Top Tent Camping near Manchester, CT

Recent Tent Reviews In Manchester

564 Reviews of 17 Manchester Campgrounds

• 

  Missi N.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Northampton / Springfield KOA

  Cute little campground

  Quiet (besides occasional plane overhead) lots of trees, spacious sites, clean and modern bathrooms and showers, nice friendly helpful staff.

• 

  Matt O.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Odetah Camping Resort

  Great place

  We love camping at Odetah. Clean facilities. Great staff. New pool and hot tub. Will definitely come back

• 

  Kathy T.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Salt Rock State Park

  Clean, but dated facilities

  Campground is a bit crowded with sites close together. The facilities were clean but quite old. There are some nice hiking trails along the river.

• f

  fallon

  Scout

  

  Sep. 21, 2024

  Sunset View Farms

  Lovely spot in the woods

  We booked last minute (2 hours before we arrived) and were met with the friendliest staff ready to help us at 7:30PM and get us checked in. Perfect spot if you don’t mind a 40 minute ride over to The Big E fair which is what brought us out to this part of MA. The restaurant was so nice, and to my surprise more than accommodating as I have celiac, they really went above and beyond. We will definitely be back next summer for a longer stay.

• A

  Arno W.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 10, 2024

  Kettletown State Park

  Great location, but not a good experience

  Camping Review:

  This campsite is beautifully located in the woods, offering a peaceful and serene environment. There are no busy roads nearby, which ensures a quiet setting during the day.

  However, there are several downsides to consider. The camping spots are uneven, making it challenging to set up tents or campers. Additionally, swimming at the nearby beach is restricted to residents of the village, so visitors are not allowed to swim there.

  During our stay, there were multiple large groups, including a Christian group that preached (screamingly) and played loud music until midnight, despite the designated quiet hours. Unfortunately, the management did nothing to enforce the rules, which was disruptive.

  Another significant issue was the state of the sanitary facilities. They were extremely dirty, with feces present in various places. It took a long time before anything was cleaned, which obviously kept us from using the facilities.

  Overall, while the location is beautiful, the poor management, noise issues, and dirty sanitary facilities seriously detract from the experience.

• 

  Accounting-Robert M.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 4, 2024

  Strawberry Park

  Updates

  Updates 

  Note that some of the photos submitted to this site were taken in areas that were NOT IN the Park. Also the Park is NOT under new ownership.

• 

  carol T.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 23, 2024

  Waters Edge Family Campground

  BEWARE WATERS EDGE CAMPGROUNDS THEY WILL KEEP ALL YOUR MONEY

  JUNE 30,2024  my husband & I were seasonals at waters edge campground Lebanon Connecticuit  gave them a 30 day notice we were leaving this place wasnt for us just awful the owners are just money hungey thieves they told us they were keeping our deposit wich we expected because it says non refundable deposit so okay fine but we paid for the whole season its open april15 to october15 gave a 30 day notice left june 30 they refused to give us back the money for july ,august,september,to october 15 they ket 750 plus 2500 dollars told us were not getting our money back So iam sure they rented the site thats double dipping so fair warning I dont want this to happen to anyone else they will Rob you blind oh and they broke our ice maker when they dewinterized our trailer and never owned up to it came down to my floor in camper soaked with water from my freezer and didnr bother to clean tthe mess and said  it must have been broken nefore so they are also dirty liars I didnt want to even give a one star rating but had to put somethin i give the a big fat 0

• 

  SomadNomad M.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 17, 2024

  Granville State Forest

  Gotta chance

  Dyrt says $17-$54 went through all the hoops to book one for tonight said $17 per night went to check out expecting a few extra fees, $58.50.....that's over the max advertised....DYRT YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH AND DELETE BAD ENTRIES. YOU ARE A DISSAPOINTMENT.

• 

  Jeffry D.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Quinebaug Cove Campground

  Awesome Campground

  The best activities for children and adults, great amenities, clean restrooms, Awesome pool thanks to ASHTON, Thanks so much.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Mystic KOA

  Great campground for coastal CT & RI

  We stayed at Mystic KOA in North Stonington, Connecticut, to be tourists in Mystic. Spoiler alert… we had a great stay! 

  This campground is just 15-minutes from Mystic and about an hour’s drive to Newport, Rhode Island. It’s just a few minutes from I-95 and so close to Mystic Aquarium, downtown Mystic, Mystic Seaport, and all the local spots. 

