Canoeing/Kayaking

Sun Outdoors Cape Charles

428 RV Sites, 12 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites

Sun Outdoors Cape Charles in Virginia offers 428 RV sites, 12 tent sites, and four glamping sites on the Chesapeake Bay, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 45 feet. Field view pull-through and premium 50-amp back-in categories join water-and-electric tiers, alongside a splash pad, fishing pier, mini-golf, and jumping pillow. Four hundred twenty-eight sites span back-in 30-amp, back-in 30-amp water-and-electric, field view pull-thru, premium back-in 50-amp, premium back-in water-and-electric 30-amp, and premium pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with picnic tables. Confirm which tier you are booking — the water-and-electric categories do not carry sewer. Twelve tent sites, four glamping sites, and cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The property was formerly Cherrystone Family Camping Resort. A splash pad and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a beach, fishing pier, boat rentals, kayak rentals, and bike rentals opening the bay for boating, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, and fishing. Mini-golf, an arcade, jumping pillow, gaga ball, sports courts, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, dog park, snack bar, and on-site dining fill the rest, with live music and planned activities through the season. The Eastern Shore's wildlife refuges and the historic downtown of Cape Charles are both close. Summer is decisively the season on the bay. Reserve well ahead.

from $15/night

Camp Cardinal - Gloucester Point

64 RV Sites, 4 Cabins, 14 Tent Sites, 9 Cottages

Camp Cardinal at Gloucester Point, Virginia, offers 64 RV sites, 13 cabin and cottage units, and 14 tent sites on the York River, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 45 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, behind a gated entrance. A dog park back-in category and patio pull-through tier join deluxe, standard, and water-and-electric categories, with a splash pad, laser tag, and boat ramp. Sixty-four sites span back-in deluxe 30-amp, back-in dog park 30/50-amp, back-in standard 30-amp, back-in water-and-electric 30-amp, patio pull-through 30/50-amp, and pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer, and the dog park sites cluster guests traveling with dogs together. Thirteen cabins and cottages and 14 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, RV storage, boat storage, and a snack bar handle the practical side. A splash pad and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a boat ramp, fishing pier, and beach opening the river for boating, paddle boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. Laser tag, a jumping pillow, arcade, game room, craft room, recreation center, gaga ball, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, billiards, horseshoes, gem mining, a playground, pavilion, community fire pit, dog park, and on-site dining fill the rest. Yorktown is five miles off and Colonial Williamsburg twenty. Summer drives demand. Reserve well ahead.

from $35/night

Timberline Glamping at Williamsburg

5 Glamping Sites

Timberline Glamping at Williamsburg delivers a premium glamping near Williamsburg VA experience inside Chickahominy Riverfront Park — a 140-acre James City County park on the banks of the Chickahominy River, just minutes from the most historically significant triangle of landscape in the country. For travelers who want a uniquely comfortable outdoor stay alongside Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown without sacrificing modern amenities, Timberline Glamping provides the ideal answer. Fully furnished Safari Tents accommodate families and groups in genuine style, configured as two double beds or a king with two sets of bunk beds. Each tent comes with a mini fridge, coffee maker, air conditioning and heating, and a ceiling fan — amenities that make the word "camping" something of an understatement. A hammock, wood fire ring with cooking grate, picnic table, and two outdoor chairs complete the tent's outdoor living space. Bathhouses with modern restrooms and showers are a short walk away, and two outdoor swimming pools provide a social gathering space for guests of every age. A small store, boat ramp, fishing pier, and direct access to the Virginia Capital Trail for cycling and walking round out the on-site amenities. Pets are welcome. The Chickahominy River frontage sets the glamping property's natural character — a tidal river winding through coastal Virginia lowland forest with the estuarine beauty that defines this corner of the state. Kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and stand-up paddleboarding on the river provide water recreation from the park's own shoreline, and the Capital Trail's miles of scenic bikeway begin directly at the property. Colonial Williamsburg, a short drive away, is the most complete living history site in America — costumed interpreters, preserved 18th-century buildings, and immersive colonial trade demonstrations that fill a full day without repetition. Jamestown Settlement, where Powhatan's Confederacy met the English colony that started everything, and Yorktown Battlefield, site of the final decisive engagement of the American Revolution, complete the Historic Triangle that makes this corner of Virginia genuinely irreplaceable for any American traveler. Busch Gardens Williamsburg adds roller coasters, live shows, and theme park scale for families who want to balance history with thrills. Timberline Glamping at Williamsburg is open seasonally, with the warm-weather months delivering the full combination of river recreation and regional historical access. The blend of comfortable furnished lodging, Chickahominy riverfront setting, and proximity to three of America's most significant historical sites makes this one of the most purposefully positioned glamping destinations on the entire East Coast.

