Northeast Campground Reviews and Camping Information at That's Camping™

Welcome! It's 06:25pm on 08-21-2008

Welcome To That's Camping™!

Welcome to our web site. Here you will find Northeast campground reviews, along with lots of other camping information. There is always something new, so keep checking back often. We hope you enjoy your visit here.

Very Behind on Posting New Reviews!
August 14, 2008 - Article Categories: Miscellaneous

UPDATED: Done! phew, all reviews have been posted! Just in time for our vacation!

Wow, I have a huge batch of campground reviews to post, and I apologize for taking so long to post them. Things just got busy around here, doing other stuff. We are heading out on vacation Friday (tomorrow) so tonight I am going to work on getting them all posted.

Again, thanks for your patience!!!

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Poison Ivy
August 04, 2008 - Article Categories: Camping-Tips • Wildlife

Mike caught some poison ivy before our vacation last week. He was working w/ his friend, tearing down an old building, and he must have removed some old ivy plants. Luckily he was wearing long pants and work gloves.

He developed a rash on his left forearm. I went online briefly and found a web site that recommended Benedryl extra strength creme (containing Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2%), so we got a tube of that. It definitely seemed to help a lot with the itch. He also wrapped his arm at night before bed. At that point, I was still unsure of how poison ivy spreads, so we didn’t want to take any chances. Note: about the Benedryl creme, do not take any Benedryl pills at the same time as the creme. There are warnings on the package!

Now, after doing some additional research online, I now know that poison ivy is NOT spread from the rash or from the “weeping” fluid from the rash. But it is very important to wash off all of the original oil from any clothes, shoes, toys, etc. Also, keep in mind, that dogs can carry the oil back to you if they walk through the plants. If you believe your dog has any poison ivy oil on his fur, then he also needs to be washed.

No product will make poison ivy go away; it will take about 2 weeks for it to run its course. The creams and treatments are only used to lesson the itch and pain, but it will not make it go away.

I won’t pretend to be an expert on poison ivy, so I will just list some helpful links that are much more detailed and experienced:

Hopefully you will not need to use these links any time soon, but it is important to know ahead of time what to do when you think you or a family member has been exposed to poison ivy.

Do you have any helpful tips for poison ivy? Post a comment here or join in on the discussion on the forum!

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2008 New England Country Fairs
August 04, 2008 - Article Categories: Northeast-Attractions • Country-Fairs

It’s time for country fairs! I love going to the big ones, but some of the smaller ones are so interesting as well. Are you going to any New England fairs this season? Which ones are your favorites? Post a comment below, or join in on the conversation on our discussion forum!

Specific Fair Links:

Other Fair Links:

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Backyard Baby Hawk
August 04, 2008 - Article Categories: Photos • Wildlife

UPDATED! see below

We have what looks like a baby hawk - possibly a Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk. They all look very similar in my Sibley field guide (a book that I highly recommend).

Backyard - Baby Hawk
(More photos @ my flickr account)

Here’s the story: Last night (Sunday) Mike noticed something on the tar in front of the shed.  At first, he thought it was a piece of wood; Then he saw it move. He yelled to me to check it out, and I went onto the outside deck to look. Of course, I grabbed my camera. Its back was to us initially, and its tail looked a bit bent or sideways. Then he turned around, and we saw his profile. He was gorgeous. It was so thrilling to see.

I went to get a closer look outside on the grass nearby, and he didn’t fly away, which led me to believe that perhaps he was injured or wet, or maybe just too young to fly. We just had a very big rain t/-storm and I thought perhaps he was drying out.

It was going to be dark soon, and I didn’t want him to be injured or killed by the night creatures (fisher cats, foxes, coyotes, etc) so I went online trying to find information about wildlife rehabilitation; after leaving several messages on answering machines, at around 8pm, I got a return call from Jim Parks from Wingmasters.net.

He explained that it was very common to find babies that fall from trees. They are at the “branching” stage, and cannot fly yet. They walk out onto a branch, and a big wind or rainfall can knock them off the branch and onto the ground. Jim was very nice, and said that if he was still there tomorrow, to give him a call, and he could come out and see what’s up. But he explained that I shouldn’t be upset, because it’s just nature, and sometimes we can’t help what’s meant to happen.

Anyway, we watched him hobble / hop from the tar to the grass and in between a ladder and a big tree. He ended up moving himself under our utility trailer where he stayed for the night. Mike checked on him later and early Monday morning and he was still there.  I also checked this morning around 8am, and he is still under the trailer.

Latest UPDATE: I gave Jim another call this morning, and he said that from looking at the photos I emailed, it is a Cooper’s Hawk. He said they do not do well at all in captivity, and have never survived, so unfortunately he doesn’t want to take him in. He also told me that they are very secretive birds, and the parents wouldn’t be making any "noise" because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.

Also the Cooper’s Hawk is becoming more popular, because of all the bird feeders, they feed mainly on little birds. I did throw the little guy some tuna, and he said that they do not "smell" food, but it might attract rodents that he could eat. He is not worried about him finding food, that there is plenty of grubs and rodents around.

