3 Rhode Island Campgrounds to Cure Your Cabin Fever

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Stepping away from the usual hustle and bustle of daily life can bring peace and quiet as well as reduced stress levels. So pack up your swimsuit, some puzzles and games, and all the best snack foods to enjoy some good old family fun at these campgrounds.

NORTH

Ginny B Campground

Gina Colaluca told her husband Aaron that once they closed on the Ginny B Campground, they would get a puppy to celebrate. That was Dec. 20, 2022. On January 2, the couple got Gus, their now six-month-old golden retriever. He’s the adorable furry mascot for the campground that they’re in the process of rebranding into the Colaluca Family Campground.

As they get to know the 230 seasonal campers who frequent the site, they’re pleased by the support from those who have been visiting Ginny B for years and have developed their own community.

A cornhole tournament at Ginny B Campground in Foster. Courtesy of Ginny B Campground

The sprawling 100-acre-site in Foster is an ideal arena for family fun: Volunteers oversee the crafts and ceramics, entertainment, bingo, holiday weekend festivities and other events as the summer progresses. Besides visiting one of the two ponds — one for fishing and one for swimming — visitors can take part in rousing games of cornhole, basketball, Wiffle ball, horseshoes and kickball. 

“It’s very simplistic and that’s what drew us to it,” Gina says. “It doesn’t have a lot of frills; it brings you back to good solid family time.”

The Colalucas were planning out their next adventure, something out of their comfort zone, when a mutual friend told them about the campground.  

“Our kids are grown and out of college, living their own life, and we’re looking at the next leg of life,” Gina says. “This is going to be our future, and we thought, ‘There aren’t a lot of campgrounds around here that are simplistic like this, so let’s just dive in and see what happens.’”

The Rhode Island natives live in New Hampshire and travel back and forth each week to work at Smithfield Plumbing & Heating Supply Co., where Aaron serves as president of the firm his father founded.

The site boasts two rec halls, one for the adults and one for the children, and every Saturday night a deejay plays tunes for guests to kick back and dance. From events like Christmas in July to decorate your golf cart, tie-dye days and food truck visits, there’s something for everyone.

Sunbathing and swimming at one of the ponds at Ginny B Campground. Courtesy of Ginny B Campground

If you leave any essentials at home, don’t fret — the campground store contains all the necessities, from coolers to firewood and dog treats.

Through Columbus Day, the average seasonal rate is $2,550 for two people, plus $50 for each additional person. Daily rates are $45–$47 Mon.–Thurs. and $47–$49 on the weekends. Although you’ll mainly catch families with RVs and campers, guests can choose to pitch a tent instead.

The Colalucas are looking forward to their first season of owning a family campground, where families can disconnect from technology. 

“It brings you back to basics and allows families to be a unit and make memories with simple things,” Gina says. 

Aaron agrees.

“There’s one family that’s on their fourth generation in the same spot,” he says. “There’s a lot of longevity here. People
introduce themselves to us, saying, ‘I was six years old when I first started coming here,’ or ‘My grandfather knew about this place.’ That’s special, and you’re not going to find that in every campground.”

7 Harrington Rd., Foster, 397-9477, inquiry@campcolaluca.com, ginny-bcampground.com

Camping and s’mores are a summer must. Photo via Getty Images

SOUTH

Wawaloam Campground

Nicole Smith, operations manager of Wawaloam Campground, is the youngest of five siblings, and one of three who works full-time at the site. Her parents, James and Maureen Smith, purchased the vacant property (an old dairy farm) in 1969, where they dreamed of developing a family campground.

“My dad always had a love for the outdoors,” Nicole says. James died in 2020, but Smith is proud that her father’s legacy lives on in the campground. Neither she nor her mother know why James wanted to open a campground, but Maureen supported him nonetheless and went along for the ride. 

Through her teenage years, Nicole worked alongside her parents and brothers, and has watched the campground flourish.

“My mom is eighty-two and she’s still out here every day working,” Nicole says. “We’re side by side; she deals with the maintenance stuff and I hire all of the local teenagers to work for me.”

