Best RV Parks & Resorts near Shirley, NY

good management, common areas are very clean, nice showers cleaner than my gym in the city.

bring your own fire pit, there is no pit at the sites. very hard to find spot theu summer though mostly rv’s are occupying the whole campground for long term summer vacation.

Wonderful weekend visit in the off season. Site was level, pretty spacious and easy to back into. Campsites are located close enough to the beach/marsh. Multiple playgrounds for the kids although they were closed due to Covid. No sewers sites that I could tell, and water was off because we were a week shy of the season opening. Needed to move to dump station prior to leaving (2 night visit) and had to drive to fill the fresh water tank once while there. Nice neighbors. Dog friendly. People obeyed the quiet hours. I have not one complaint. There were hiking trails and geocaching on site. 4 stars bc no sewer at the campsite and we like full hook ups and honestly I’m guessing this is a county rule but the playgrounds could’ve been open. Outside and socially distanced after dealing with Covid for a whole year and most local parks and playgrounds being open since last May... that was upsetting. All in all we had a great weekend. Close to the LI aquarium as well! Many stores and a golf course near by too!

This is a really nice family campground just a mile or so off I-95 in Clinton, CT. It is about 20 miles from Mystic and the historic seaport center. Most of the roads are paved, the sites are large and level, there are full hookups, and a dump station. There are a lot of seasonal residents, but still plenty of open sites for travelers. There is a playground, game room, “adult ” lounge, a laundry, a swimming pond, and river access for fishing and swimming. Internet is an extra fee! ($6/day) The road into the campground is narrow and winding, so larger RV mss as y have trouble, but there were several of them there when we were there. There is a security gate at the entrance.

Cant give this any higher then 2 stars. We spent three months there and for the first two the mens showers were not cleaned. There was band aids on the floor by the rubber mat that sat there for way to long. The internet was horribly slow and kept dropping connections. This is an RV park, they advertise internet so you would figure it would work. The owner of the park was a bit rude. Washer and dryers were iffy on the days they worked.

Now that the bad is out of the way. The good, they had activities for the kids on weekends and holidays. They are close to local beaches and hiking trails. Our site was roomy and for the most part all functioned as it was supposed to.

This is a small beach campground.Its all but impossible to get an RV spot there from Memorial day to Labor day. Still, it is a clean and well run campground.Easy beach access.

Nickerson Beach only offers camping for RVs. I do not have an RV so I was unable to spend the night. The beach itself is a great place to spend a summer day and I have gone several times. They recently installed a path that goes all the way down to the beach area so you don't have to walk on the sand for so long. There is also fantastic food in the area as well. The best for freshly fried seafood is a place called Bigelow's (see pictures). Would highly recommend their fried clams!

I'll be honest. This was my first RV camping experience. This KOA Niantic CT location is about 2 hours from home. It was the perfect place (not far from home) to practice.  The checkin was quick and organized, the rules were clear the hosts were very organized and the staff were attentive. They give every family a free newspaper every day. The price was definitely fair for unlimited wi-fi, electricity and water. There is an on-site store for convenience. The nearest grocery store was in another town more than 5 miles away. 

Fellow campers were respectful and went about their own business. The facilities were kept tidy including the baths and showers. I was pleasantly surprised. The best part of this campground was the proximity to the state beach via a well kept hiking trail. We learned a lot about camping and each time we will get better and better.  

My only regret is we didn't have a car. Some sites were a bit too far or too dangerous to bicycle (the roads were curvy and didn't have much of a shoulder) so we spent money on Uber/Lyft to visit a few local sites for example to rent kayaks to explore the inlet and river.

I was happy with my experience and  I'd definitely go again.

