Pioneer Village RV Resort Review

Recently, we stayed at this Thousand Trails Encore resort in North Fort Myers, Florida. BJ had a job to do and this was a nearby location for the job site. Considering all the great amenities and the location, we were excited.

The park is located on Bayshore Road, not far from I-75. The sign pointing to the park from the interstate is hard to see as it is overgrown by trees, so be sure to pay attention to your map. You’ll turn onto the road, then another turn into the park. The office is closed on Sundays, but there is a place for check in packets if they are not there.

As with most Thousand Trails Encore parks, especially on the West Coast of Florida, this is an older park that is a blend of RVs and mobile homes. The roads are two way, but with larger vehicles and RVs, it may be one way. It is pretty spread out, so bicycles or a golf cart are helpful, but we walked without much issue!

We had a paved site with full hookups, but looking around, it seemed this varied. Some spots were grass only, some were part grass and part paved, and some had only water and electric hookups, so be sure to check when you make your reservation since they are price based.

This park has a pool and hot tub area, shuffleboard, volleyball, bocce ball, cornhole and horseshoes up near the front clubhouse. The clubhouse has many activities going on daily, and there are billiard tables available, and this is where the fitness center is also located. There were tennis and pickleball courts, and a dog park, but these were in back area, far from the RV section, so we didn’t visit them.

There are bathhouses with showers available, as well as a laundry room on property. It does require an app to use, so be sure to have your smart phone handy if you need to do laundry.

There is no trash pick up and the dumpster area is on a side road, towards the exit. I would not recommend driving a large rig through there, so be sure to ditch the trash by foot or vehicle before loading up to leave.

You aren’t far from beaches and attractions, especially with the interstate so close. Fueling stations are right at the intersection and are big rig friendly! You can find restaurants, ice cream shops, fast food, grocery stores as well as RV stores and home improvement shops within about 10-20 minutes. The town is full of friendly people that were helpful and smiling.

WHAT WE LOVED The community was incredibly friendly and we talked to so many people! Being winter, there were many Canadians, so we got to practice our French a bit, as terrible as it is! While there are railroad tracks that run right passed and it’s close to the interstate, we didn’t find either to be all that noisy at night, and not too bad during the day. We enjoyed the multi-use trail just along Bayshore Road, as well.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LOVE This seems to be a 55+ community but without claiming to be. Many of the rules are not welcoming to the under 18 crowd (hot tub and fitness centers are off limits under 18, even with an adult). The office staff also came across as being put out to answer questions in the handful of interactions we had with them–not rude, just not welcoming.

WILL WE GO BACK? This won’t be on our return to list, unless we have a need to be in this location. With so many other Encore parks and other options that are more family friendly, those would be our choice while still traveling with our son.