Highbanks Marina & Camp Resort

Highbanks Marina & Camp Resort sits along a bend of the St. Johns River in DeBary, tucked into twenty five wooded acres where campers and boaters have gathered for decades. The property occupies a stretch of waterfront off West Highbanks Road, west of downtown DeBary, and it functions as both a full service marina and a campground, which makes it one of the more unusual businesses in this quiet Volusia County city. Most visitors come for one of two reasons: to park an RV under the oak canopy for a weekend or a season, or to launch a boat and spend the day fishing or cruising the river.

The campground side of the property offers RV sites shaded by mature trees, with the kind of layout that longtime Florida campers appreciate more than a paved parking lot resort. A large screened swimming pool gives guests a place to cool off, and a roughly three thousand square foot clubhouse serves as a gathering spot with a pool room and space for cards or conversation. Shuffleboard courts and horseshoe pits round out the recreation options, and a one acre fishing pond stocked for casual angling lets kids and grandparents fish without ever leaving the grounds. A fish cleaning station and coin laundry are the kind of practical touches that separate an established campground from a newer one.

On the marina side, the resort maintains a seventy two slip marina with a fuel dock selling both regular and non ethanol gasoline as well as LP gas, a detail that matters to boat owners who know the difference it makes for smaller engines. Pontoon boats are available to rent for anyone who wants to explore the river without owning a boat, and the on site country store carries bait, tackle, snacks, and a small selection of gifts, so a morning of fishing does not require a separate trip into town. Guided eco tours run out of the marina as well, giving visitors a way to see the river’s wildlife, including the alligators, herons, and osprey that make the St. Johns one of the state’s more interesting waterways.

The property also includes the Swamp House Grill, a casual restaurant with both indoor seating and an outdoor deck overlooking the water, serving seafood and American style food to guests and to boaters who pull up to the dock just for a meal. That combination, a working marina, a campground, and a restaurant on the same piece of riverfront, is part of what has kept the business a local fixture rather than a stop that visitors pass through once.

DeBary itself is a small, largely residential city, and Highbanks Marina & Camp Resort stands out as one of the few lodging style businesses actually located within its borders rather than along the nearby interstate corridor. For anyone planning a stay on the St. Johns River, whether in an RV, a rented pontoon, or just for an afternoon at the country store, it is worth a call ahead, since site availability and marina slips can fill up, especially during the cooler months when snowbird campers settle in for extended stays.