My husband and and I camped one night at this newly reopened park over the weekend in Long Island just to check it out and were pretty disappointed by the tent camping area. There are 69 tent/trailer sites(no hook ups). There is no distinguishing separation between each site nor a designated driveway for your car- you merely pull up on the grass. It's basically like camping in your local city park. People park wildly all over the place, which also makes it more difficult to determine which site is which by the number painted on the roadway. Each"site" has a picnic table and an barbecue grate on a post. There is one bath/shower house in the center of all of these sites with no path provided for folks to walk to and fro, so naturally people will walk right through your site randomly rather than around the road. While the bathroom building itself is in decent shape and has a large amount of toilet stalls and about five showers, the condition of women's room was absolutely ghastly inside.

At some point during the evening, a maintenance worker on a golf cart showed up with a mop and some cleaning supplies and cleaned the men's side of the building. I was so relieved when I saw him, but he seemed to neglect the women's side completely, so I resorted to using the men's facilities all night.

There are no fire pits on any of the sites, although I learned afterwards that they do allow you to bring your own metal fire pit as long as it is elevated off the ground. There are large dumpsters located throughout the camping area and a large trash bag is provided (if needed) at the camp office when you check in.

The highlight of Heckscher State Park is the newly constructed heated cottages located on the shore of Nichol's& Great South Bays.. There are currently 11 cottages--- with more under construction. There are cottages suited for two, four, and six people and range in price from$225-$285 per night during off peak seasons and$250- 320 per night during the peak seasons.

The cottages are fully furnished, with a full kitchen and large bathroom with a walk in shower. The cottages are a short walk from the beach and also include a fire pit with Adirondack chairs and an outdoor shower on the exterior each property. I do not have photos of the inside, but they do have them on the Reserve America website if you are interested.

While the cottages are lovely and their location is fabulous  they are quite pricey and  no TLC was spent in the$22 tent/rv camping area, other than a new registration office which is not yet completed as of this weekend. I do hope they invest some funding in the primitive area to add fire pits,more water spigots, clearer site markings and for the continued maintenance& upkeep of the bath/shower house.

* I emailed the parks departement about the issues mentioned above about the camping area and received this reply:

I am sorry that you are upset with the conditions in our recently opened campgrounds. We have replaced all of the picnic tables. Although, they may look old because they are weathered since these picnic tables were put together during the Winter, however, they are brand new. All of the barbeques are also new and were installed during the Winter. We have changed and modernized the light fixtures and we will be replacing the rusted doors that you mentioned. There are also plans to install a playground within the campground beginning this Fall and we are looking for other improvements and additions to the campgrounds. As you probably noticed there is a new building under construction, at the entrance to the campgrounds, and it will serve as a check-in area, as well as, additional comfort stations, including family restrooms. Your suggestion of fire pits is a good one and the Park Managers will evaluate the feasibility of installing these. Lastly, I have spoken to the Park Manager who will review the cleaning operation to ensure the restrooms are appropriately maintained. I apologize for our employee not cleaning the women's room. Again, I am sorry for your negative experience but we are continuing to make improvements to the campgrounds.

Sincerely, George Gorman Regional Director New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

I will check back later this year to see if anything was changed and report back.

Sears Bellows in New York is a lot of fun. It really does offer a lot of outdoor activities for you and your family. I have stayed at this campsite 1 time, and stayed 2 nights. This campground does offer tent sites as well as RV/trailer sites. When I went with my friends in college, we just stayed in the tent sites and really enjoyed it. The campground is very well kept and clean which I really liked. They do have quite a bit of garbage's to dump your trash in. One thing I really liked about this campground is that there was a river/pond close by (Bellows Pond). The first night I stayed here my friends and I rented some rowboats and went on the water. It was a lot of fun, and the price of the rowboat was pretty cheap. The next morning we got up and did some hiking. The trails were beautiful, and the flowers were in bloom. There were people who were also biking on these trails, which looked like so much fun! We also saw some people fishing in the pond- and it seemed like most people were catching. The people who stayed in the campsite next to us were cooking up some type of fish for their dinner that they caught that day. One thing to note is that there are not any electrical hook-ups, so if that is something you need you might now want to come stay here. I would love to come back here someday, but stay maybe a day or two longer to do more things- I would also bring my bike and fishing pole to do more outdoor activities. I would also advise to rent the rowboats because that was a lot of fun!

