Winter Island Park
Nice location if enjoy walks by the ocean. Staff is very friendly. Bathrooms and showers could use some work.
Boston Harbor Islands State Park Campground houses a collection of yurts on Peddocks Island, offering a top-rated glamping campsite experience just a ferry ride from downtown Boston. The six yurts feature comfortable bunk beds with mattresses, electricity, ceiling fans, indoor tables with benches, and outdoor grills for a refined outdoor stay. One reviewer highlighted, "The yurts have bunk beds, a floor lamp, a table inside, a picnic table outside and a grill. Just getting to the island is a fun adventure." These accommodations provide the perfect balance of comfort and nature, with running water available nearby and composting toilets accessible to all yurt guests. Additional glamping options in the region include Normandy Farms Campground, which boasts luxury safari tents and yurts with premium amenities like heated pools, pristine bathrooms, and full hookups.
The Boston Harbor Islands experience includes exploration of historic forts, rocky shorelines, and scenic trails with spectacular sunset views over the city skyline. A visitor noted, "Sitting on the beach watching the sun set over Boston was awesome and made everything entirely worth it." Inter-island ferries allow glampers to visit multiple islands during their stay, with opportunities for swimming, hiking, and discovering remnants of military history. Advance reservations are essential, as these unique glamping accommodations book quickly, especially during summer months when the park is open. For those seeking eco-friendly glamping campsites near Boston, these island yurts provide sustainable options with minimal environmental impact while still offering comfort amenities. At Normandy Farms, glamping guests enjoy resort-style experiences with four swimming pools, disc golf, bike parks, and comprehensive activity programs throughout their stay.
"Staff is great. Lots of room for big rigs. Tent spots are shady while other ones are sunnier. They have rentals such as log cabins/ A-frames to rent also. Hot tubs and pools too!"
"The staff was positive and helpful and that made a difference for me. I traditionally dry camp or go for semi hooked up on purpose, I just like the quieter camping."
from $50 - $200 / night
"No water on this site but there is electricity. Several options for bathrooms and all have hot running water."
"The campground offers RV sites, some with hookups, as well as more walk-in secluded tent sites as well as one yurt tent. The campground is peaceful and quiet, although adjacent to a very busy AFB."
"You may choose to leave from Long Wharf, near the Aquarium T stop on the Blue line, or from Hingham, with overnight parking available."
"The ranger showed us two spots that we could camp at but they had no grills. We chose a smaller but more secluded spot."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $8 - $55 / night
"We spent a weekend here on a tent site close to the beach. There was no parking at our site, but the parking lot was only 25 yards away so it was not an issue."
"Each site has a grill and shade.you can bring your pets and campfires need to be off the ground. There was 2 weddings while we where their."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $60 / night
"Had a gas grill, table and chairs, a glider and fire pit."
"Site 309 Pull thru with fire-pit , cement pad gas grill , chairs and table ,level site with grass for dog not all sandy Lots shade trees"
from $20 - $50 / night
"Cape ann has everything you need for an easy, hassle free camp experience. It’s right off the main road, checking in is quick and employees are helpful."
"Beautiful campsite, nice sized sites surrounded by trees so it felt pretty private. Bathrooms and showers well maintained, 25 cents for 5 minute shower."
from $36 - $44 / night
"Tons of hiking trails. Picnic tables and fire pit at each site. The folks a few miles down the road by the rotary sell giant piles of wood for $10. They do not have an on site store or sell firewood."
"Secluded sites portable composting johns throughout. Central bathhouse very clean with pay shower. Gated camp. Website has wrong address Nice beach"
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $18 - $75 / night
"Hot showers were awesome (.25 cents per 3 minutes) and the stone fire pits were a hit."
"Our patio area was fairly large with no other sites next to it, just a road. We chose a 50A/water pull thru site and the electric was good at 124 volts on each leg."
from $50 - $110 / night
"The campground doesn't have hook ups, but there is a dump station with water and water available around the loops. The lower part of the camp ground is set up in different loops."
"The staff were really friendly and helpful, gave us a map to our site and sold us a couple of bundles of chemical free wood to burn for only about $5."
from $17 - $35 / night











Nice location if enjoy walks by the ocean. Staff is very friendly. Bathrooms and showers could use some work.
Amazing amenities and activities here. Staff is great. Lots of room for big rigs. Tent spots are shady while other ones are sunnier. They have rentals such as log cabins/ A-frames to rent also. Hot tubs and pools too!
I’m not going to lie this was a little tricky for big rigs to get to, but with lots of patience and skillful driving, it is doable. Salem is an old New England town so there are many narrow streets and some low clearances. Follow the directions on the parks website as they are designed for RVs– don’t use Google Maps unless you are a small camper. Even getting into the park is kind of challenging because of the way the entrance is laid out with the entrance booth and some low hanging trees. This campground is in a municipal park with a marina, beach, a short walking trail, and picnic areas. The campground has different sections and totally different feels to them. We arrived on a weekend and section we were in the section which is in the parking lot of a busy marina. The parking lot was half full which made for navigating our 45’ bus into our site pretty hard.