  It’s a well-maintained campground with 2 pools(though the larger one was closed for maintenance during our stay), lots of play areas and daily activities for little ones, and a cool“pub truck” for adult drinks. Our site(#408) was about 85’ long with plenty of room for our 45’ motorhome and toad(and then some!). It was level and gravel with a nice fire ring and picnic table. The hookups worked fine with 50-amp electric and decent water pressure. Cable TV had nearly 50-channels, but the wi-fi didn’t quite reach our part of the park. 

  Due to a family issue, we needed to leave about a day-and-a-half early. We called the office as a courtesy to let them know as we were pulling out and received a partial credit for a night’s stay on our credit card. Didn’t even ask, they just did it. Thanks Mystic KOA! 

  We’ll definitely be back. This is a great place to stay when visiting the coastal Connecticut/Rhode Island area.

• 

  Sara R.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 4, 2024

  Windmill Hill - White Memorial Campground

  Quiet woods

  I booked site 5 for the week. Great experience! Quiet woods atmosphere with trail’s. Wonderful place to camp. Very clean

• 

  G Y.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Lake Waramaug State Park

  Quiet Rustic Camping

  My family has been camping at Lake Waramaug for over 20 years. I can say most of what’s been said is true or partially so but whether it’s bad or good depends on your point of view. Note that we are a Scout family and my husband and son have camped many days well off the grid with only the gear and food in their backpacks. That skews our point of view. 

  First off, Connecticut’s state campgrounds are not KOA’s. 

  Do not expect top of the line activities that private campgrounds have.

  What it does have are clean, large sites that are partially wooded and not out in the open. 

  The lake is great for kayaking, paddle boarding, canoes and for fishing. Bring your own gear but kayak and canoe rentals are available. The swim area is marginal- best for little ones. 

  This park is remote from all conveniences- pack it in or expect a drive. There have been several times I’ve driven to the Dunkin Donuts miles down the road for coffee but I find using a French press is more convenient. For takeout there’s the White Horse on 202. It’s ranked a top restaurant in the state - the food is good. 

  Never have we had issues with wildlife besides squirrels and ducks. Leave no trace is important - it keeps the unwelcome wildlife out. 

  There have been issues with the bathrooms off and on over the decades. It seems like they’ve finally fixed everything. Our trip of 7/27-28 showed everything was fine.

  The only on-site services are firewood and ice sales. The little food shack is out of business. 

  Yes, cell service is basically non-existent. Our trip this weekend was the first time we received more than 1 bar in 20 years. Actually we were a bit disappointed because this camp ground is a great place to disconnect and relax. Being forced to put away the devices is heaven in my mind. You can drive about 5+ minutes out and get cell service. Regarding rowdiness, of the 20+ times we’ve camped only twice was it a problem. 

  Also, this place is not glamping. The area is rural, so cows do moo at 6am, and kids are up even earlier. If you like to sleep in skip and rent a B&B. 

  Also if you want a better place to swim go to Mt.Tom state park about 10 minutes up the road. It’s a day use only park-no camping- but the lake is gorgeous and there are very few people there.

• L

  Lauren H.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  Peppertree Camping

  Amazing stay

  We had our very first camping experience with our new camper at this campground and it was everything we could have imagined and more. It’s a beautiful campground, the gentleman and his family who own it are sooooo nice and they helped us a lot when it came to learning how to properly use our camper. All the fellow campers that we met were extremely nice. It’s a quiet campground, located right on a river. My children spent hours in it playing and fishing. Looking forward to returning.

• 

  Laura D.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 10, 2024

  Brialee Family Campground

  Best Camping Experience

  This was our families first time staying at Brialee Campground.  The cabin was absolutely beautiful and clean.  The staff were friendly and helpful. The activities were great and kept my grand children busy.  Swimming and the lake were fun.  I cannot say enough wonderful things.  We had such a great time I booked my reservations for Next July 2025 before I left.

  A special thank you to Sherri for the personal tour and showing us the ropes!  She is the best.

  The D'Avanzo Family

• R

  Robert M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 10, 2024

  Strawberry Park

  Large campground with 3 pools, many amenities and scheduled activities

  Large campground with 3 pools, many amenities and scheduled activities

• 

  Eddy B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Whispering Pines Campground

  Fun for the family

  Great privately owned family campground. The pool, splash pad, live music and activities for the kids were great!