I’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.

Stayed one night at the end of the season. 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. Once we were parked and situated though, the site was fine. Partly shaded, level, picnic table and fire pit all in good condition. The loop is wide open, so no privacy between sites and they are quite close together. Bathroom was nearby and clean enough. The beach was a short ride away by bicycle which we enjoyed thoroughly. Overnight noise was an issue. Lots of cars coming and going. Overall enjoyable, just not as peaceful as I’d hoped.

This hidden gem is located right in Hampton Bays and is the perfect campground for anyone looking to camp off the grid. Tucked away in the woods is a beatiful well kept & maintained campground with spacious sites , a lake with kayaking access , and trails for bike riding and hiking. Each camp site spot has a provided water hook up . This campground does not have an electric hook up but generators are allowed ! It is perfect for a peaceful and quiet weekend / week stay. I have been here so many time and it has always been my favorite . Friendly and helpful staff , friendly locals , and close to stores & great restaurants. If you are in the area please check this place out ! You won’t regret it!

Nice CT state park campground with clean well maintained campsites. Mix of open field and well shaded campsites with reasonable space, some sites have decent privacy, most are pretty open. Good access to shared drinking water, restrooms and dishwashing stations. Most sites are mixed use allowing RVs but no hook ups or dump stations available. Bathrooms/showers are ok but could use better cleaning and upkeep. Rocky Neck state park beach is within walking distance if your ambitious otherwise its a 2min drive from camp. We like it here and return often for the opportunity to camp and enjoy beach time during the summer.

TL;DR- Skip to last 3 paragraphs for summary/opinion section 

I booked my site online as I believe is the only way to do so. The online system was not very informational and the camp site map didn’t really give any insight into any differences between sites for choosing one. So I chose the first site on the list, site#2. I’m guessing this is fairly common for a guest to book the first site on the list. This is important later. 

I drove down from Connecticut to Long Island to find the main routes to the campsite all went through New York’s parkways. There are height restrictions on the parkways so RVs and semis cannot travel on them without a high risk of crashing into the bridges and getting the tops ripped off like a tin can. Google Maps doesn’t have an option for large vehicles so I made my way manually and the trip took an extra hour or more to arrive than planned. Not anyone’s fault- just divulging for awareness. 

Arrived at the site, was greeted by a man who said he didn’t have anyone on the list arriving that day and if I could show him the email confirmation. I did, he confirmed, showed me to my spot- site#2- right by the entrance. He gave me rundown on campsite rules- quiet hours, gates closing hours, where to park if arriving afterwards, etc then he helped me back my 5th wheel into the spot. Very nice. 

I booked the site for 1 week initially until 11/2- over the Halloween weekend during a nor’eastor. So much of the first week was rainy and windy. The campsite is flat and open, no trees, no nothing really. 2/6 days we had part sun. It was the last week the site was open for the season and there was only about 15 sites occupied. Not sure how many sites are there but it seemed like 100+. A day ahead of my departure date- Nov 1- I decided to just go ahead and extend my stay until the end of the campsite season, Nov 6. I again went to book online to extend. The site was giving a message saying“partial availability” and it looked as if the site I had had been booked for Nov 3 for one night. It was late at night so I planned on talking to the office the next day Nov 2 to see if I had any options to try and stay on site#2. 

Nov 2- One of the site managers, Bill, knocked on my camper and said someone was coming tomorrow and that I was supposed to move over one site to site#3. I posited the chance that maybe we could contact the new reservation and see if they specifically wanted that site or if they just chose it first on the list and wouldn’t mind having another site, as the park was 90% empty. Bill understood and told me he had no control over that but I should talk to the office manager Michelle. Nov 2 was election day and the office was closed so I planned on speaking with Michelle the next morning Nov 3 before the new reservation arrived, as check-in time is 1pm. 