Frisco Woods Campground

210 RV Sites, 31 Cabins, 27 Tent Sites

Frisco Woods Campground in North Carolina offers 210 RV sites, 31 cabins, and 27 tent sites on the Pamlico Sound side of Hatteras Island, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 44 feet. Soundfront back-in categories at both amperages join full-hookup and water-and-electric tiers, with an outdoor pool, recreation center, and maritime forest. Two hundred ten back-in sites span 30-amp, 50-amp, 30/50-amp, water-and-electric, soundfront 30-amp, and soundfront 30/50-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV, sized to 44 feet. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. The soundfront categories are the reason to book here. Thirty-one cabins and 27 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a recreation center, playground, and dog park filling the grounds. The sound carries boating, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, swimming, and surfing, with productive birding through the maritime forest and wine tasting nearby. Pets are welcome. The soundfront position makes this a premier kiteboarding and windsurfing base — the shallow, steady-wind water of Pamlico Sound is among the best on the East Coast for it, while Cape Hatteras National Seashore's Atlantic beach sits just across the island. The campground has been family owned for five decades. Summer is decisively the season on the Outer Banks. Reserve well ahead.

Frisco Oceanfront RV Resort

On Hatteras Island in Frisco, North Carolina—on the Outer Banks barrier island chain where the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound converge in the most dynamic and powerful coastal environment on the East Coast, adjacent to Cape Hatteras National Seashore's 70 miles of wild beach, the most powerful natural lighthouse in the country, and the surf break that has made Hatteras Island a nationally recognized destination for windsurfers, kiteboarders, and the serious surf fishing community—Frisco Oceanfront RV Resort opened July 1, 2026, as Hatteras Island's newest oceanfront RV option with sites steps from the Atlantic and complimentary Avon Pier sightseeing passes included with every reservation. Oceanfront and non-oceanfront RV sites alongside four two-bedroom cabins bring new camping capacity to the island's most desirable coastal stretch. RV sites in both oceanfront and non-oceanfront configurations provide direct Cape Hatteras National Seashore access across the dune line that separates the campground from the Atlantic's open beach. Four two-bedroom cabins with kitchenettes and living rooms with pull-out couches provide the enclosed accommodation option for guests who want the Hatteras Island experience with weather protection and cooking facilities. All guests share access to the resort pool, a bathhouse with hot showers, a dog park, and laundry facilities, and complimentary high-speed WiFi covers the property. Complimentary Avon Pier sightseeing passes—included with the room rate—give guests access to one of the Outer Banks' most storied fishing piers with the kind of value-added amenity that makes comparing per-night rates against competing properties incomplete without accounting for the pass. The resort's inaugural 2026 season runs from July 1 through mid-December. Cape Hatteras National Seashore—the first national seashore designated in the United States system, encompassing 70 miles of barrier island beach from Whalebone Junction to Ocracoke—provides the beach access context that makes Hatteras Island camping worth the specific drive to the Outer Banks rather than a closer mainland campground. The beach is wide, wild, vehicular-access-friendly for those with oversand permits, and productive for the surf fishing that targets red drum, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel in the seasonal runs that bring anglers from across the Atlantic Coast specifically to the Cape Hatteras point. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse—the tallest lighthouse in the United States at 198 feet, moved 2,900 feet back from the eroding shoreline in 1999 in the largest lighthouse relocation in history—provides the architectural landmark that defines Hatteras Island's visual identity. The lighthouse is open for climbing during the summer season, with the Atlantic panorama from the top delivering what the barrier island's geography looks like at altitude. The Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry, departing from the inlet community at the island's southern tip, provides free vehicular transport to Ocracoke Island—the most remote and least commercially developed of the Outer Banks communities—for the day trip that most Hatteras Island visitors consider essential. Frisco Oceanfront RV Resort operates through mid-December in its inaugural season, with the full summer and fall shoulder season constituting the operational calendar. Hatteras Island's fall season—when the red drum runs peak and the crowds thin relative to summer's peak occupancy—represents the best value and some of the finest surf fishing conditions of the year. Reserve your oceanfront site, pick up the oversand vehicle permit for beach access, and let Cape Hatteras National Seashore deliver the Outer Banks experience at its most elemental and storm-sculpted.

