Best RV Parks & Resorts near Vineyard Haven, MA

Of all the Thousand Trails campgrounds in the Northeast this one isn’t too bad. It’s a huge park with mostly seasonal/annual campers. (Campground is not open all year, though). Gated Section A is right near the entrance and this is where most of the transient sites are. They are first come first serve. When I got here in the rain, the staff at check in was very nice. Driving around picking my site, the roads were extremely uneven and the rain had created huge lakes in the middle of the road as well as on the sites themselves. I only stayed two nights. Cell reception was not good, neither with AT&T nor Verizon. They have Wifi at the park which I haven’t tried. I believe - although- I’m not sure that you have to pay for it and I wasn’t up for that. I wouldn’t choose this campground unless you have a Thousand Trails membership like me and want to save money.

Having a Thousand Trails membership I tried every single campground that’s included in the Northeast and this is the nicest one. It’s really quiet (which I appreciate immensely) with the exception of daily leaf blowers. The upside of that annoying noise is of course that the campground looks organized and clean. There is a huge area of walking and bike paths adjacent to the campground (enter next to the blue bathhouse on A road.) the woman at the check in was very nice and helpful. That being said it is still more of a mobile home park, just like all the other TT campgrounds. I was here early in the season (May) and again late in the season (October). Not sure how crazy it gets in July and August. I was pleasantly surprised that they put brand new picnic tables on all the transient sites. Big improvement! AT&T hotspot worked well even for zoom calls. Verizon on my phone a bit weak. Camp link Wifi costs extra but actually works well! So it’s worth the cost, if you don’t have any other options.

Weve been camping here over decade. The state "improved" it into a antiseptic RV Resort. Formerly campsites had small semicircular drive for in/out any camp vehicle. This allowed open area where screen room, camp chairs and games could be spread out. Many backed up to dunes or the ocean.

There are now 40 foot asphalt driveways diagonal through the former grassy play areas. These leave a narrow space up to the next wide asphalt driveway. Perfect view of the next RV.

Asphalt absorbs 90 percent sun heat. A 100 degree day will have asphalt surface temperature 160 degrees.

The former open dunes down to the beach are cordoned off by large wood post fence and backed by snow fencing.

This was not designed by anyone who camps. The Secretary of Interior should bring the people responsible in August and have them walk throughout barefoot. Then employ someone to restore this once great campground.

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.

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.