Best Glamping near Old Town, ME

My wife and I stayed at Somes Sound for 4 nights on our Maine honeymoon trip in July. We absolutely loved our stay. We set up at camp site 9. Incredible view of the sound/water. Our site was large enough for a 12 person tent with plenty of room for pop up canopy and other gear. We had electricity and water right at the site. The staff is very friendly and informative. The campground has a heated pool which was nice after hikes and being out all day. The grounds also have a small quarry with a paddle boat you can use for free! It's a older boat but was nice to have for a quick boat ride. The bathrooms were some of our favorite we have used, the toilets are separated into their own rooms for maximum privacy. Hot showers are $1 for 5 minuets and were separated into their own rooms as well. Very clean. The campground also offers yurt camping and water sites, which are extremely close to the water and beautiful. We went down to the water at night and sat on the dock, it was an amazing experience with the stars and sky so clear. Kayak rentals are located right at the campground which was so convenient, the views were insane! The campground is located outside of Bar Harbor and is on the quiet side which we enjoyed just as much as Bar Harbor and Acadia. Highly recommend this campground for a getaway or family trip!

This campground is a slice of heaven. Owners are terrific, and although the campground seemed full, everyone was quiet and respectful. Lots of fun stuff for the kids including live music. Try to snag the oceanfront sites - they are incredible. Location is great too for exploring mid coast Maine.

Great campground. Bigger than we expected. Our site looked right over the water. Direct access to Maine's rocky shore. Everything you need to be comfortable including hot showers and bathrooms cleaned three times a day. A basic rec room, playground, beautiful gardens, clean sites. Rvs are so close together and some seasonal snobs, but also tent sites some drive up and some walk to more private/dispersed. Small store friendly staff. Some sites have a wooden deck for picnic area overlooking water. Laundry, wifi, made it an easy week. We had rain and wind a couple nights, tarp went over tent as not permitted in trees. Just fine. We will definitely be coming back.

Calling Searsport Ocean Shores a campground is a disservice. This is a community. Astrig and Steve take their time to personally know each guest and make everybody’s experience amazing. The grounds are beautifully kept, and gives the campground a magical, whimsical feel. The local artists take the time to explain their craft to the guests and especially the children. My children made some great friends and gained some beautiful memories here. On our way out we had some trouble with our electric entry steps. Steve and another member of the community came and helped us out until we were able to rectify the problem. We will definitely be back annually. Don’t skip out on this place, it is a must stay while in Maine!

Lamoine State Park represents the way most Maine state parks should operate. Way ahead of both Camden Hills and Cobscook with regard to cleanliness and upkeep. Showers were surprisingly good and often cleaned.

There are two non-reservable sites right on the Bay--- do try for one of those when you check in…just in case.

The public dock is an interesting spot to watch in the evening as boats are unloaded.

One more thing-- bring your charcoal for the grills along the Bayfront. 

RV's seem to be up higher on the hill while tents prevail lower down.

46 & 48 seem like good sites. Many sites are not level. Some also are grass covered rather than gravel so you might inquire if it is important to avoid a grassy site.

my husband and I were driving up to Maine for our 2nd anniversary trip. we hadn’t made any reservations- just kind of seeing where we’d end up. we’d read about this campsite before we left, and so we decided to just stop by and see if they had any available sites. now, this was the second week of July, so BEAUTIFUL weather (I don’t think it got above 80 all week). but we walked in and they immediately treated us like family. they set us up on a prime campsite right on the bay, and had amazing recommendations for things to do in the area. the atmosphere is sooooo friendly and laidback. the facilities are SPOTLESS. they have casual jam sessions every night around the bonfire (bring your instrument and they’ll fit you in!) and the lobster bake on Saturdays - don’t even get me started. if you only ever visit one site in your life, make it Searsport Shores!!! we can’t wait to go back!!