from $65/night

Hatteras Sands Campground

60 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 6 Cottages, 1 Mobile Home

Hatteras Sands Campground in North Carolina offers 60 full-hookup RV sites and 25 cabin, cottage, and mobile home units at the southern end of Hatteras Island, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 50 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Waterfront back-in categories join standard back-in and pull-through tiers, seven-tenths of a mile from the beach. Sixty sites run in back-in, pull-thru, waterfront back-in, and waterfront back-in with a seven-night minimum categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 50 feet. The waterfront sites on the canals are the ones to request, and one waterfront tier carries a seven-night minimum, so plan accordingly. Twenty-five cabins, cottages, and mobile homes round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Pets are welcome on campsites, leashed at all times, with droppings bagged and binned. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a clubhouse, game room, billiards, and picnicking filling the grounds. The canals support boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, and swimming, with planned activities through the season and a state park nearby. This is the only campground on Hatteras Island — a distinction that cannot be replicated. Quiet canals, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the ferry to Ocracoke are all at hand. Summer is decisively the season on the Outer Banks. Reserve well ahead.

from $79/night

Cotton Patch Landing

3 RV Sites, 5 Cabins, 1 Tent Site, 1 Cottage

On the tranquil banks of Blount's Creek in Chocowinity, North Carolina—in the tidal estuary country of the Inner Banks where the Pamlico River meets the creek system that drains the coastal plain south of Washington—Cotton Patch Landing provides the specific combination of full hookup RV sites, creekside cabin rentals, and a full-service marina that turns a waterfront campground into a genuine boating and fishing destination. The marina's wet slips, bait and tackle shop, fuel station, boat ramp, boat storage, and repair service create the self-contained marine infrastructure that makes Cotton Patch Landing worth a dedicated trip rather than a convenient overnight stop. When the water access is the point, the marina changes what the campground can be. Full hookup RV sites on the creek's edge provide the primary accommodation, and creekside cabin rentals give guests without RVs an enclosed option with direct water proximity. The marina operates as the campground's most substantive amenity: wet slips accommodate transient boaters arriving by water, a bait and tackle shop handles fishing supply needs, boat ramp access is available for guests launching their own vessels, boat rentals and kayak rentals provide water access for guests without their own watercraft, and boat servicing and repair services make the marina useful for boating guests with mechanical issues as well as those in good working order. A fuel station serves both motor vessels and potentially road vehicles from the surrounding area. The marina's ramp and dock give guests immediate fishing and paddle access to Blount's Creek and the Pamlico River system beyond. Men's and women's restrooms with showers, coin-operated laundry facilities, free WiFi throughout the property, and a playground provide the campground infrastructure alongside the marina-focused primary amenities. A seasonal food truck operates for guests who want quick on-site meals without cooking, and fire rings at individual sites provide the evening gathering space that waterfront camping in the Carolina coastal plain traditionally demands. The campground is pet-friendly throughout both the RV sites and select lodging accommodations, with the creek-edge setting giving traveling dogs immediate access to the waterfront environment where water-loving breeds tend to spend as much time as their owners allow. The Pamlico River country surrounding Chocowinity carries a historical and natural character specific to North Carolina's Inner Banks. Washington, North Carolina—one of the state's oldest towns, situated on the Pamlico River just north of Chocowinity—provides waterfront dining, a river walk, and the historic character of a small Eastern Carolina river town that has preserved its antebellum and post-Civil War architecture in ways larger cities' development pressures prevent. The Pamlico River's connection to Pamlico Sound opens the regional boating itinerary to the Sound's shallow coastal waters, barrier island access, and the extraordinary bird life of the coastal plain. Cotton Patch Landing operates year-round in the mild coastal climate of Eastern North Carolina, and spring and fall represent the most productive fishing seasons on Blount's Creek and the Pamlico River. Fishing for bass, crappie, bream, and the variety of species the Pamlico system supports gives anglers specific seasonal targets across the calendar. The marina's combination of boat ramp, rental kayaks, and transient wet slips makes the property serve equally well as a day-use boating base and a multi-day residential camping destination. Reserve your creekside site early for the spring fishing season and let the Pamlico country earn its reputation as the quieter, more accessible alternative to the Outer Banks camping corridor.