Nov 3- 930am another camp manager knocks on my camper to tell me to move- I inform him I was going to ask the office to potentially stay, and he said he had no power over the move/stay issue but that Michelle was in the office. 

I went to the office and was greeted by a woman at the reception desk- I asked to speak to Michelle- she asked what it was regarding- I said I was and RV camper at site#2 and would like to ask a question. Michelle came to the desk and immediately had a defensive posture. I didn’t have high hopes for this conversation. I said“Good morning! My name is Matt- I’ve been staying on site#2 for a week now and I believe you had a one-day reservation for my spot and I was wondering…-“ Michelle then cut me off and said“You have to move.” I said that I understood the reservation policy but if it wouldn’t be too much to ask to maybe reach out to the new campers on my behalf to ask if maybe they wouldn’t mind another site as all the sites are the same and they likely just booked the generic website by choosing the first site on the list…she cut me off again and said“You have to move.” I asked if she was interested at all in hearing me finish my question or didn’t care. She said“You have to move.” 

I told her that her not even hearing me out was poor customer service and that I would write a review telling others of my bad experience. She said“That’s okay cause you’ll be blocked from coming back!” WOW. 

Interesting customer service response to block a guest that just paid over a grand to stay at a basic site who only wanted you to TRY and find out if the new campers booked that site specifically. 

__________________________ 

That was my explanation of the circumstances, here is my opinion: The campground is fine but nothing special. There’s industrial stuff going on right near the site I chose and along the whole east fenceline and there is no close entrance to any beach area. The closest fence line to the campground has no beach access and has a huge sign that says STAY OUT- TICKS! Its a good 10 minute walk to the beach through a concrete parking lot and basketball courts. I believe it was around$100/night to stay here. It’s hard to get to with an RV due to the parkways. The online reservation system is clunky and shows no photos or have much detail. The on-site staff has no authority to do anything other than enforce the rules set by the office. Michelle the office manager was curt and uninterested in anything I had to say at all. Then got very defensive and rude. It took me 35-40 minutes to unhook sewer, power, water, attach the fifth wheel to my truck, put the slide-outs in unlevel everything, re-park the the trailer 20 feet away, unhook the trailer, re-level it, hook up up sewer, water, power,& extend the slides- all because Michelle didn’t want to make a call or send an email to say“hey! we had a camper in site#2 extend his stay and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind site#3?”- I believe they would have 100% said yes and 100% believe they booked the site based on it being the first site open on the booking system just like I did. If they said no- I would have been fine with moving per policy- if the campsite had any differences whatsoever between sites(shade, trees, lake nearby, etc) I would have been fine with it- not even a“I’m sorry sir, but we have a policy to…and we are committed to abide by it. Sorry for the inconvenience..”- Michelle did not even care to allow me to finish asking my question before she rudely sent me away and threatened to block me from staying here ever again. 

UPDATE- No one ever showed up and parked in that site. 

I guess as a business owner who was also in customer service industries for over 20 years my philosophy is that if you can do something small or easy to try and help out a customer and make them happy then you should do so. Maybe I’m naive. I approached everyone I spoke with calmly and openly and the response was uncalled for at the least. 

Michelle- Thanks for being a dismissive inhuman devoid of any empathy to remind me that there are people like you out there. Another example of enforcing blanket policies that aren’t really applicable to the current situation to excuse yourself from any responsibility for being a nice person. 

Advice to future campers- stay here if you like- it’s close enough to the beach, train, food, Long Island things to do, etc- a little pricy, but expected in the area- but I hope that you do not need any reason to interact with office staff.

I have been camping at Rocky Neck State Park for decades, both tent camping, and now In a 30' camper. Located right off I95 ( which you can hear at times), the park is convenient to all the major interstates and state roads. If you can, stay away from the front gates during the typical peak arrival / departure times. Traffic jams occur, partly because you're also in-line with the car loads of beach goers. The beach and beach parking lots fill to capacity. Week ends are the worst.