A magical place. This place is so much more than a beautiful campground nestled among gorgeous old growth trees located right on the shore. It’s also a treasure trove of arts of all kinds - fiber arts, metal sculptures, carvings, paintings, and music. We got lucky and stayed on a lovely weekend in September that featured a small, intimate festival and workshop of fiddlers, banjos, ukuleles, mandolins, and guitars jamming with old time and blue grass music. It’s also a place where people strike up friendly conversations, make friends, and enjoy interacting with Astrid and Steve the owners who jump into the arts, music, and other activities right alongside their guests. It’s also an organic garden with gorgeous flowers, heirloom tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers and a woof-burning pizza oven, fresh bread, homemade chowder, and the best scones in Maine. This place is magical and we would love to return - even for a full season. A new favorite special place.

My family and I (two adults, 14 yo and a 9 yo) just visited Searsport Shores for the first time again since our kids were very little and were so happy to be back! We were there during high camping season/post Covid so it was very busy (especially the RV sites) but still very peaceful and quiet at night. The tent sites are completely seperate from the RVs and are in the woods, beautifully maintained. Only con is the sites are very close together so privacy is an issue sometimes, but the whole campground has a very community feel to it and we've always met some awesome strangers to hang out with. It makes it great for any age kid, there are always tons of kids around. The gardens, grounds and bathroom/laundry amenities that are offered are kept in beautiful clean condition. The rec room is a large but cozy place to hang out if/when it rains, with a fireplace and cozy couches. Just an all around great Maine experience. And the views!! I can't even begin to describe the views over the bay. We've visited during two ful moons and it's breathtaking. We hope to return soon!

This is the first campground you can reach once you arrive in Mount Desert island. It 11 miles to Bar Harbor town proper and only 8.7 miles to the Hulls Cove Acadia National Park visitors center and the entrance to the Cadillac Mountain Summit Road.

The campground has a lobster cafe on premises with lobster rolls and lunch and breakfast items as well as lobster dinner and beer and wine. Our site was 225 just a stones throw from the beach and waterfront patio. Facing a western exposure over the water for a fabulous sunset view. There are several waterfront spots of you are luck enough to get one. I loved walking along the small beachfront looking for shells and beach glass (hard to find).

We visited in early October 2020 and the fall foliage was just beginning. A week later might have yielded even more fall colors. The weather was in the 60’s in daytime and 50’s at night. Mornings were crisp and sleep was pleasant if you have a good sleeping bag or wool blanket. There was heavy rain when we arrived. 2 days later there was light rain. Bring lots of layers and rain gear just in case.

People in Maine and visitors were very respectful wearing masks and social distancing even while hiking. Everyone was quiet and family oriented.

Koa store allows purchase of propane and camp wood bundles. Some sites have gray water disposal.

Hadley's Point is a private campground just outside Acadia National Park. This campground prides itself on being family-friendly and welcoming to pets.

Children are allowed to bike throughout the campground until dusk. While we stayed, there was a campground-wide Fourth of July bike parade. The kids loved it. 

Pets are welcome but cannot be abandoned in the motorhome when you leave. Plan to take your pet with you everywhere.

Hadley's Point offers laundry facilities, showers, a heated pool, cornhole, and shuffleboard. While the pool is heated, it is not hot -- or even very warm. But this is Maine we are talking about, and I'm sure that the water was warmer than it would otherwise have been. 

The campground is primarily designed to accommodate RVs and motorhomes. The large fields and open lots for RVs provide ample parking and the campground offered electricity as well as other hookups. 

Cute cabins offer cozy sleeping (but no running water) for visitors without tents or RVs. 

We brought our tent and felt a little like second-class citizens at this RV-focused campground. The tent sites were tiny. Our large van, tent, and screened-in pavilion covered the entire site, leaving very little walking space. Our site also lacked trees for shade and hammocks. 

Worse yet, the campground has an infestation of Black-Legged Deer Ticks -- the ticks responsible for Lyme disease. We found two on our son during our stay. I hope they treat for these ticks soon because it poses a huge risk to their campers. 

There is a lot of potential for this campground but they need to spray the grounds for ticks and create more comfortable sites. They could be awesome if they shifted their focus from trying to fit as many people as possible to creating a comfortable camping experience for all. 

Pros:

- Heated pool

- Bathrooms cleaned regularly

- Laundry

- Good price

- Good location

- Playground

- Kid and pet friendly

- Island Explorer Bus stops at the campground

Cons:

- Cramped sites

- Ticks

- Crowded

This is a hidden gem. We really enjoyed this campground and the good people staying there. I would go back and stay longer next time.