  AT&T service had only one bar. Couldn’t stream but worked for calls and texts. Campground WiFi was strong but as expected struggled to keep up on this busy 4th of July.

• 

  Beth R.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 5, 2024

  Mystic KOA

  Nice amenities

  Pros: 15 minutes from Mystic CT 50 AMP, sewer & water hookup Nice amenities

  Cons: Gravel site No shade Tight site & hard to get in/out for big rig

• M

  Michael

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  Charlie Brown Campground

  Riverside Delight!

  This was our first time visiting and my entire family enjoyed themselves so  much, that we've already reserved a site for a few weeks from now. Arts and crafts, tractor rides, and of course the tubing down the river. Lots of built in entertainment for the kids! The grounds were clean, the playground was nice, and the people were all friendly.  We did a late checkout for $5 extra, but the noon checkout and two dump stations would make leaving on time a non-issue as well. 

  Of note: We camped with friends, who were given a spot next to a large group of people (weekend prior to 4th of July is to be expected). The group were very polite and abided by quiet hours, but they were having fun and a bit loud for my buddy's 2 month of baby. They requested to move sites, and the management was super accommodating and apologetic. Helped him move his site and threw in some firewood for the troubles.

• 

  Jason L.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 27, 2024

  West Thompson Lake Campground

  Pleasantly surprised

  We had an excellent experience at this camp ground. The Staff and Rangers were polite and welcoming. We were able to see some boat races and played a round of disc golf on property. Once the boat races finished each day the camp was very quiet and peaceful. Had a great weekend

• 

  Theresa H.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 22, 2024

  West Thompson Lake Campground

  Great campground

  Came for the boat races, very relaxing weekend

• 

  Kerry G.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 21, 2024

  Odetah Camping Resort

  “Camp”grounds that discriminates against tent campers

  Odetah Camping Resort called us today 24 hours prior to our arrival- after 4 years of camping there- to cancel our site unless we rented an RV and didn’t use tents. We were allowed to book and had the booking for 4 months. I was on the phone with them while I booked for assistance since it’s a group booking for 16. I called later to book a cabana too. They never once said anything. Then they called 24 hours in advance because our reservation said tent and that’s not allowed. Then they charged us a cancellation fee. Even tho they cancelled ON US. 

  But my favorite part is them saying that the camping industry is moving to no longer allow tents. They think they are*kind* to still allow tents-a handful of sites on a rocky hill that don’t have electricity or water. So those with medical needs cannot use those sites. Those with mobility limitations cannot either. 

  WHAT?! 

  Camping= tents. Change your name if you are going to discriminate. Don’t worry tho, you can put on a tent NEXT TO an rv on the sites. You just cant put only a tent. 

  Their customer service was horrendous. The experience was horrendous. What a shame.

• 

  Topher L.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 14, 2024

  Black Rock State Park

  Great Place to Relax

  The staff greeted with warm welcomes and big smiles. Even when I arrived on a rainy Sunday. Stayed until Friday. And the grounds staff smiled and waved as they went by. The family next to me offered me dinner one night after I spent the whole day working on my RV. Spanish rice chicken the works the plate could barely hold it all. No body bothered me and I was right front and center. Kids riding around on the bikes and lots of laughter from other sites. It was nice. Was able to just relax and do some school work and watch some webinars and get some much needed work done. This was my first of many stops on my countrywide trip. From NJ originally. Spent almost a week here in CT hitting Hartford for the weekend then off to Rhode Island. It was great. No water or electric hookup but I have solar and a generator and they have a wash area for dishes and REALLY HOT showers. Lol I like my showers hot butt my biscuits were burnin lol. They also have a dump station and a place to fill up ur water tank as well. 5 star all the way. Side note...the map online is misleading. I thought site 1 was like away and sorta back by no one...ha noppeeee I was riiiight in the middle where EVERYONE saw me lmao. No tree cover or anything! Lol. All good tho. That was my own fault for not calling and asking lol helped me level up on my social anxiety 😂🫣🤗😅

• 

  Theresa H.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 11, 2024

  Devils Hopyard State Park

  Nice for a small campground

  This was our first stay at Devil’s Hopyard campground. We enjoyed our stay and were happy with our site. It was great to hike and see the waterfall.

