Best RV Parks & Resorts near Barnstable Town, MA

We chose this park due to its location close to downtown Newport (a mere five miles). There is a lot to do in this area and we wanted to spend time sightseeing. The other camping option, which did appeal to us, was Fishermen’s Memorial State Park but it was a good 30-40 minutes away from downtown Newport and required paying bridge tolls so we decided to give Melville Ponds a go. There is another RV park closer to downtown but it seemed more like a parking lot not very appealing. Melville Ponds worked out the best for us because it was adjacent to a county park with wooded hiking trails, a large pond and an off-leash dog park which were very appealing because of our dog.

The park has over 100 sites and spread out over many acres. Roads are gravel and easy enough any size RV to navigate. Some sites are set beneath large trees in an attractive wooded setting while others are in an open grassy area with pads being both gravel and grass. The park is a mix of seasonal and transient campers. Site types include full hook-up (max 30 amp), water/electric only, dry camping, and a large tent section. There is a dump station located at the entrance to the park and gray water dump stations are spread among sites without sewer. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. The bathrooms and shower house are located in the middle of the park and were very clean. There is a small camp store, large playground, basketball court, and open air covered pavilion with picnic tables.

We chose a site in the open because the winds were projected to be 40-50 mph while we were there and we did not want falling branches on the coach. Our site (F4) had 30 amp and water. Satellite reception (Dish TV) was good and we were able to get a number of air antenna channels. The section that we were in was very big rig-friendly and one site that can be used as a pull-thru.   

The park is open from April 15th to November 15th. Prices vary depending on the season, if you have a weekly/monthly rate, and the type of hook-ups you want. We paid $38/night for water and 30 amp service.

The park is located within 1/2 mile of restaurants, gas stations, grocery, shopping, and more. Downtown historic Newport is a 10-minute drive away and you are only 35 minutes from Providence.  There is definitely lots to do in Newport and Providence. You can tour 70-room mansions, visit the beach, brush up on tennis history at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum, watch boats cruise in and out of a beautiful harbor, shop, eat at fabulous restaurants, and gawk at the charming historic homes. 

The location of this park was great for what we were doing – not too far from Newport but in a nice quiet section of town. The distance between sites was far enough that you did not feel cramped or on top of your neighbor. The nearby hiking trail was perfect for our dog and while it was just a few miles long, it was great because it was within walking distance and she could swim in the pond. The close proximity of restaurants was an added bonus.

We stayed in the premium pull through sites here. The whole campground is gorgeous. You’ll notice how clean and quiet it is right when you first arrive. Check in was under a minute; the staff already had everything prepared which made it super simple. The premium sites have no shade and are a little close to the neighbors. However, they have great paver stone patios and fire pits. They also had a slight downhill slope so it required some extra blocks to level out. Overall, the whole place is a great campground. Plenty of hiking within walking distance and a short drive to all local attractions. Plenty of amenities and a modest camp store as well. I’ll be back for sure.

General: Over 450 sites (tent 20 amp w/e; 30 amp w/e; 30 amp w/e/s; 50 amp w/e/s; 50 amp w/e; 30, 50 or premium seasonal) 

Site Quality: Generally good. Sites are gravel. We had originally reserved Site 98 but there was a large rock and tree roots making it challenging to position our van. We were able to move to Site 95 which was much better. Each site has a picnic table and rock firepit. Trees provide some amount of privacy between many sites. 

Bath/Shower house: Spotlessly clean. The cleaning schedule indicates it is cleaned three times daily. 

Activities/Amenities:

*Some are seasonal and were closed when we were there in October. These include three pools, a food truck, coffee, and ice cream.

* Others include a pristine laundry room (but you have to purchase a laundry card, so one load is a minimum of $10), shuffleboard, playground, tennis/pickleball, volleyball, basketball, horseshoe pit, soccer and baseball fields, firewood and propane fill, free cable and WiFi, dog park. I’ve probably forgotten a few but you get the idea… 

We chose this campground because of its proximity to the Woods Hole ferry terminal. It is not our typical preferred campground but for one night in the off-season, it was very pleasant. It is billed as a family-friendly campground, and I imagine it would be very different during high season. We gladly forgo seasonal amenities for a quieter stay. The staff was very present and welcoming. Note that it is located on a busy highway and if you are approaching from the south, the turn into the campground is hair-raising! There is some road noise at some sites but not for most of them.

This campground is on the banks of the Cape Cod Canal and owned and operated by the Bourne Recreational Authority. The park has a “state park” kind of feel but with amenities you would find at a private park. There is a wide diversity of activities including fishing, hiking, scheduled activities, a recreation hall with video games and jukebox, and store (outfitted with groceries, ice cream, beverages, and other miscellaneous items). The park is quite large with 465 sites, some of which have views of the canal. 

Bourne Scenic Park is conveniently located near many of Cape Cod’s attractions including beaches, golf courses, historic landmarks, restaurants and shopping. The park is approximately one hour from Boston, Providence and a 30 minute ride to the ferry terminal taking you to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. Closer to the park is downtown Bourne and Buzzards Bay which are just five minutes away and have groceries, fuel, restaurants, shopping, etc. The glass museum in the nearby town of Sandwich is very interesting with live glass blowing demonstrations. You can tour the Cape Cod Chip factory which makes delicious kettle chips.

