This is a busy, “party” campground, with people go to and from the beach area, horse shoe area, the restaurant, and store. The favored activity seemed to be cruzing the campground in a golf cart or mini-bike. The campground lacks the typical amenities one would expect at a resort. Perhaps the biggest example of this was the condition of the bathrooms, mildew covered ceilings, cobwebs, lack of toilet paper, and an example of just how outdated they are…pay showers. There is a water slide but no place for parents to watch small children from with the exception of a gravel parking area outside the fence. There is also a mini golf course – not that challenging and in need or repair, and a skate/bike park, also in need or repair. There were attendants working these areas but they were a bit brusque and looked more like maintenance men who had been reassigned than people working at a resort activity center.

The landscaping is another area in that could be improved upon. An overgrown baseball field, volleyball set in hard pack dirt rather than sand, and lack of interesting landscape show just how far away from a resort Pine Acres is.

Not everything was below average however. The sites are nice, level and large, with growth between them allowing for some semblance of privacy. The roads are well maintained, and the beach is great including the pavilion nearby and the grill selling food to people enjoying the sand and sun made for a fun “day at the beach”.

All in all this is a nice campground but not a resort.

If you’ve got a big rig, I would recommend parking at the gate and taking a short walking tour to determine if you are comfortable driving in. Some turns are tight and there are some low branches.

The camp host does a nice job keeping the place clean and firewood is available at his site. Several hiking trails begin at the parking area across the highway. We enjoyed three nights of quiet seclusion. If dry camping appeals to you, this is a nice place to spend some time.

Cold Springs is a family-oriented campground located just off NH Route 114, in the town of Weare… about 15 miles west of the city of Manchester. This is a relatively large campground with 380+ sites in settings ranging from sunny, open areas to deeply wooded pine forest.

The campground property was nicely landscaped and well maintained. Interior roads are paved. Sites are gravel and mostly level. Every site has a picnic table and fire ring. Our’s was a “Super Site” with full hookups including telephone and cable TV. Some sections of the campground also have Wi-Fi. There are a substantial number of seasonal campers but for the most part their sites are relatively uncluttered and well maintained.

The maintenance staff keeps things neat and clean. So much so that on one occasion we noticed one of the staff drive by, then stop and jump out to pick up some minor litter, before continuing on. For the most part, bath and laundry facilities were clean and well cared for. The Sunday morning exodus before check out did take it’s toll on the bathrooms near our site, only because the staff really didn’t have the opportunity to take care of things until most campers left.

With nearly 400 sites, there were lots of amenities to keep campers happy. The campstore had a good selection of groceries and camping supplies. They have a great little snack bar (hamburgers, hot dogs, shakes, etc.) with reasonable prices. Cold Springs also has three heated pools, jacuzzi, playgrounds, a large pavillion and Camping Cabins. As it was a summer weekend in August, the campground had a full schedule of activities for both kids and adults… bingo, hayrides, poolside music and games, water aerobics and more.

For those of you who love to golf, a first class 18 hole championship golf course is only 5 minutes down the road. If it’s fishing you want, Mt Williams is just around the corner with plenty of state stocked trout. It’s only 20 minutes to the city of Manchester and an array of shopping, dining and professional sports venues. The New Hampshire International Speedway and NASCAR racing events are less than 45 minutes from your campsite!

Cold Springs Camp Resort was an unexpected treat. We’ve already begun making plans to return here next year!

Check in was quick and the staff was friendly. The facilities were clean and well maintained. The campground has excellent interior paved roads and the sites are comfortably large with plenty of trees and vegetation between sites to make for a very private camping experience. In fact, we couldn’t even see our neighbors rigs from our site.

Meredith Woods is open year round. We’ve stayed there several times during the summer. Sites have full hookups including cable TV. There is wi-fi, but there is a charge. The park has a large indoor pool, hot tub and a small game room, but not much else. Meredith Woods has some affiliation with Clearwater Campground (across the street) so the facilities there can be used by Meredith Woods guests. Clearwater has much more for kids including a sandy beach, boating, and a recreation program.  Rates are reasonable… $45/night in season.

Meredith Woods is a great place to get away from it all and just relax. Peace and quiet… period.

The property is well maintained and the grass is kept cut. The WIFI worked well from our site and we were probably the farthest from the antennas. There are nice hiking just a few miles away… an unpaved rail-to-trail a few miles away. You can canoe or kayak a nice stream and lake that is accessible from the campground.

There are 3 washers, 3 dryers, on-site propane, a coded gate, 50 amp power, fire rings, and no screaming kids (except on major holidays). ATT just put up a new tower in July 2009. It is not 3G, but a good signal.

The activity list here is quite impressive and the facilities are clean and well maintained. Sites range from sunny and open to wooded. It was a little difficult to navigate our 40′ class A thru sections of the park, but we manages to find a comfortable large site of us that accomodated our slide-outs.

