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Best Cabin Camping near South Lyme, CT

360 Reviews

Rustic cabin rentals dot the Connecticut shoreline within a short drive of South Lyme. Niantic KOA provides cabins with essential furnishings, including small refrigerators and bunk beds. Rocky Neck State Park Campground offers more primitive cabins situated along a pond with two sets of bunks but no mattresses. At Mystic KOA, visitors find deluxe cabins with linens, cookware, utensils, kitchen essentials, and full-sized refrigerators. "Didn't quite feel like camping, but it was still a lovely weekend away at the Mystic KOA. We decided to head down to check out the aquarium and stayed at a deluxe cabin. It was cute and clean and furnished with linens, cookware, utensils, kitchen essentials, keurig coffee maker/pods, and full-sized fridge," according to a camper. Hammonasset State Park Campground has cabin options within walking distance of beach areas.

Reservation requirements vary significantly between campgrounds. Burlingame State Park Campground in nearby Rhode Island maintains 20 rustic cabins without mattresses that require early booking. KOA-style cabins typically come with electricity and some form of climate control while state park cabins are more basic. Pet policies differ by location, with many KOA properties allowing pets in select cabins but state parks often prohibiting them entirely. Seasonal availability affects cabin access, as most state park facilities operate from May through September or October. "This campground is very close to our home. Our family has camped here multiple times. Pre pandemic it was less busy. Now, most every site is full. If you are looking for a site it's best to book far in advance," noted one visitor regarding Hammonasset State Park.

Most basic cabins include only sleeping platforms and limited furniture. Visitors must bring their own bedding, pillows, cooking equipment and food supplies. Deluxe cabins at KOA locations provide more amenities but still require personal items and food. Cooking options range from outdoor fire rings at primitive cabins to full kitchenettes in deluxe models. Riverdale Farm Campsites advises bringing containers for leftovers. While many campgrounds operate small stores with essentials like firewood and ice, groceries require a short drive to nearby towns. Some cabins at Odetah Camping Resort, Wolf's Den Family Campground, and Aces High RV Park feature partial or full kitchens, which may reduce the need for extensive meal planning.

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Detours Nearby

Hidden Acres Campground

Hidden Acres Campground

26 min away

Shinnecock East County Park

Shinnecock East County Park

1 hr 50 min away

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Best Cabin Sites Near South Lyme, Connecticut (41)

    1. Rocky Neck State Park Campground

    23 Reviews
    South Lyme, CT
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (860) 739-1339

    "every campsite has its own fire pit with a grill attachment and a picnic table. my site was tent only and you couldn’t pull your car up to the site so unloading and loading was a hassle. beach is a short"

    "Park staff were very friendly and helpful. Stayed on an inner loop site at Heron and found it very difficult to back in my small trailer due to the alignment of the sites and other vehicles."

    2. Hammonasset State Park Campground

    39 Reviews
    Clinton, CT
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (203) 245-1817

    $20 - $70 / night

    "Running water and full bathrooms. Also close local shopping and restaurants. Campground is extremely reasonably priced."

    "_Hammonasset Beach State Park Campground is huge, family-friendly, and has direct beach access from the campground."

    3. Niantic KOA

    13 Reviews
    South Lyme, CT
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (860) 739-9308

    "This KOA Niantic CT location is about 2 hours from home. It was the perfect place (not far from home) to practice.  "

    "His place in Niantic Connecticut very close to downtown and the beach which they have a shuttle for. The staff is very friendly, courteous and knowledgeable of the area."

    4. Aces High RV Park

    6 Reviews
    Montville, CT
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 739-8858

    $74 - $80 / night

    "Pet friendly with plenty of area to walk. Close to I-95 and 15 minutes from the beach. fishing areas for the kids. Spots are well organized and no issues with hookups."

    "Pull through sites also have lots of space between them so you don't feel like you are on top of the neighbors."