• M

  Michael

  Traveler

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Nickerson Park Family Campground

  Quiet and friendly all around.

  We visited for a our kids' spring break. Not many campgrounds open that early here in CT. The staff were super pleasant and helpful, and were all working hard the entire time we were there to prep that campground for their official "opening weekend". 

  The sites were all clean and seemed well spaced. The kids loved the playground, and they were putting a fresh coat of paint on things while we were there. The river that flows the length of the campground seemed clean and awesome. Staffers and other campers said kids tube down it when it's warmer, then just hop out and walk back through the camp to start over again. 

  Walmart & Aldi's is 10-15 minutes away. Pizza places/breakfast spots in the same area as well. Lots of state land to explore nearby.

• 

  Ryan A.

  Guide

  

  May. 21, 2024

  Devils Hopyard State Park

  Good Location for Hiking, Lots of Garbage, Not Recommended

  Camped here on a Friday night in Site 16, yet another campground recommended in“Best Tent Camping: New England.” Overall I was not impressed. The campsites are right next to each other and are marked with posts. The sites are so close that the posts are marked with the site number on both sides which tells me that there has been confusion in the past.

  The sites along the creek mostly have worn paths to walk to it but it’s nothing impressive and I wouldn’t want to eat fish that came out of it. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, some have the kind where the top flips over and others have the moveable grate that goes up and down. There is a large dumpster in the campground and several porta-potties. The old outhouses have been permanently closed and locked shut. My campsite had a lot of trash in it, old tent stakes, plastic bottle caps, plastic fork, broken glass, etc. Not good.

  Some of the people there were camping in a group and were blasting music. I didn’t see a single park ranger the entire night so I’m not sure how often they police it. Someone in a pickup truck came into the campground, did a u-turn, and sped out at 30 mph which was really annoying and unsafe.

  Across the street from the campground is a trail to Chapman Falls, which will take less than 10 minutes to hike to, but it’s a pretty waterfall despite all the foam and garbage around it.

  This is a pretty basic campground and is nothing special. Out of all the sites I think 22 looked the best, it is more isolated and you can hear the waterfalls from it, which would be relaxing. The downside is that it’s right next to the entrance and road so you’ll get car headlights at night.

  I woke in the morning to a gray sky and hundreds of birds singing– it was my favorite part of the trip. I delayed getting up to enjoy the moment. I also didn’t see any ticks but I’m sure there are plenty based on other reviews.

  I’ve always thought that if states were condiments Connecticut would be mayonnaise– relatively unremarkable and bland. This campground fits that description perfectly.

• 

  Ryan A.

  Guide

  

  May. 15, 2024

  George Washington State Campground

  An OK Campground but not Great

  Camped out here for two nights after reading about this place in the"Best Tent Camping: New England" book. It's better than the other campgrounds in Rhode Island that I looked at (Burlingame, Fort Getty) but isn't my favorite campground. If you're not a Rhode Island resident the fee for most sites is$36/night. Is it worth it? Eh, probably not unless you're really jonesing to camp for a weekend in the Ocean State. 

  It does have some great things going for it, namely the hiking trails and views of the lake. There are some tent-only sites which are numbered T1-T5. I stayed in T5 and it was the best of the bunch because it had the most privacy and space, including a grassy area. The other tent-only sites were fairly small and if you go to any mixed use sites you run the risk of having an RV next to you. The A1-A7 sites are remote and hike in, but you're going to have to hike either 0.4 or 0.6 miles through some uneven terrain. The next best group of sites would be 19-24 which are on their own small loop near the lake. 

  The things I didn't like were the streetlights over the port-a-potties that shine all night. There is a manned gate where you check in and you have to get let into the campground during the day, but at night the gates are wide open and it seems like some people know this because there are a few oddballs around in the early morning. There is swimming at the lake but it looked way too dirty. 

  Overall the place was managed very well, the sites were cleanish and the grounds were taken care of. The employees drove by at least once an hour, I thought they were collecting trash from dumpsters but the only place with a dumpster is near the entrance. I couldn't figure out why they kept driving by so often. I had a good time, it was relaxing and scratched the camping itch.

• 

  Jake C.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 9, 2024

  Freedom Farm Homestead

  New to the Dyrt!

  Jake from the Dyrt here! We're excited to have this campground on the Dyrt and ready for you to book, check them out and make sure to leave a review!