We stopped for one night on the first leg of our drive to Florida from Massachusetts. We drive a class A, our site was snug but easy enough to get in and out of (we were lucky enough to be able to pull through from the adjoining site). Water pressure was weirdly low. But the place was clean and pretty with plenty of trees. We were across from the playground area which looked more like a small park - very nice. Overall a good place for us to spend the night so that we could be plugged in.
Burlingame is a HUGE state park campground with over 700 sites. The location is fantastic, but with this many sites (so, with this many people), there are bound to be pros and cons.
Pros:
Lovely location - it's in the middle of the woods, has a pond, has pond swimming. It's just minutes to the ocean by car. Hiking and biking for miles.
Camp store - well stocked.
Price - dirt cheap if you are a RI resident, but pricey if you aren't.
Spacious - even with all those sites, there's plenty of room between sites and tons of open space for kids to run around, fly a kite, play tag, hide and seek.
Real camping atmosphere - fire rings at each site, wooded sites (and open grass sites if you like that better). Wildlife (listening to the several types of owls is a favorite pastime at night). While RVs are welcome (and we have tent and trailer camped here), this is NOT an RV resort. No hook-ups.
Cons:
No hook-ups, lol. This is a con in the heat of the summer if you want/need AC.
Bath houses - are usually pretty filthy, and that's because there are too many people per bath house, and people are gross.
Noise / Parties / Drunks - again, too many sites means too many people and nowhere near enough park staff. On the weekends people can get out of hand with the partying and it's not uncommon to have to listen to noise late into the night. Do not come on a holiday weekend, it's packed.
Overall, if you are a camper's camper, this is a great place. Close to CT so a day trip to Mystic is easy, close to several gorgeous beaches, close to great restaurants, ice cream, and shopping. Swim in the pond. Fish in the pond (catch and release). Bike. Hike. Hammock. Avoid holiday weekends and the heat of August if you can. Be prepared for dirty restrooms and come armed with hand soap (they no longer provide any), paper towels, and Clorox wipes.
We have been going to this campground for years - it's the only place to camp on the island, and the only affordable way to stay on the island. The best thing about the campground is that it is wooded, and pretty much all the sites are surrounded on three sides by trees and shrubbery. So even though the sites are close, they feel somewhat private. The bathrooms are clean but always busy, but there are a few outdoor showers which are awesome! Unlike the cramped and humid indoor showers, the outside showers are roomy and very private and the open air makes them more comfortable on a hot, muggy day. There's a playground, a store with wifi outside, a game room which looks like something from the 80s, lol, and a small coin-op laundry room. Fire rings at each site plus a large community fire pit for those who don't feel like the hassle of building a fire themselves. SKUNKS!!! The skunks are super used to people, so you just have to ignore them, and they won't bother you. The young staff members are mostly from the Ukraine, etc., and are pleasant but often don't speak much English. The owners are not super friendly. A huge bonus is that the bus stops right at the entrance, so if you were without a car, it would be possible to camp here anyway (I've seen many people come in with the very basics pulled behind in carts or wagons, or back-packed in). The vineyard is amazing, but lodging is EXPENSIVE. Even though this place is pricey and continues to raise the rates, it's still cheaper than anyplace else.
We stopped here for a night on our way to Florida. I have a friend nearby, so she came to visit us and bring us dinner. It poured the whole time we were there, so we didn't really get to see much, and it was a very short stay - we got in around 6pm, left at 6am. Very clean, easy to navigate. Seems like a place most folks spend a night or two while making the trip north or south.
We discovered this place on a vacation trip to see a friend on Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce FL. We are now camping here seasonally in a 35 ft Class A RV. There's a large pool, a good-sized general / convenience store with all the essentials you might need, and a full restaurant right on site. The RV sites vary in size and set-up, most are level, most have a concrete patio. most have full hook-ups. There are also a number of "villas" (short, single-wide manufactured homes) that people either rent for an extended stay, or own, interspersed throughout the park. Many people live here year-round, and even more live here for three or six months during winter. There are 3 rustic cabins and a few spaces for tents. While this is billed as a "family" resort, most of the longer-term campers are retired, or "digital nomads" that work remotely. There are a few families with kids, and a few people like us who don't have children but are younger than retirement age. It's a good mix. There are adult activities - Bingo, karaoke, jam sessions, trivia night, pickleball, tennis, shuffleboard, Pentaque, cornhole, basketball, crafts (for adults), and more. Short stays are not cheap, but longer stays are pretty affordable considering the great pool and all there is to do. Oh, there are fireplaces at the premium pull-through sites, fires are allowed on regular sites only in a raised, enclosed firepit. There is also community firepit. We love it here.
We stopped here on our way to Florida, extremely convenient to the 81/77 junction. The star of this show is the scenery - absolutely gorgeous, and their seriously out-of-date website doesn't do it justice. Surrounded on three sides by open fields full of cows and sheep, and awesome mountain views, this place couldn't have been any more peaceful. There's a pool but it was closed, and when I asked why the person working said, "no idea." That was the answer to a couple of questions - the person on wasn't the friendliest. We had to stay an extra night because of mechanical trouble, but we did laundry, walked around, just relaxed and watched the cows. Small store, ice and propane available. Full hook-ups. Some shade trees, close spaces but not packed too tightly overall. Lovely spot. Lost one star because the staff was meh.
I love this campground for one simple reason- the location. It is right on the water, and it's just beautiful. That said, this place isn't for everyone, and it's hard to get into. They pretty much keep a "No Vacancy" sign out all the time, you really need to stop and ask if there is anything available. Both times we have shown up without a reservation and for just one night, and both times we've lucked out. The last time we got a spot 50 feet from the water, and for me, there is nothing better. Also, it's tents only (and the less gear you have, the better, the sites are small and close together). The RV campers who are there are seasonal with the types of set-ups that are more cottage than camper. Those folks also have all the best sites. This is not a "resort" or "family campground." There are no activities, no fancy amenities, no pool (who needs a pool when you have the ocean?), no real camp store. What there is is a bunch of friendly people who stay there all summer enjoying some of the best scenery in Maine. There's a simple, small bath house with a couple of showers and flush toilets. It's rustic but clean. There's a great restaurant across the street that is owned by the same folks who own the campground. This is a great home base if you plan to travel Rt 1 up to LL Bean passing by great places like Ogunquit and Wells, or back to Kittery. York is wonderful with lots of stores and good food, and even a small "mountain" to hike or drive up for gorgeous views. If you are a "camper's camper," you'll love it. And if you love to swim in freezing cold ocean water, you'll love it even more.