There are 465 RV sites to choose from that are water/electric (30/50 amp)/cable or no hook-up/tent sites. There are also lodges (with water, electric, cable) and rustic cabins. Of those 465 sites, 50% of them can be reserved for the entire season (April 1st – October 30th) which is nice if you want to stay long-term.  No sites have sewer; however, grey water dump stations are randomly placed throughout the campground and can be accessed with a garden hose. Some roads were paved while others were gravel/sand. Sites and patios were grass, sand, or gravel. There are six pull-thrus and the rest are back-ins. The one thing we did notice was that the site layout in some areas is not traditional meaning they are not all in the same direction and configuration. Some sites run parallel while the next one runs perpendicular. Restrooms and showers are spread throughout the park and were clean. There is a dump station located close to the park exit. 

Leveling was not an issue for us in our site (C-25) but the majority of sites would be a problem for a motorhome to get level without the aid of blocks. In fact, some sites were ridiculously unlevel and took a scary amount of blocks. We choose a pull-thru because of our length. Utilities were well-placed and all worked well. The cable hook-up yielded 99 channels. Campsites have a picnic table and fire pit. There was no wifi but our Verizon phone picked up a strong signal.

This park has lots of amenities - there are two pools, hiking/biking trails, playground, basketball courts, camp store/restaurant, pavilion, and picnic area. The park has live music on Saturday nights and various other activities like sack races and scavenger hunts. We liked that this park had a paved hiking/biking path and was big enough for a good walk. It was in a great location for exploring the Cape and the towns of Sandwich, Hyannis, Buzzards Bay and more. 

The people in the office were super nice and helpful finding us a site. They gave us a map with all available sites for our size and let us drive around to decide. Our site was nice with a large patio and while we were there just before the park closed for the season it was very quiet. 

We were there in the off season and enjoyed that very few people were in the park but we got the feel this place could be really busy in the summer. The park is a little pricey at $48/night but you are on the Cape so they can command that. 

Dog owners will appreciate the paved trail that runs the length of the canal and easily accessible from the campground. There were a couple of hiking trails thru the woods that we found which served well for a dog walk. There is no off-leash dog park but the park is plenty big enough for a long dog walk.

Found this campground last minute on way down road. We have a 40' 5th wheel (big rig) with 4 slide outs. Would have prob been in a Walmart parking lot, IF the mngr, Karen, wasn't so AWESOME!!! I called after hours to Sun RV Resorts corporate office. They got ahold of this great campground mngr, who called me back within a hour or so, while we were still on I-95. She happily agreed to let us head on in well after dark at almost 10pm. Came over, from her nearby home, to welcome us at gate with a super friendly, upbeat smile and a gift kit for our pup. Made us feel so WELCOME! Led us, via her car, to our open, pull-thru spot & said coffee would be on at 8am. She was so accommodating to our needs & multiple schedule changes. We wound up staying another night. She was like a cheerleader for us to have a great time. THANK YOU SO MUCH KAREN...you're the best! She made our experience here what it was...terrific! It must be noted, that this is an extremely large, full, town-like campground, packed full of mostly permanent seasonals, or full time occupant spaces. I do imagine that at high season, it is prob an absolute zoo, with noise & kids everywhere. We were there in late October (during COVID), so very quiet. Located in nice area, directly across road from beach on Nantucket Sound.

My family of three recently stayed there for six nights (site 57). As many have already mentioned, the campground is quiet, especially after 10pm. Everything is well maintained and clean. Well situated within Brewster, with a great small grocery store a two minute walk from the campground entrance. Centrally located to the sites and ports along the Cape (about 45 min to Provincetown, 35 min to Woods Hole for MV ferry). Reasonably priced for the location and campground amenities. The owner’s adult daughter is your main poc, but all the staff are incredibly helpful and can recommend things to see while on the Cape.

The showers/bathrooms were always very clean. The showers offered plenty of hot water and water pressure (these aren’t your typ state park showers!). Laundromat available at both bathhouses. I might add super hot dryers, so $1 and 20 min will dry most things. $3 for a standard washing machine load.

Lots of sites to select from. Most seem relatively easy to get into, based on the rigs there. Sites are level and ground cover is either grass, gravel, or wood chips. Didn’t notice bare ground at the sites. Ample variety of hookups from water only to full service. Good cell service (AT&T); free Wi-Fi offered by campground but a little weak in the back area near 57.

Only gripes I had was the lack of vegetation screening between my site and others, but suggest calling the camp host to get recommendations for a site that offers better privacy. Also, and admittedly this may be the nature of sharing a campground with big rigs, people typically leave on their travel trailer/class A exterior floodlights/amber lights till late in the evening. With the limited vegetative screening, and the tiered campsites due to the campground’s topography, it was hard for us to enjoy a naturally dark campsite while trying to enjoy a campfire. As mentioned, alternative sites there may not have this issue so call the staff beforehand.

We’ll definitely be back to this great campground that has been in business for more than 50 years!