Q: I live in southeastern Florida and would like to go camping some weekend. But, I don't want to go real far. What do you suggest?

A: There are a lot of places to camp in your area. The southeast part of the state covers a lot of territory -- that could be anywhere from Jupiter to Key West. I don't know where you live, but I'll mention a few of the places I've been to that are just great for camping weekends.

In the northern part of the southeastern section, I'd recommend Jonathan Dickinson State Park. I'd say it's sort of between Jupiter and Hobe Sound, right on U.S. 1. The campsite I had was under some nice pines, and no one was too crowded. There are trails if you want to hike, and the Loxahatchee River is great for canoeing. In fact, you can canoe to what might be considered the feature of the park, the shack home of dead-and-gone hermit "Trapper Nelson."

Farther south in the southeast, there's Oleta River State Recreation Area in North Miami. I've never camped there, but it's good for off-road biking, and the new cabins there would give you a cozy place to sleep in case you don't have a tent, camper or RV.

Speaking of cabins and state parks, Bahia Honda State Park also has cabins, but they can be hard to get into. In September, the earliest reservation I could get was for April. I can't wait to go!

And, of course, heading back north is the Everglades. You can camp in any of the regular campgrounds here, or if you're really adventurous (and know what you're doing), you can canoe to a canoe camping site. These sites are raised out of the water, but they're really in the middle of nowhere. To camp at the canoe sites, you need to contact an Everglades ranger and get a map. A couple of years ago, I camped at the Long Pine Key Campground in the park, and it was great. If you go to the Everglades, hope for a clear night, because you can see so many stars there!

There are also many county parks that allow camping. Try the Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county parks and recreation Web sites for more information.

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