I wouldn’t consider Jellystone Park a campground to get away for a little peace and quite, but if you are a family with hyperactive kids, you’ll feel right at home here.

Newfound RV Park is a small (45 sites) “big rig”, pet-friendly campground.  Our check-in on a Friday afternoon was quick and the  attendant was pleasant and accommodating. The campground has a paved entrance, but the interior roads are gravel… wide, and well maintained. Just about all the sites here are pull-thrus… except for 5 “brook side” back-ins. Each site is level and has a fire ring and picnic table. All sites are full-hookup, some with cable TV.

The showers, rest rooms and laundry facilities are open 24-hours a day and are very clean and well maintained. They have a large pavilion building with pool and ping pong tables and plenty of room for gatherings. We spotted a small book lending library in the pavilion as well.

They have a camp store but quite honestly is was sparsely stocked. You won’t find any refrigerated items like milk or eggs so be sure to get your groceries before you get here. They do offer firewood and propane.

It’s a good thing we had cable tv because Bridgewater, New Hampshire is fairly remote. Our over-the-air digital antenna did not pick up a single tv channel. They do have free wi-fi and the signal was relatively strong and seldom dropped out. Other amenities include a nature trail and a dog walking area.

There are no scheduled activities here, and not much to do to keep kids occupied. It’s just a clean, quiet, comfortable place to be. It makes an excellent base for exploring this part of New Hampshire. If you’re looking for a campground to just relax and get away from it all, Newfound RV Park is the perfect place to spend a few days.

The campground itself is nothing special… gravel roads, no trees, no shade, no amenities, but plenty of cool breezes off the ocean. In fact, most campers leave their awnings up… it’s fairly windy most of the time here.

We arrived in late June for a two-week long stay. We had an unobstructed view of the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, the northeast was experiencing and extended period of rain, so we only had a few days of sunny weather… but as they say “a vacation day of rain is still better than a sunny day at work”.

All campsites are gravel, level and comfortably large with full hook-ups. Even the largest RVs will have plenty of room here. While there is no cable, your antenna should pick up more than a dozen channels clearly from Boston, Providence, Portland and Manchester. There are no on-site amenities… no camp store, no laundry, no playground, just campsites. Adjacent to the campground is Hampton Beach State Park which does have a small store with some snacks, ice cream and bagged ice, but that’s about it. If you need anything, head down the “strip”. You’re bound to find it there.

This year they’ve instituted several new changes… rates now cover two adults and two children on the site. The maximum number of adults allowed per site is four, with a maximum of six people total. Each additional adult is charged $11 per night, and each additional child is charged $5 per night. They also now charge for day visitors… $10 per vehicle.

So what’s so great about this park? Other than being directly on the ocean (if that’s not enough!), it’s just a short walk to the Hampton Beach strip… with more food, shops and entertainment than you can take even if you stayed here a week!

Grab your umbrella and towels and head for the beach, it’s only a minute from your campsite. Walk along Hampton Beach Boulevard and smell the fried bread dough, pizza and french fries. Listen to the bells and whistles of the nearby arcades. At night, grab your chairs and head down to the beach and catch the fireworks. Summers are great here! Spend some time exploring Massachusett’s north shore or head a few miles north to downeast Maine. There’s plenty to see and do nearby.

This past July was our 17th visit to Hampton Beach RV Park, and we’ll be back again this summer!

I somehow managed to fall asleep around 2:30am, being kept awake (with earplugs, no less!) by the blaring music from the loud, drunk, seasonal camper ‘neighbors’.

Luckily my kids somehow fell asleep around Midnight. I got up and went for a walk around the campground at 11:30pm, looking for this so-called security. No such thing. I saw other campsites with fires going and music playing, but at least their music was a bit softer. So much for security, the supposed quiet time, and the “Family” aspect.

There are two playground areas. The main playground has old, somewhat dangerous equipment. The other has wooden equipment next to the bath house. The pool and bathrooms were clean.

First of all, if you have a larger rig you’ll find it extremely difficult navigating through the park. This appears to be an older campground built in the days when RVs were much smaller. The main interior roads are paved and narrow, the rest are gravel. Sites are gravel too, some acceptably level, some not.

What disappointed us the most of all was the cluttered look of many of the sites. There were old tires, lumber scraps and miscellaneous items strewn around the property. Perhaps we came at the wrong time, but the property could use a lot of attention and perhaps some rules about accumulating junk on your campsite.

On the plus side, everyone at the campground, from the store clerk to the maintenance people were extremely friendly and accommodation. It’s just a shame that the property was just not very inviting.

This is a tired old campground, and certainly not an “RV Resort”, buy any stretch of the imagination.