Join the fun near Waterford. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Waterford is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Waterford, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
"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."
"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."
"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."
$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."
$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."
"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."
$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."
"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."
"Sites are nice and the restrooms/showers are the cleanest I’ve seen anywhere. Lots of fun at the beach, kayaking on the lake or just hanging at your site."
"Food sold on weekends at cabin restaurant with outdoor dining."
$17 - $50 / night
"Some of the site have 50A/20A electric hookups and there’s a dump station available.There’s a small boat ramp without trailer parking Neither pets nor alcohol are permitted."
"Well this is one of Connecticut's State Parks that offers camping, so we took advantage and made several new friends. We camped, swam, fished, hiked and picnic."
RangerDidn’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.
ScoutThis 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.
RangerGetaway 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!
GuidePros: 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.
RangerI’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.
TravelerClean, 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.
RangerHammonasset 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.
TravelerFairly large campground. Tent sites available but mostly RV/Campers. WiFi in common areas isn’t great so if you’re planning on working during some down time, this isn’t the place. Nice hiking around the area. Bathrooms are clean. Good for kids/families.
LegendI had a hankering for East Coast seafood, so I picked Hammonesett Beach State Park for Connecticut. Our 2nd state of 5.
Hammonesett Beach has a huge campground. They divide the loops with names. I unfortunately chose Pequot. This loop has THE WORST bathrooms/showers on the South side of the campground. Looks like they were built in 1950s with rotten wood siding. Dirty. The showers were outside the bathroom- there was a bench & hooks OUTSIDE! We found out all the other loops had modern bathhouses.
My first impression of this campground is it's loud, crazy busy & there's traffic noise from the beach road. I actually liked it! This is a fun campground for families. There were kids on bikes, scooters, skateboards,roller blades. Watch your speed! They don't always watch out for your car.
I found out most people stay through Sunday & leave on Monday. There were still lots of campers left. Lots of tent campers.
I chose site 14 on the Pequot Loop because I thought I would have a view of one of the ponds. There was tall vegetation, so that was out.
The sites on the other side of the loop were right by the main beach road. Noisy during the day, but quiet at night.
There are some sites with shade, but most are sunny.
There's no electricity at most of the sites. Our site was full sun(yay for the solar panel!). On Beach Road in the campground there's 2 rows of full hookup sites, but they go FAST! I tried.
NO PETS! Including dogs.
No WiFi, but there's cell service. At least 5 dump stations.
The beach was popular.
There was a stream running from a pond that kids were playing in.
They have a beautiful Nature Center. A couple of easy hikes through one of the preserves.
This was a good base camp for the area. Gillette Castle & other state parks are within driving distance. Connecticut is a beautiful state!!
Cabin camping near Waterford, Connecticut offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, allowing visitors to enjoy the great outdoors without sacrificing the conveniences of home.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Waterford, CT is Rocky Neck State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 23 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 39 cabin camping locations near Waterford, CT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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