The campgrounds are located within internal loops. Most sites are quite level. Park-like settings surrounding a large lawn. Bathhouses are being rehabbed, deemed adequate; can be seedy towards the end of the season. Park is routinely patrolled by State Conservation Officers who will put you out if needed. CT State Police and local officers also patrol. Camp roads are paved, and lots and lots of kids spend time riding bikes, coloring with chalk, skateboarding, roller blading.

No electrical hook-ups; potable water spigots located within the camping circles. Generators allowed, but there are quiet hours. Dump upon exit; its up top by the entrance booths.

There is a "tent-only area" which is nice and abuts a paved road for campers to walk / bike to the beach. Use this. Stay off the main road to the beach if you can. The speed limit is enforced, but sporadically. The fines are very stiff (you receive a State traffic ticket from the Officer).

This beach road leads you to a wonderful overlook where lots of people take their kids crabbing for Blueshells. There are size regulations so be careful. The regs are posted. Bring some raw chicken wings and kite string and have some fun. You can also follow the signs that will lead you to nature walks. Amazing.

During inclement weather some campers leave the park. We always recommend taking a right out of the park onto east bound Route 156. Follow into downtown Niantic for restaurants, an Irish pub, or a movie. Nice village area, and pedestrian friendly.

Rocky Neck is a very nice park, and if I had to list one complaint, it is that the State is in a financial tight-spot, and has been cutting services and personnel. Entrance booths go unmanned and that leads to traffic jams that extend out and onto the main road. Very , very messy. Life guard towers at the beach are empty at times. Bath houses can be filthy.

All things considered, I would recommend this park..

My wife and I went on our first camping trip together. The staff was extremely nice and helpful. The sites were exactly what we needed. Grassy and flat for our tent. Easy access to water and electric. There were tons of campers that were there for the season and kids playing together. Some of the screens were missing from the bathroom so it was full of bugs. If you are in a camper and it has a bathroom, this will not be an issue for you. For us, it was. Since it was only one night, we opted to wait and shower at home.

We had a great stay here. There are no hook ups but the bathrooms are clean and there is a separate area for doing dishes. The beach is a bit of a walk but there is plenty to explore and do.

Stayed in May, June, and November 2023. The location is its best feature. The beach is just over the dunes. Village Pizza is remarkably good.

Had to take a star off for no hookups. Generator hours are limited. There are spigots located down the middle of the rows. Go on google maps to find a spot near a spigot.

Cell signal varies wildly by spot. B17 no prob at all. G14 spotty. F20 total dead zone.

Bath house on the west side is eh. The east side- beautiful.

We love this State Park because it's close to our home for a quick getaway. 

This time we tried one of the sites on the water, and I probably wouldn't choose the same site again.  Site 11, while large, was uneven and had some large tree roots that would be easy to trip over.  It was a walk up the hill to the bathhouse.  No hookups.  

It's quiet, clean, and exactly what we were looking for in a weekend.  Close to Southford Falls for a nice hike and waterfall views. 

Speaking of bathhouse - this one is really just in dire need of updating.  Having visited 2 other state parks in a neighboring state, CT should really invest in better quality bath houses.  This is the only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars.

On our way to through Connecticut, we needed to stop for a night. This was on Long Island Sound and had walk-up sites available. $33 per night gets you a site with bath house/restroom close by but no hook-ups. There is a public "beach" nearby which is way different than our Florida ones. We had to walk under the railroad tracks through a tunnel to get there. Interesting but still a nice feature and probably the main attraction here. There was also a concession stand, nature center, picnic area and boat ramp here at this park. Since we were getting a walk-up site they let us drive around and pick our site from a list of available ones. Most of them were on the small side accommodating tents or pop-ups. We found one in the Osprey loop which was very shaded. The bath rooms were clean and up to date. Good for a night on our way to Rhode Island.