A summer favorite, ice cream with sprinkles, at Wawaloam Campground. Courtesy of Wawaloam Campground

The site has about 325 RV campsites on 100 acres. Wawaloam has seen the likes of thousands of happy campers since the campground first opened about five
decades ago, from Canadian residents who tour the New England states, to people from Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Chile and Brazil — Wawaloam is their home base. 

Smith always points visitors toward Newport, Providence and Mystic, Connecticut, to give them a taste of the area.

Attractions include a catch-and-release fishing pond, playground, basketball court, mini golf course, a splash park and a double flume water slide, one of the campground’s biggest attractions. 

The campground also hosts live bands and themed weekends, and a restaurant on Fridays offers fish and chips and chowder and clam cakes using James’ own recipe. Delivery is available so residents have the choice to eat in the comfort of their RV. If you’re in the mood for a snack or a warm tasty beverage, the camp also has an onsite snack and coffee bar open daily. They source their coffee from nearby TLC Coffee Roasters, and the 1,700-square-foot camp store has you covered for whatever you may need (or forgot at home).

“We always joke and tell people, ‘If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.’” Nicole says. “We have anything you need for your RV, any sewer hoses or water hoses or chemicals, lightbulbs, gift items, ice cream; we have a lot to offer.”

The Wawaloam Campground’s store covers all of your camping needs. Photo courtesy of Wawaloam Campground.

For those who want to try their hand at camping, Nicole recommends watching YouTube videos on camping do’s and don’ts. 

“Do your homework. Don’t decide on one place right away; visit campgrounds and make sure that when you do go to a park, you read the rules because each park’s rules differ,” she says. “Also, don’t be afraid to ask your neighbor.”

The West Kingston campground welcomes campers from the last weekend in April through October. The average nightly cost is $70 for a family of five, depending on the amenities. Seasonal guests get a full six months for $4,000.

Nicole has seen generations of families return to the campground throughout the last forty years.  Now, her kids are continuing the tradition and working at the campground during the summer, helping those families experience the best of summer.

510 Gardiner Rd., West Kingston, 294-3039, wawaloam.com

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EAST

Newport RV Park

No RV? No problem.

Campers at the Newport RV Park can choose from three glamped-out Airstream trailers that come with a fire pit, Adirondack chairs, a grill and more. There’s also a three-bed, two-bath cottage for families that may need a little more room. 

Property operators Cameron and Justin May are on their eighth season at Newport RV Park and usually see 2,000 check-ins throughout the season, varying between long-term stays and one-night visitors to the Portsmouth site. The property is connected to the Melville Park system, where guests can roam the trails, go on hikes or book a ride with the nearby Rail Explorers for views of the Green Animals Topiary Garden, Mount Hope Bridge and more. 

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If you brought bikes with you, you can pedal around Aquidneck Island with Bike Newport, or enjoy the shore at nearby First (Easton’s) Beach and
Sandy Point Beach.

Amenities include full-hookup campsites, complimentary hot showers, a stocked camp store, playground, open air pavilion, volleyball and basketball courts and more. Cameron suggests first-time campers bring essentials like sunblock, headlamps and bug spray.

“Although we’re on an island we’re inhabited by a lot of the animals so we always remind guests that they’re in their territory,” Cameron says. “We also invite them to explore what the local offerings have, because although you feel remote in our location, you really aren’t because you’re on Aquidneck Island and you’re in close proximity to everything around you. By nighttime, guests get the true camping experience, but by daytime, they’re tourists and that’s what people keep returning for.”

Although the site is almost exclusively an RV park, there are also twenty-five rustic tent sites.

Rates vary from $60 to $125 depending on the season. A great tip for festival lovers: Newport RV Park offers a three-day rate for all the holidays and a four-night rate for festivals. It’s $250–$545 during popular events like the Newport Jazz Festival and the Newport Folk Festival. 

The pair also owns Whispering Pines in South County, which has been in Cameron’s family for more than two decades. For those without an RV, Whispering Pines has four rental cabins on site that contain utilities, making the grounds a true home away from home in the summertime. 

Newport RV Park, 181 Bradford Ave., Portsmouth, 682-2424, newportrvpark.com; Whispering Pines, 41 Sawmill Rd., Hope Valley, 539-7011, whisperingpinescamping.com 

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