from $26/night

Cedar Island Ranch

60 RV Sites, 15 Tent Sites

If there's a more unspoiled corner of the North Carolina coast than Cedar Island, it's a well-kept secret. Cedar Island Ranch sits at the edge of the Pamlico Sound, where miles of undeveloped barrier beach stretch to the horizon and the salt air carries a wildness that feels entirely different from the crowded resort towns to the north. This is the kind of place that resets your clock and reminds you why people first fell in love with the outdoors — raw, genuine, and unforgettable. Sixty RV sites line the property, with 17 offering direct waterfront frontage on the Pamlico Sound and twelve pull-through sites facing Cedar Island beach with sweeping views across the water. Five primitive tent sites sit directly on the beach itself. For those who want more comfort without sacrificing the setting, the ranch offers newly renovated two-bedroom suites and motel-style rooms, making Cedar Island Ranch a place that welcomes every kind of traveler. Electric and water hookups are available, and a full bathhouse provides hot showers after long days outdoors. The heart of Cedar Island Ranch is its horseback riding program. Guided beach rides along miles of pristine, undisturbed shoreline require no experience — wranglers lead guests of all ages through the waves, past wildlife habitat, and across barrier island landscapes that have changed little since the Spanish first explored this coast. Beyond horses, the ranch offers kayak, paddleboard, and canoe rentals for exploring the sound. Fishing from the private boat launch is a daily ritual for many guests. A fenced dog park, volleyball court, community fire pit, and children's playground round out the on-site recreation. Cedar Island's location makes it an exceptional base for exploring the Outer Banks. The Cedar Island Ferry terminal — right at the property's doorstep — carries passengers and vehicles across to Ocracoke Island, putting Cape Hatteras National Seashore within reach for day trips or multi-day adventures. Back on the mainland, the Crystal Coast's beaches, seafood shacks, and maritime heritage sites lie within driving range. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the historic waterfront of Beaufort — one of the state's most charming colonial-era towns — are both well worth a day trip from this base. Cedar Island Ranch is open year-round, and every season brings its own character. Summer brings warm water and full days on the beach. Fall and spring offer quieter stays with exceptional fishing and birdwatching as migratory species move through. Winter brings a solitude that's increasingly rare on the Atlantic Coast. Whether you arrive for a single night or settle in for a week, Cedar Island Ranch delivers a coastal experience that's difficult to replicate anywhere else. Reservations are strongly recommended in the busy summer months. Cedar Island Ranch is a rare thing — a place that genuinely deserves the word unspoiled — and the guests who find it tend to return every year with good reason.

Dixon Landing RV Resort

28 RV Sites

On 130 acres of serene wooded land along Goose Creek in Pamlico County, North Carolina, Dixon Landing RV Resort offers a waterfront retreat that combines the tranquility of the Inner Coastal Plain with over 2,000 feet of creek frontage opening toward the broad Neuse River estuary. Located just 20 minutes from the historic river town of New Bern, the resort delivers full hookup RV sites and a natural setting rarely matched along the North Carolina coast—and its 2025 Campspot Award for "Top for a Quiet Getaway" signals that guests have noticed. For travelers who find the barrier island crowds too much, Dixon Landing is the quiet alternative. Sites provide 30 and 50-amp hookups with sewer and water, along with picnic tables and fire rings that invite lingering. A small dock and boat ramp give watercraft access to Goose Creek and, beyond it, the Neuse River and the vast waters of the Pamlico Sound. Kayak, paddleboard, and canoe rentals allow guests to explore the creek system without trailering their own boats. A clubhouse, camp store with snack bar, dog walk and dog park, laundry, and showers cover the essential amenities, while horseshoes, cornhole, bocce ball, and lawn games provide recreational entertainment between water excursions. Hiking and biking trails thread through the wooded property. Goose Creek's blackwater currents reflect the classic character of eastern North Carolina's coastal plain drainages—tannin-dark, slow-moving, and bordered by bald cypress, water tupelo, and sweetgum in a riverine forest that shelters river otters, wood ducks, and great blue herons in surprising numbers. The creek widens toward its confluence with the Neuse, where the views open to marshland and sky and the scale of the Pamlico Sound ecosystem becomes apparent. Osprey and bald eagles patrol the water year-round, and the spring and fall migrations bring wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl to the marshes and creek margins in impressive concentrations. New Bern, the colonial capital of North Carolina and birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, offers a beautifully preserved historic downtown centered on the remarkable Tryon Palace complex—the restored Royal Governor's Palace and formal gardens that rank among the finest colonial restoration projects in the country. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, on the Bogue Sound side of Bogue Banks, provides an excellent introduction to the coastal ecosystem. Beaufort and Morehead City are accessible for ocean fishing charters, ferry trips to Cape Lookout National Seashore, and waterfront dining that takes full advantage of North Carolina's outstanding local seafood. Dixon Landing operates year-round, with spring and fall offering the most comfortable temperatures for kayaking the creek and exploring the estuarine wetlands. Summer is warm and humid but productive for fishing, and the resort's wooded setting provides meaningful shade. The quiet character of Goose Creek and the surrounding Pamlico County landscape makes this an ideal destination for those who define a great camping trip by the absence of crowds rather than the abundance of amenities. Reserve your waterfront site at Dixon Landing RV Resort and discover North Carolina's Inner Coast at its most peaceful and unspoiled.