No sites have fire pits but you can have a fire if you bring your own above ground pit. Tent sites have picnic tables but nothing else. Some sites you can drive to and have a car onsite and others are non-vehicle access sites (11, 17, 18, 25, 26, 27& 38) in which you have to park in a parking lot. Some RV sites have great water views and others are in a back gravel lot. In my opinion, the best RV sites are 12-16(A-D) because they have a water view. Sites 16B-D are a little tricky for big-rigs to get into because of the tight space. Our site (#13) had a slight downhill slope. We pulled in forward so we could have a view of the harbor which meant the utilities (water electric only) were in the front of our site but we were able to reach without an extension cord. We loved watching the action in the harbor. There is a gazebo by the water which we enjoyed siting under and watching boats go in and out of the harbor while it rained.
There is a nice sandy beach onsite which attracts a lot of day use vistors. The grounds are interesting to walk around as the water views are nice and there is an old fort to explore. Nearby town of Salem Willows is(about½ mile away) is a cute old seaside town with restaurants and arcades. They have a Bluebike rental station which is an easy way to get downtown and explore the area if you don’t have a car.
This is a nice, clean, well-maintained campground for RV and tenting. The campground is located on Route 1 which means you are convenient to a lot of things but there is lots of traffic. Half the campground is seasonal/long term campers and the other side is mostly transients. The roads and campsites are fine crushed gravel with nice grassy patios. The campground is very well maintained (the best part being that the mower collects they cut the grass so no clippings get tracked in your camper). There are some mature trees that provide shade but don’t impede navigating in and out of sites or impacting slide outs.
Campsites range from tent with water/electric to RV water/electric and RV full hook-up 50-amp and full hook-up 30-amp. There are three bathhouses on the property (one of which has a dishwashing sink) and laundry. Tent sites 50-55 are in an are set away from RV sites and more private. They are also close to a large bathhouse with multiple toilets and showers. Tent sites 90-100 are across from a large playground which can be quite chaotic, but if you have kids, this is a great spot.
Our site (#147) was a long pull-thru with a descent amount of space between our neighbors. We got about half a dozen over-the-air channels (one being a major network station) and were able to connect with eastern arc satellites with our Dish Satellite. The 50A electric was good as was the water pressure.
The campground does not have much in the way of amenities except for a game room, basketball court, and playground. The game room is pretty cool with lots of arcade-style games, a pool table, foosball, and table tennis. While we were there, they just finished putting in all new playground equipment and enlarged the size making it really big and a hit with the kids in the park. Once convenience is that maintenance picks up garbage at your site (between 8am– 3pm). Unfortunately, people leave them out after hours and animals got into them and scattered garbage everywhere. We've stayed here before and always enjoy being in the area as it is close to the fun cities of Portsmouth and Newburyport.
Hard to beat being right on the water with a lighthouse! But it's kind of a kooky campground.
Pros:
- Gorgeous views.
- Cute little trails.
- Super friendly staff.
- The bathrooms were always being cleaned (which is nice), but the bathrooms are dilapidated, so it's kind of like putting lipstick on a pig.
Cons:
- It's just an odd arrangement of sites. The RV area is a parking lot. Some tent sites don't allow cars on them. Our site #37 was cool, but right by the busy entrance.
- As we stayed in October, the entire area is Halloween central. There were tour trolleys coming in all day, and since we were near the entrance we felt like animals in a zoo.
- As mentioned previously - the bathrooms could use a serious upgrade.
I can understand why this place is rated one of the best campgrounds in the country. This was my first time camping here with my own RV and it did not disappoint. Our site was spacious, and centrally located within the campground, they have all the amenities you can imagine living up to that “resort” title. Ranging from multiple pools, hot tubs, courts, pavilions, playgrounds, etc. the cell service was great, they offer WiFi, and much more. I love the store, it gives off that Great Wolf Lodge feel, and it has everything inside you may need. Including a little hidden café that surprisingly made good lattes. This place is massive, and I’ve never seen a campground that had as many million dollar RV’s in one place. That atmosphere is just great here. There is so much to do. It’s so big you need an e-bike just to get around. Resort-style campgrounds like this come at a steeper price compared to others, but in my opinion, Normandy was well worth the cost. We look forward to revisiting, often!
Best part of our Salem trip by far. We spent Sunday evening out here after walking around downtown and this was a completely different experience. Kids loved the playground and just running around exploring the beach and rocks. Way more interesting than the shops.
Quiet, actual waterfront, old fort and lighthouse right there. The young lady in the office was really nice and super helpful too.
A couple things to know: the RV field spots are really close together. Like 15-20 feet from my trailer to the neighbor. In my opinion the parking lot spots with the ocean view are better. And when they warn you about the raccoons, they’re not joking. They shredded my trash.