We stayed 7 nights in site # 24. We had water & electric and there is a dump station onsite. Our site was waterfront we were right off the beach. The site was level and had some shade. If you have a small camper you can pull in forward and your door opens to the water. I couldn't pull in I had to back in yet having the dinette overlooking the lake was nice. Everyone was so nice and helpful. The lake has 26.5 miles perimeter  and a maximum depth of 124'. We had loons come in close to our site. Saw an Eagle too. 

We sat our chairs in the water and cooled down everyday and floated on our noodles. Great relaxing place. 

The owners Shawn and Margaret do a nice job maintaining the campground and enjoy taking a dip at the swim beach like the rest of us. 

There is a playground, a nice area to keep kayaks if your not on the water.  There were adirondack chairs along the beach and the nice grassy area overlooking the lake. There are boat docks for smaller boats and some floating docks you can swim out to and enjoy. 

There is a small store where the office is and a group bonfire pit every evening many of the people gather there. 

There are some seasonal sites some are set up so nice. 

They offer a pump out service twice a week which is nice. 

The town of Ellsworth  has everything you need. Walmart, home depot, the Global beverage store, laundry places, and best of all Martha's Diner. The best eggs benedict with ham. Shawn recommended it.  Bangor isn't far either. 

There is a vintage/antiques place called Relics that has great finds. 

Dorr Lobster and seafood market serves lobster & crab rolls and sells fresh seafood. We bought some cooked, picked lobster meat and made lobster Alfredo for dinner.  Very tasty! 

Finn's Irish pub is good to. we had a good meal there it's on Main street. My husband had corned beef and cabbage I had Shepherds pie. 

We found a great mobile Repairman that fixed our slide out while we were there. It broke the 2nd week of June and we couldn't find anyone to fix it. His name is Chris Burbelo his number is (207) 322-4526. He did a great job it was a cable slide and we'd had the motor & gear replaced before we left florida. It wasn't bolted to the wall correctly & it tore from the wall broke the chains and the cables all went slack. We spent 2 months with the slide stuck in. Chris works at a RV place in service and does side work on his spare time. He did several things for us and did a great job. Worth a million!

Thank you Shawn and Margaret for the great experience and Chris B for fixing our slide out.

This is a nice campground located close to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The campground does not take reservations so you can pick whatever open site you want and if you want to extend your stay, you can. When you arrive, you get a map, find an empty site, get set-up and then go back to the office to register. Once you’re in the park if you want a different site that has a better view or FHU’s, the best thing to do is drive or walk around the section you are interested in and if you see someone packing up put a personal item (chair, table cloth, etc.). Then head to the office and let them know what site you are moving to. Weird system but it seems to work as this is how things have always been done. All different types of sites are available from FHU, electric/water, or privative sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are some sections that are nicely wooded which is great for the shade in the summer and to add a little privacy. Other sites are right on the ocean with great views but these sites are pretty close together and hard to get since the campground is first come, first served. Roads in the park are paved but some corners can be a little tight for big-rigs, best to unhitch your tow car up front in case you have to back up. The camp hosts do a great job of keeping the campground clean and were always out and about cleaning sites, fire pits, and the bathrooms.

This campground is in a good location right off Route 3 and a short drive to Bar Harbor. There is the Island Explorer (free) shuttle that have various routes and stops on Mount Desert Island and Acadia NP. The shuttle stops at the campground so you can hitch a ride downtown or to the park and not have to worry about parking.  The shuttle has a bike rack so you can bring your bike and pets are allowed.  The campground is very clean with no litter and well-maintained. The bathrooms were very clean showers are 25 cents/5 minutes. There is a really nice large swimming pool perched right along the water, nice little nature trails/dog walking areas, laundry, game room, shuffleboard, playground, water access, arcade, and more. 

Just outside the campground (within walking distance) is Utter Heaven an ice cream shop and Mainely Meat a BBQ joint. Across the street is a Pirates Cove– a mini golf course on steroids. During the summer season this place is really busy but calms down when kids go back to school.