    5. Wolf's Den Family Campground

    7 Reviews
    Hadlyme, CT
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 873-9681

    "This place is off Route 9 in Connecticut on the east side of the Connecticut River (major RT 9 highway is on west side)."

    "Mini golf, pool, tennis, basketball, volleyball, lots of playgrounds for the kids. Family oriented park. Bingo, board games, and other activities available. Honey wagon available. Grey dump at site."

    6. Riverdale Farm Campsites

    11 Reviews
    Clinton, CT
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 669-5388

    "The lake is perfect, the river needs work. But this an awesome small campground. The kids who work here are so friendly and the playground is nice."

    "Decent location, not overrun with seasonal campers. We stayed for 3 nights, kids loved the area and playground. Wi-Fi was not so great unless we paid $6 a day for premium access."

    7. Odetah Camping Resort

    13 Reviews
    Bozrah, CT
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 889-4144

    "Tucked away in the woods I never knew this was there! Beautiful pond and a good mix of seasonal and overnight sites as well as cabins. Plenty of areas to walk our dogs and have them swim."

    "The lake is great!! The pool area is a little small, but the attraction is the lake. The splash area at the pool is great for little kids."

    8. Burlingame State Park Campground

    50 Reviews
    Charlestown, RI
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (401) 322-8910

    $18 / night

    "There's a small beach at the pond, a boat ramp, and proximity to wildlife refuges and the ocean. It's a HUGE campground, with 700 sites and 20 cabins. Canoes are available to rent."

    "Burlingame is a HUGE state park campground with over 700 sites. The location is fantastic, but with this many sites (so, with this many people), there are bound to be pros and cons."

    9. Mystic KOA

    24 Reviews
    North Stonington, CT
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 599-5101

    "The only drawback is the proximity to Interstate 95. You can hear the highway very well at night, particularly in the safari field."

    "This campground is just 15-minutes from Mystic and about an hour’s drive to Newport, Rhode Island."

    10. Strawberry Park

    13 Reviews
    Griswold, CT
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 886-1944

    $60 - $120 / night

    "Plenty of open space a dog park area. 3 pools a kiddie pool and outdoor in ground hot tub. Golf cart rentals. Very clean and accommodating"

    "Kids had fun on the many play grounds. It was a bit too cold outside but the pools and hot tubs looked nice. Splash pad was clean and used by kids. Lots of roads to bike on and walk dogs."

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Recent Cabin Photos near South Lyme, CT

33 Photos of 41 South Lyme Campgrounds

Cabin Reviews near South Lyme, CT

360 Reviews of 41 South Lyme Campgrounds

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 1, 2020

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    Huge campground, not many level sites.

    I've never camped in Rhode Island, so I was curious to see what a state park campground had to offer. Rates are reasonable for state residents, but quite high if you are out-of-state, given the amenities. There are no hookups, but dump stations are available. Bathrooms have flush toilets and coin-operated showers. There's a small beach at the pond, a boat ramp, and proximity to wildlife refuges and the ocean. It's a HUGE campground, with 700 sites and 20 cabins. Canoes are available to rent.

    There's a nice playground, a camp store, and a naturalists cabin. Trails are available for hiking and biking. The beach is sandy and there's a small parking lot there, but I suspect most people walk to it. No alcohol allowed. 

    I didn't see more than a handful of level sites, with varying degrees of slope, but many are quite large. If you have an RV, plan to level; if you have a tent, be sure to bring good mattresses to protect you from the roots and rocks and orient your head to the uphill side. Most of the sites have some degree of visual separation from their neighbors, but there are places where it's hard to tell where one site ends and the next one starts. Site have fire rings and picnic tables, but if you plan to cook over the fire, bring your own grate or plan to use sticks and/or aluminum foil. 

    If you don't have a tent, consider reserving one of their rustic cabins. These offer two sets of bunks (no mattresses) and a small porch with a picnic table and fire ring outside. Some are located along the pond.