If you’re in Salem with kids, still worth coming out here. This is the part they’ll remember.
We came in the day after Labor Day ~ after 280 rv’s checked out ~ so it may not have been as peaceful over the weekend, but I heard everyone had lots of fun. The grounds are beautiful!
This is a nice campground with 90% permanent upscale sites. Don’t let that deter you, the nightly spots are concentrated have excellent natural surroundings. Decent size spaces and mostly level. Workers were nice and many things to do.
Boston Harbor Islands State Park Campground provides yurt accommodations on Peddocks Island, accessible only by ferry during summer months. Located about 15 miles from Newton, Massachusetts, these waterfront camping options offer a rare urban-adjacent wilderness experience in Boston Harbor. The campground sits at near sea level with moderate temperatures typically ranging from 65-80°F during the operating season.
Explore historic structures: Winter Island Park in Salem features remnants of Fort Pickering and a lighthouse with interpretive markers. "Small camp. Have very few campsites, you definitely need to reserve a spot before you come. The manager, David, is super friendly and helped me out BIG because I didn't have a reservation and they were filled up," notes Sadie A.
Take advantage of transportation options: Hanscom AFB FamCamp in Bedford provides convenient access to Revolutionary War sites. "Close to minute man historical sites- revolutionary war historical trails and Ranger Station. Not too far from Boston," mentions Caitlin B. The campground makes an excellent base for exploring the region.
Visit coastal areas: Cape Ann Camp Site offers access to beaches just a short walk away. "Cape Anne is beautiful. Perfect location with access to Rockport - a beautiful place to visit, shop, eat & a great little trail with great views. Beach down the street was big, beautiful and low tide was unexpected as you could walk for ever," shares Ron C.
Clean facilities: Normandy Farms Campground maintains exceptionally clean restroom facilities. "Bathrooms are best of any campground. Highly recommend," says Matt T., highlighting a practical consideration for glampers close to Newton, Massachusetts.
Multiple swimming options: Pinewood Lodge Campground offers pond swimming in Plymouth, about 45 minutes from Newton. "Nice and quiet, here for a 3 night stay," mentions Jean R., noting the peaceful atmosphere despite proximity to recreational areas.
Waterfront views: Sutton Falls Camping Area provides exceptional waterside camping experiences. "We were delighted when we learned we had the little peninsula of site P1 all to ourselves. Stunning views across the large pond, and serving as a wonderful halfway rest/respite on the journey from NYC to Belfast, ME," explains Stephanie M.
Seasonal considerations: Most campgrounds near Newton operate from May through October, with limited off-season availability. "Military only campground. Working on improving the grounds and services available. Limited sites available off season. Summer season early May through end October," notes Heather C. about Hanscom AFB FamCamp.
Reservation requirements: Winter Island Park requires advance bookings, especially during peak times. "We spent two nights at this campground- the closest camping to Boston. The campground is right on the ocean with incredible harbor views. It was an easy bike ride to the Salem Ferry to get access into Boston for the day," explains Rae M.
Shower facilities: Many campgrounds charge for showers. "Good laundry facilities. Our site was set up a little weird but we made it work," reports Ryan M. about the Hanscom AFB facilities, highlighting the importance of checking amenity details before your stay.
Activity options: Boston/Cape Cod KOA in Middleboro offers extensive programming for children. "We stayed here over the 4th of July this summer. Overall we had a nice time and our 3 kids really enjoyed it...The activities for kids is the draw for this campground for sure. My kids loved the train rides, movie night, flash light candy hunt, and arts and crafts," shares Amy G.
Playground access: Winter Island Park offers play areas alongside camping. "Winters island is a beautiful campground in Salem,ma. We stayed 2times in the month of June and 1 time each in July and august...the kids had a great time by the sea and the playground," reports Candace H.
Swimming options: Multiple campgrounds offer swimming facilities for children. "We enjoyed swimming and fishing," notes Thomas M. about George Washington State Campground, highlighting recreational options beyond just camping accommodations.
Site layout considerations: Some campgrounds have challenging site configurations. "Our site was level, staff was awesome. They do have a dog park and plenty of things to do. Didn't like that you have to pay for hot water though," mentions Michael K. about Pinewood Lodge Campground.
Proximity to attractions: George Washington State Campground in Rhode Island offers a strategic location for regional exploration. "An OK Campground but not Great...Overall the place was managed very well, the sites were cleanish and the grounds were taken care of," notes Ryan A., providing balanced feedback.
Seasonal pricing: Most glamping options near Newton, Massachusetts increase rates during peak seasons. "Pros: Nice campground with big private spots. Nice bathhouse with pay showers. Pretty, man made lake with a beach area for swimming and paddling. Cons: no hook-ups yet it cost $36 for out of state residents plus the fees which put it up to $44," explains Michelle H.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Newton, MA is Normandy Farms Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 43 reviews.
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