from $40/night

Jellystone Park™ Chincoteague Island

97 RV Sites, 35 Cabins, 83 Tent Sites, 21 Glamping Sites, 10 Onsite RV/Trailers

Jellystone Park Chincoteague Island in Virginia offers 107 pull-through RV sites, 35 cabins, 83 tent sites, and 21 glamping sites on the Eastern Shore, with 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 65 feet. XL and premium deluxe patio pull-through categories join water-and-electric tiers, alongside a water park, lazy river, and bike rentals. One hundred seven sites are pull-through throughout, spanning full hookup 50-amp, XL full hookup, deluxe patio, premium deluxe patio, and water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 65 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Two things to note: service is 50-amp, so bring an adapter if your rig runs 30, and an all-pull-through layout means no backing at any site. Thirty-five cabins, 83 tent sites, 21 glamping sites, and rental RVs make the lodging range exceptional. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, and firewood handle the practical side. A free Jellystone Park app and the Club Yogi Rewards program are both available. A water park and lazy river anchor the summer, with an outdoor pool alongside. A jumping pillow, arcade, gaga ball, sports courts, basketball, bike rentals, golf cart rentals, walking trails, a playground, pavilion, dog park, community fire pit, and snack bar fill the rest, with fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding besides. Assateague's 37-mile barrier beach, the wildlife refuge's 14,000 acres, and the late-July Pony Swim are all here. Pony Swim week fills the island. Reserve as early as you can.

from $34/night

Sun Outdoors Frontier Town

466 RV Sites, 36 Cabins, 66 Tent Sites, 27 Cottages, 22 Onsite RV/Trailers, 7 Wagons

On the scenic shores of Sinepuxent Bay in Berlin, Maryland, just south of Ocean City on the Eastern Shore, Sun Outdoors Frontier Town has created one of the Mid-Atlantic's most elaborately themed and amenity-complete resort campgrounds—a Wild West destination resort where a full water park, a Go Ape high ropes and zip line course, a 75-slip marina with kayaking and jet skiing, miniature golf, and three on-site dining options combine with the Ocean City beach access that a free shuttle provides four days a week. Full-hookup RV sites, covered wagon rentals, vacation cottages, and tent camping serve the full accommodation spectrum in a resort that gives families too many on-property activities to exhaust in a week, let alone a weekend. Full-hookup RV sites with 20/30/50-amp electric, cable, and Wi-Fi service accommodate rigs up to 45 feet with slide-outs and feature picnic tables and fire pits with cooking grates, while covered wagon rentals and vacation cottages provide alternative accommodations for guests without RVs. The Frontier Town Water Park anchors the on-property aquatic recreation, and a separate outdoor pool supplements it for guests who prefer a controlled-temperature pool environment. The 75-slip marina and pier provide bay boating access for guest-owned and rental watercraft, with kayaking, jet skiing, and fishing directly from the resort's Sinepuxent Bay waterfront, and three on-site eateries—Pony Espresso and Creamery, Laze River Saloon, and Chuck Wagon—handle food service across the full day. The bay setting on Sinepuxent Bay, one of Maryland's most productive and beautiful tidal waterways, gives the resort's waterfront and marina a natural backdrop that the Wild West theme's inland origins make genuinely surprising. Fishing from the marina's pier and from rental kayaks and boats on the bay produces flounder, striped bass, and the croaker and spot that characterize Maryland's tidal bay fishery in the productive shallow water between the barrier island and the Eastern Shore mainland. The bay's calm water provides sheltered paddling that the Atlantic Ocean's surf conditions make impossible—a counterpoint to Ocean City's beach experience that gives Frontier Town guests access to two completely different coastal water environments from the same property. Ocean City's 10-mile Atlantic boardwalk, beach, and resort entertainment district lies just north of the resort via the free Thursday-through-Sunday shuttle service—a transportation link that eliminates the need to drive and park in Ocean City while still providing full access to the beach, the Boardwalk's food vendors and amusement attractions, and the Inlet's fishing piers and excursion boats. The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum on the Inlet interprets the barrier island's history from its 19th-century resort origins through the lifesaving service era that preceded the Coast Guard, and the charming Victorian-era town of Berlin a few miles inland provides antique shops, locally owned restaurants, and a Main Street atmosphere that contrasts productively with Ocean City's resort energy. Maryland's Eastern Shore camping season runs primarily from Memorial Day through Labor Day at peak capacity, with the Frontier Town Water Park and marina operating at full service from June through August when the family summer vacation market fills the resort's accommodation options. The shoulder seasons of May and September-October offer the Sinepuxent Bay's coastal atmosphere—warm enough for beach walks, kayaking, and bay fishing—with dramatically reduced crowds and more flexible reservation windows. Off-season visits are possible for guests seeking the Eastern Shore's fall waterfowl hunting and quiet bay fishing, but the full resort infrastructure operates only during the primary summer season.

