During our summer of 2023 road trip, we decided to try camping near Boston, MA. On the way, the GPS lied! It should have taken about 6.5 hours to get to the Boston/Cape Cod KOA in from Elizabethtown, PA, but it took more like 9 hours. Granted, there was rain most of the way here, an active blasting zone, and random slowdowns for apparently no reason. But we made it!
The Boston/Cape Cod KOA is a few miles off I-495 in Middleborough, MA. We chose the campground because it was about halfway between both Boston and Cape Cod, and we hoped to visit both of those places during our road trip. After leaving I-495, we followed MA-44 to the campground. The only difficulty we had after leaving the interstate was the extremely short light at the intersection to the road that leads to the campground. It took a few cycles to make our left turn onto that road.
After Vince ran inside to check in, we disconnected the Jeep from the back of the camper. Unless we know we’re in a very long pull-through spot, we usually disconnect before entering the campground, just in case. Since we flat-tow the Jeep, we can’t back up if we need to adjust, so it’s safer to disconnect. As we were disconnecting, a KOA employee rolled up in a golf cart and told us he would take us to our campsite. And as soon as I got the Jeep into gear, he did just that.
Site Quality & Amenities
Our site was a back-in with full hookups (electric, water, sewer, and cable). With the KOA employee’s help, Vince was able to back into the site with plenty of room for the Jeep to fit into the front of the site. The campsite was wide, level, and surrounded by mature trees that helped keep us cool during our stay. The only negative I have about the site is the bright street light at the back end of it. It was very bright, and illuminated all night, so we didn’t get to enjoy full darkness during our stay.
I didn’t have any luck with the WiFi during our stay. While I was able to connect to the network, it wouldn’t actually connect me to the internet. That meant I couldn’t get any work done, which really wasn’t a bad thing for this trip. I have a tendency to work while on vacation, and I really shouldn’t be doing that!
Facilities
This campground has a couple of bathrooms with showers, and Parker tried both of them. He said the one in the middle of the campground was nicer. They were clean and had adequate water pressure.
A few days into our stay we had plenty of dirty clothes, so Vince and I headed to the laundry room. They have several washers and dryers, and we managed to snag one washer for about half of our clothes. The rest were full, and it was pretty late by the time we started, so we did our second load the next day. A single load cost $2 and took about 30 minutes. The dryers were also $2 per load and took about 45 minutes.
The campground had many of the usual KOA attractions, including a jump pillow, playground, and pool. They also had activities for campers such as Bingo and a train. Since we spent most of our stay away from the campground on excursions, we didn’t have a chance to take advantage of any of those things.
Surrounding Area
We chose this campground because of its proximity to places we wanted to visit:
- Plymouth was about a 15-minute drive.
- Cape Cod (Woods Hole) was about a 1-hour drive.
- Boston is about a 1-hour drive or 1-hour train ride. The MBTA Middleborough/Lakeville commuter rail station was about 10 minutes from the campground, and the round trip fare was about $25 per person.
- Salem was about a 90-minute drive, or it least it should have been. Our return trip from there was more than two frustrating hours.
Kid & Pet Friendliness
This campground was kid friendly. Besides our own teen, we spotted several other kids at the campground. Unlike our experience at Hershey Road Campground, we didn’t see a lot of younger kids running around unsupervised.
We also found the campground to be very dog friendly. They have a Kamp K9 where dogs can spend some time off-leash. There are also a couple of “PAW PEN” sites that have a private 10×10 fenced-in area. We’ll keep those in mind if we return!
Price and Value
We paid a little under $100 per night to stay at this campground after our 10% KOA Rewards membership discount. Given the amenities and central location, we felt like we got our money’s worth.
Breweries Nearby
We didn’t find any breweries in Middleborough, but we visited some in Plymouth, Boston, and Salem during our trip.
Conclusion and Recommendations
If you want to go camping near Boston, MA, check out the Boston/Cape Cod KOA. It was conveniently located and had wide, shaded sites. We would consider staying there again if we return to the area with the RV.
If you would like to stay at the Boston/Cape Cod KOA, you can book a site on the KOA website or give them a call at (800) 562-3046. You can find the Boston/Cape Cod KOA at 438 Plymouth Street, Middleborough, MA 02346. They are open April 1 through November 4.
