooms%5D=&search%5Bcity%5D=&search%5Bprice%5D=daily-0-10000&search%5Barrival%5D=01%2F05%2F2025&search%5Bdeparture%5D=03%2F28%2F2025&search%5BAdults%5D=2&search%5BChildren%5D=&search%5Bshowmax%5D=true&search%5Bsort%5D=MinDaily&search%5Brandom%5D=1&search%5Border%5D=low&propSearch=Search&show=10

Enjoy your joint retirement,

Rob

[colbysmith]

[thataway]

For the Smokies, either the Eastern side where there are some good lakes--or further South West from Pigeon Forge--Townsend. But this more of a few week place--music is folk music--which we like. Smokies are going to be cold with some snow that time of the year. My personal feeling is Pigeon Forge is a zoo--and very congested. We have only stayed in RV parks.

San Diego to much of S. Calif--there is traffic congestion--cool weather. (Son lives in San Clemente--His C Dory 25 is in the water full time at Dana Point). You are into the expensive S. Calif. living scene and massive congestion.

One of our close friends--extended family--is a Real Estate Broker in Chandler AZ--that is their primary residence. Her husband is retired S W pilot. They keep their 56' power boat in Chula Vista, and a beater car at San Diego Airport--fly from Phoenix. They have their RV in Nashville, and own RV lots there, in Foley AL. (about15 miles from our house), & in the Charlotte NC area. They rotate around the places. Flying space available.

My personal assessment of the Az is again fairly crowded--desert--and. you have to like desert--there are nice RV parks--ask Pat and Patty Anderson--they have kept their 5th wheel RV in that area. We had a place in Lake Havasu at one time--too windy.

We did spent 3 months a year in Marathon, Keys for 7 years. It does check all of the boxes-(as do all of the keys). We subscribed to the classical music concert series. The concerts are in churches or schools.--excellent performances. We got to know locals thru this. Certainly it checks all of the boxes. We stayed in our RV with the Caracal 18 Catamaran in back of the RV in the water where there was a slip. We fished almost every day--also ran the boat around the harbor--saw cruising friends etc. But that place is lost to Condo's. It was a little over $1000 a month for the RV--$300 for the boat--but a year's advance reservation.

I ran the rentals in the Marathon area for a 3 month peroid that time of the year--and the low came in at $12,500, to $66,000 for the 3 months. Many, but not all, had boat slips with the house or condo.

My distant cousin has a van, and camps everywhere. They tow a boat--sailboats to C Dory--and has spend this timeframe at the State Parks in the keys. It is fairly cheap--especially if you live on the boat--then you can anchor out etc. Come into the state park docks for a few days and then out. Regular RV parks are impacted and expensive.

Our area of the Gulf coast--a little cooler than Hontoon, but very similar. The next few days the overnight temperature is in the mid 20's: days in the 40'a. This is the average winter cold spell. Tomorrow high will be 75 and current temp is 52. I have not priced rentals--but the long term water front stats at $1500 a month--Which is a bargain condo. Day by day in our area run from $80 to $300 a night for a decent breach Condo.

[Catskinner]

Hi Colby,

First off, congratulations to your bride on her retirement! Mine is going to pull the plug in October! We’ve been contemplating Lake Mohave or Lake Havasu! For a 4-6 week adventure!
Howard

[colbysmith]

[JamesTXSD]

We were fortunate that we got to "practice" retiring for about 15 years (taking a couple months during the winter to go south) before we actually did it (in 2006). During most of those years, we had diesel pusher motorhomes that allowed us to cruise the Sunbelt, from southern California to Arizona, to Texas, and Florida. I truly enjoyed the variety, but I know a lot of people like to go to one area and stay there for their time away.

That said, here are some free opinions: we eventually moved to south Texas after wintering there - it was our choice after years of Sunbelt wandering. McAllen (another big city) would not be my choice for the Rio Grande Valley - out on the Gulf Coast offers SO much more. South Padre Island has a great beach, the Gulf of Mexico on one side, the Laguna Madre (bay) on the other. Across the bay from South Padre Island is Port Isabel; you can find rentals at Long Island Village (where we used to live), many of which are on a canal, with a dock. Small town feel, a half hour to Brownsville, 40 minutes to Harlingen. It is generally a bit warmer there in January and February than 140-170 miles north in the Corpus Christi area. If you are thinking Corpus, I'd take a look at the Rockport area.

South Florida generally has decent winter weather; and a lot of people. If money is no option, you could rent a place in the Keys on a canal and have easy water access. Areas along the Gulf Coast, like Naples to Ft Myers, would keep you close to water.

San Diego to Palm Springs is generally good weather during the winter. And more expensive than south Texas or Florida.

And that takes us to Arizona. Having family in the Goodyear area, you know what to expect there. We would go to that area for a couple months during the winter for the last 20 years to see our daughter and son-in-law. Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the country, and the Goodyear area is really booming. We moved to the Laveen area a year ago - it is also growing rapidly, but has a more rural feel to it than much of the Valley. It doesn't get the Snowbird impact that other parts of the Phoenix area see. All of the Phoenix Valley feels the influx in February, when Spring Training Baseball is in full swing. For short term rentals, I'd be looking at the Surprise or Scottsdale areas. Tucson is another good option in AZ in the winter. You would see cold and snow likely in Prescott, but it is great there in the spring and fall. Lake Havasu is good and would have decent water options. Laughlin and Bull Head City are usually good winter weather, but a bit scruffy for an extended (2 month) stay. Yuma has good winter weather.

Knowing how much you like taking your boat to different areas, have you considered an RV? We really enjoyed the wandering; I could have easily gone the fulltime RVing route (or liveaboard boating), but as the Blonde has said, "You can do that with your next wife." But, the wandering gives you so many options. At some point during the winter, AZ/CA, south TX, or south Florida will get some crap winter weather... being mobile-based means you can do "a week here, a week there, a few days or a month" in any given area.

Pat and Patty have gone to the Casa Grande area the last 8 or 9 years and go back to the same RV park each winter - it gives you the opportunity to develop a circle of friends and a feeling of "home away from home."

It was 39º when I got up this morning - it will get to 72º for a high today. Life in the desert. I have to say, climate-wise, I preferred the more humid Gulf Coast and the 10 to 15º temperature swings from day to night compared to the these 30+ temp swings in the desert. Joan prefers the desert. You have to try it to see what works best for you two.

Good luck with the decisions. But, getting out of the frozen northland for a couple months in the winter is a very good decision.

[colbysmith]

Hey James,

Thanks for the additional info on some of those areas. We probably need to broaden our search around Arizona. I'm sure there are some less expensive places than Pebble Creek Estates. And good to get some more ideas for South Texas. Who knows, maybe I can find a park model mobile home that's not too expensive, and plant it.

[Foggy]

Asking where to go with a boat? Here's an easy answer: go where there's liquid water.

In the northern hemisphere, go south until your butter melts.
The reverse is true if you live in the southern hemisphere (C-Brats has reach).

The rest, about what kind of boating and shoreside endeavors perk your interest,
is highly variable; i.e., personal preference.

And realize, your cup of tea may be someone else's dose of hemlock.

Viva la difference.

Aye.