    3-4 bar cell phone coverage. No road traffic. East Beach is nearby, but parking fills early.

  • M
    Mar. 18, 2017

    Black Rock State Park Campground

    A nice family friendly campground

    This is a nice family friendly campground that makes for easy trips. There are a variety of sites available, from open field sites to more wooded and private areas. The campground also has a lake for swimming,trails for hiking, and some nice quiet areas for fishing. Well maintained bathrooms, with available showers, are also spread throughout the grounds. Not pet friendly unfortunately.

  • Rachel P.
    Jun. 12, 2022

    Mystic KOA

    Awesome Sunsets at the Mystic KOA

    Didn’t quite feel like camping, but it was still a lovely weekend away at the Mystic KOA. We decided to head down to check out the aquarium and stayed at a deluxe cabin. It was cute and clean and furnished with linens, cookware, utensils, kitchen essentials, keurig coffee maker/pods, and full-sized fridge. Only complaint was an odd, musty smell we couldn’t quite figure out.

    The grounds are large with vast amounts of space. Be forewarned that it’s right off of 95, and the sound definitely carries. Trees are sparse in areas, but the sunsets were a nice trade off. Amenities seemed nice from what we could tell - cool outdoor movie screen, pools and playground, though we certainly didn’t get to enjoy these things in February.

  • S
    Sep. 17, 2016

    Hammonasset State Park Campground

    Great Beach

    This campground has great sites with great beach access. Running water and full bathrooms. Also close local shopping and restaurants. Campground is extremely reasonably priced. You have to book early as this Campground books extremely quickly during peak season.

  • Rachel P.
    Jun. 15, 2022

    Getaway Machimoodus

    First Time Glamper!

    Getaway is fabulous! My first glamping experience was a winner! Machimoodus is one of the newest outposts just outside Boston and NYC. My bf and I went during one of the snowiest weekends all winter, but it was completely worth it!

    First of all, the huge picture window in the cabin is AMAZING. It is just so rejuvenating waking up to freshly fallen snow on the trees - corny I know, but 100% accurate. The cabin was beautiful and rustic, and outfitted with cookware, dishes, a Bluetooth capable radio, essentials like coffee for purchase, books and a shovel for the snow.

    Since the outpost was new, the fire pit was brand new, and despite the snow, we were able to cook on it. Very easy to use.

    Only critiques would be the lackluster water pressure in the shower and how icy the walkway leading up from the driveway got in the cold weather. The water pressure was a small price to pay, however, and the icy walkway is resolved easily enough wearing micro-spikes.

    I can’t recommend enough. It can be a pricy excursion, but the outposts are established in very beautiful settings. I cannot wait to check out more!

  • Linsey S.
    Sep. 13, 2021

    Mystic KOA

    Wasp Breeding Ground!

    Pros: Helpful staff, morning garbage pickup, excellent laundry facility, plenty of activities and amenities for children. Cons: Wasps!! Wasps everywhere!! We did our best to keep them at bay by lighting some sage but they were persistent. Not much privacy back in the tent/cabin areas, camp sites very close together and people have the ability to stare right into your site.

  • N
    Aug. 15, 2020

    Rocky Neck State Park Campground

    Shady Spot walking distance from Beach

    I’ve lived in CT all my life but never used the Rocky Neck State Park Campground until now.

    The campgrounds are named after water fowl: Crane, Egret, Osprey, Heron etc...We stayed in Egret. We camped at site #4 (sunny) then moved to #38 (shady).

    Both spots were quiet, music low and people minded their business. Equal mix of RVs big and small as well as many tents.

    Bathhouses and toilets were not as cleaned as I would have liked but passable. Coronavirus social distancing required.

    Sites include one paved parking spot (ours was very muddy) a fire pit and a picnic table. No water or electric hookup. Wi-fi not available at this campground. Fire wood is sold at camp office. There is no store in park - no ice either.

    A lot of you children. Short walk to Rock Neck beach. Nature Center has movies on weekends for kids.

