Our last stop in here Florida was the Florida RV Trade Association Super Show, also known as the Tampa RV Show. We knew this might be our only chance to check it out, so we hopped on the bandwagon (figuratively speaking) and purchased tickets to camp at the Super Rally. And I gotta say, camping at the show is the best way to check everything out without being overwhelmed. There is no way we could have truly enjoyed the show in one day.
The FRVTA Super Show is held every January at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida. And every year they open up tickets to the Super Rally in late fall until they are sold out. Perks of the Super Rally include 30A electric (you do need to have a full fresh water tank and empty gray and black tanks before entering the show grounds, as neither fresh water nor sanitary dump is provided), fresh coffee and donuts Thursday through Sunday mornings, free entertainment Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and wristbands for unlimited entry to the RV show. The kids got in free as well as long as they were accompanied by one of the adults.
Parking at the Super Rally was well organized. Rigs were staggered back to back, pull-through style, as they came in. We arrived with a group of eight other RVs and the staff was nice enough to pull us all to the side and park us all together. Rigs had to be unhooked as quickly as possible and tow/towed vehicles moved out of the way so more rigs could be parked. Everyone was provided with 30A power, and trash cans were well placed along the alleys between rows of RVs. Trash placed outside in front of your rig was picked up daily but was not allowed to be left outside overnight.
Everywhere we went was dog friendly, inside and outside, except in the building where the evening entertainment and morning coffee and donuts was provided. Although we love places that are pet friendly, this was a bit too much for us. The show gets very crowded (there were a record 80,000 people at the Rally this year!), and it was just too easy to trip over someone’s dog that they aren’t paying attention to or keeping close by them.
There were so many rigs to walk through, and we didn’t even try to see all of them. We were only interested in bunkhouse models, and came across a couple that we really liked. Our favorite by far was the Open Range 395BHS by Highland Ridge RV. The rear bunkhouse was nearly perfect for our needs and everything was laid out very well. We have no plans to buy a new rig anytime soon, but it was fun to look!
We also checked out the Open Range 364BHS, the Grand Design Solitude ST3950BH-R, the Forest River Sandpiper 3440BH, and the Forest River Sandpiper 388BHRD. All three of those also had some nice bunkhouse layouts that would be great for families.
We walked through the supplier building a couple times to check out the gadgets and campgrounds that were being advertised there, but didn’t find anything that we really wanted to waste (I mean spend) money on. There were a couple EV RVs being shown at the show but we didn’t stop to check them out. We were mostly there to spend time with friends and check out some of the RVs that were brought to the show.
I attended the Thursday evening entertainment with my friend Andrea. Kenny Evans did a fantastic job of keeping us all entertained. He performed a number of country music greatest hits, and his vocal range is truly impressive. In addition to performing throughout the country, Kenny is a Baptist preacher and evangelist from Tennessee. If you have a chance to attend one of his shows I recommend you check it out.
Coffee and cookies were provided before the show began, and it was followed by door prizes sponsored by Cummins. There were many prizes given away but sadly, neither of us won anything.
Friday night’s entertainment was the Rivoli Variety Show, which we chose not to attend because it was during Sabbath, and Saturday night’s entertainment was Malt Shoppe Memories. I attended Saturday night’s entertainment with my new friend Melissa, and although I recognized a couple of the songs, most of them were before my time. We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless, and again didn’t win any of the door prizes.
Leaving on Sunday morning was just as easy as arriving the previous Wednesday. By the time we were ready to roll out many RVs had already left so we had plenty of room to swing out. We said goodbye to our friends (many of whom we will see again this coming Spring) and were on our way.
Attending the Florida RV Trade Association Super Show this year was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us. We don’t plan on attending again, not because we wouldn’t want to, but because we don’t have plans to return to Florida in the near future. We really did enjoy ourselves, even with the couple days of rain we were blessed with, and would recommend anyone in the area check it out if they have a chance.
Did you attend the Florida RV Show this year? Did you attend in previous years or have to plans to attend one in the future? We’d love to hear about it! Please leave us a comment below, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @simplejoyfuljourney, or email me at alicia@simplejoyfuljourney.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page before you go. Have a great week!