from $35/night

Sun Outdoors Ocean City

318 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites, 41 Cottages

On 50 acres of Sinepuxent Bay waterfront in Berlin, Maryland—12 minutes from the Ocean City boardwalk and immediately adjacent to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Maryland side where the wild ponies of Assateague Island roam the same barrier island beach that the Atlantic surf and the Sinepuxent Bay's calm water flank on either side—Sun Outdoors Ocean City (formerly Castaways RV Resort) provides full hookup RV sites, tent sites, and furnished cottages on the bay waterfront with a Frozen Sun Tiki Bar, a Bay Breeze Café, a dog beach and Bark Park, watercraft rentals, kayaking, paddleboarding, and a complimentary shuttle bus running to both the Ocean City boardwalk and to Assateague Island. The shuttle service to two separate destinations—boardwalk and wild ponies—from a single campground eliminates the two most common logistical complaints about visiting both Ocean City and Assateague on the same trip. Full hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp electric, water, and sewer connections accommodate rigs up to 45 feet on paved premium waterfront pads and partial gravel-and-grass combinations depending on site position. Furnished cottage rentals provide the turnkey accommodation option for guests without RVs. The Sinepuxent Bay waterfront position creates the specific visual environment of a bayside campground where the sunset over the bay and the sound of bay water replacing the ocean's surf provide a measurably different atmosphere from the oceanfront campground alternatives. The Frozen Sun Tiki Bar and Bay Breeze Café serve the food and beverage needs throughout the operating day. A dog beach and Bark Park serve the dog-owning population that beach campgrounds attract in significant numbers, and the complimentary dog wash station keeps the sand-covered bay dogs manageable for the overnight stay. Kayaking, paddleboarding, and watercraft rentals provide the bay water recreation access directly from the resort's bayside position. The complimentary shuttle bus service—connecting the campground to the Ocean City boardwalk in one direction and to Assateague Island in the other—is the specific logistical innovation that converts a bayside campground stay into a multi-destination access point without requiring guests to navigate the Ocean City summer traffic with their own vehicles. Ocean City's 10-mile boardwalk, its Ferris wheel and amusement rides, its tram service, and the concentrated seafood restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues represent the East Coast's most active resort beach town experience on a per-block basis. Assateague Island—the barrier island shared between Maryland and Virginia where the wild pony herd descended from horses stranded by a 17th-century shipwreck (or possibly escaped from Colonial-era Chincoteague settlers, depending on which historical interpretation one prefers) has roamed free through the saltmarsh and beach grass for three centuries—provides the natural counterpoint to Ocean City's commercial density. The Maryland portion, managed as Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park, provides beach camping, swimming, and pony viewing in a wild setting that Ocean City's 9 miles of developed boardwalk makes possible to access as a day trip. Sun Outdoors Ocean City is open seasonally through the Maryland shore season. Peak summer demand from June through August requires the earliest possible reservation for waterfront sites. The fall shoulder season—when the Sinepuxent Bay's waterfowl hunting season opens and the pony population on Assateague enters the cooler months without the summer crowds—provides the most atmospheric off-peak visit. Reserve your bay-view site early, check the shuttle schedule for the Assateague morning departure, and let the Chincoteague ponies and the Ocean City boardwalk earn the Maryland Shore trip that both of them separately deserve.

from $39/night