    Anyone with kayaks can’t easily get to boat launch. It’s 4-5 miles by car at 4 mile river boat launch. See photos.

  • Tom S.
    Dec. 10, 2021

    Aces High RV Park

    Nice campground

    Clean, family friendly campground. Pet friendly with plenty of area to walk. Close to I-95 and 15 minutes from the beach. fishing areas for the kids. Spots are well organized and no issues with hookups. Propane is available at the store.

  • Trip Over Life
    May. 28, 2018

    Hammonasset State Park Campground

    large family friendly campground with beach access

    Hammonasset Beach State Park Campground is huge, family-friendly, and has direct beach access from the campground. There is no lifeguard on duty at the campground beach but lifeguards patrol the beach a mile or so north within the park. Smaller (car-top) boats can be launched from this area as well.

    The campsites do NOT include a fire pit (or grill). You must bring your own or there are fire tub rentals available at the campground store.

    The park includes a Nature Center complete with exhibits and activities, and hiking trails. Bald eagles can be seen on the nature reserve.

    Expect long lines at the state park entrance fee station on the weekend if the weather is nice.

Guide to South Lyme

Cabin camping near South Lyme, Connecticut offers access to the Long Island Sound shoreline with seasonal water temperatures ranging from 60°F in spring to 73°F in summer. The region features a humid continental climate, with distinct summer and winter seasons. Most campgrounds remain open from early May through October, closing during winter months when temperatures drop below freezing.

What to do

Beach access: 2-mile walk to Rocky Neck State Park beach from Niantic KOA. "Nice campground, friendly people and staff. Really nice that you can walk to the trails/beach and Rocky Neck. Bathrooms could be nicer, but not bad," notes Matt R.

Blueshell crabbing: Bring raw chicken wings and kite string at Rocky Neck State Park Campground. "This beach road leads you to a wonderful overlook where lots of people take their kids crabbing for Blueshells. There are size regulations so be careful. The regs are posted," advises John D.

Explore historic Niantic: Follow signs to downtown via Route 156 for restaurants and shopping. "During inclement weather some campers leave the park. We always recommend taking a right out of the park onto east bound Route 156. Follow into downtown Niantic for restaurants, an Irish pub, or a movie. Nice village area, and pedestrian friendly," shares a Rocky Neck visitor.

What campers like

Clean bathrooms with dishwashing stations: Many Wolf's Den Family Campground visitors appreciate the facilities. "Nice camp ground in the woods near hadlyme. Good access to shared drinking water, restrooms and dishwashing stations," reports Bill K.

Fishing pond access: Multiple campgrounds offer fishing opportunities at Aces High RV Park. "Clean, family friendly campground. Pet friendly with plenty of area to walk. Close to I-95 and 15 minutes from the beach. Fishing areas for the kids," notes Tom S.

Free honey wagon service: Several campgrounds provide waste tank pumping. "No sewer hook up, but they do provide a honey wagon pump service, once, free of charge. They say you can request additional pumps for a fee, if necessary," explains Bernie C. about Niantic KOA.

What you should know

Seasonal closures: Most campgrounds operate May-October in the South Lyme area. "Season: May 26 to September 29" is the operating schedule for Rocky Neck State Park.

Traffic congestion: Expect delays at state park entrances during summer weekends. "If you can, stay away from the front gates during the typical peak arrival/departure times. Traffic jams occur, partly because you're also in-line with the car loads of beach goers. The beach and beach parking lots fill to capacity. Weekends are the worst," cautions a Rocky Neck State Park visitor.

Beach crowds: Arrive early to secure spots at Hammonasset State Park Campground. "Books up quickly, right near the beach. Be sure to check out the ice cream shop and bring your stakes! Good old fashion camping. Fantastic place for Labor Day weekend too!" advises Michelle D.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular cabin campsite near South Lyme, CT?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near South Lyme, CT is Rocky Neck State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 23 reviews.

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