When I arrived home this afternoon, I immediately checked under the trailer, and our little Coopers Hawk is gone! Our backyard is wooded, w/ lots of brush, vines, & leaves, so I am hoping that he either found a better hiding spot, or his mom came and helped him, or maybe he tested his wings and was able to fly.

I did check for loose feathers under the trailer, and there was none, so I am thinking only positive thoughts. I miss the little guy, silly, but it was one of the most exciting things to happen, and I am a little sad that it’s over.

At least I have some photos & I learned a lot about a wonderful creature!

Some links about hawks and Coopers Hawk specifically:


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Larson’s Lunch Box in Damariscotta, Maine
July 30, 2008 - Article Categories: Food • Restaurants

Larson’s Lunch Box located @ 430 Main Street, in Damariscotta, Maine (207-563-5755)

We found a wonderful gem to stop for lunch on Saturday afternoon. Larson’s Lunch Box is a little take out “shack” located off Rt 1 on Upper Main St.

I ordered the Haddock Patty Sandwich ($4) with a 1/2 pint of NE Clam Chowder ($3.50). Mike ordered a pint of homemade American Chop Suey ($3) and the four piece Chicken Tenders ($4.50)

The chowder was awesome, homemade “from scratch” with fresh Maine steamers & clam stock. It’s not a real “creamy” base and if you don’t like fresh clams, then you probably will not like this.  It’s not like the more creamy commercial-like clam chowder, which I do love but I also loved this too, for a nice change. The only complaint was that the large chunks of potatoes were al dente, but it wasn’t bad.

Larson's Lunch Box clam chowder

My haddock patty sandwich was “square” - it was a frozen not fresh haddock patty, but it was so much better than a McDonald’s fish filet.

Mike’s fried chicken tender pieces were delicious. I didn’t get to test-taste them, so I had to take Mike’s word that they were very good. smile

Larson's Lunch Box chicken tenders Larson's Lunch Box american chop suey

I did sample his American Chop Suey, which was wonderful. Homemade with lots of tomato chunks, hamburg, and onions, it was filling and delicious. There was generous amount in that pint!

Their menu also included Lobster ($15) and Crabmeat ($11) rolls, burgers, hotdogs, chicken (all white meat) salad sandwiches, fried chicken sandwiches, french fries, onion rings, and chili.

While we were waiting for our order, we spoke briefly with another couple and they said Larson’s was very clean, with excellent food, and they always visit when in the area. They also made an observation that all the cars in the parking lot were “out of state” and that it was surprising how everyone finds it!

I guess I can only guess how everyone else found their way to Larson’s, but we were driving by, and saw a little line forming by a little take out shack. We were hungry so we stopped.

Larson’s Lunch Box is a reasonably priced, delicious stop for a quick take out lunch. We will definitely return.

Google Map link


View Larger Map

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Cell Phone Service Added to Camp Review Form
July 22, 2008 - Article Categories: Miscellaneous

Besides a few minor adjustments to the campground review form, I just added a new category for cell phone service experience.

During a recent “Cell Phone Service” discussion on the forum, one of our regular contributors (Wersilly) suggested that cell information would be a good addition to the campground review form, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

While some may disagree, thinking it is unfair to rate something that the campground has no control over, I think it’s something that affects the camping experience, whether good or bad.

Do I think lack of cell service is important enough to discourage a camper from visiting a campground? No, I don’t think so, after all, it’s CAMPING. But if a location does not offer cell service then it’s helpful to know beforehand. This will allow the camper to be prepared, especially if they are expecting to keep in contact w/ their employer or family member. If it’s known beforehand that cell phone service is not available, then a camper can make other arrangements or let their contact(s) know ahead of time that they cannot be reached at the campground.

I hope review contributors will include this information on any new reviews sent in to us. It’s details like this that make our reviews so helpful to our visitors! Thanks for all your support!

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Rosie’s Restaurant - Tamworth, NH
July 16, 2008 - Article Categories: Food • Restaurants

We found a new place for lunch while in the Ossipee, NH area: Rosie's Restaurant - 1547 White Mountain Hwy (Rt 16) in Tamworth, New Hampshire 03886 - (603)-323-8611 See GoogleMap


View Larger Map

Rosie's Restaurant is located near the White Lake State Park, and directly across from Sammy's Inn. They offer breakfast and lunch, along with ice cream (Gifford's ice cream). We had a delicious lunch. I ordered the "Chicken Burger" which was described as a fried real chicken breast, not chicken patty. Mike ordered a Cheese Steak Sub w/ Peppers and Onions. Both our sandwiches came with a choice of chips, fries or onion rings (rings are an extra $2)

Both our lunch choices were delicious...although I did have a bite of Mike's steak sub, and it tasted a bit salty (like soy sauce) but he enjoyed it very much. The french fries were great, but I kind of wish we ordered the onion rings. yum, I do love onion rings. They serve Gifford's ice cream and the flavors looked so appetizing, but we were stuffed after our lunch, so we passed on the dessert.

I grabbed a menu from the sit-down restaurant, and they offer lots of breakfast choices, including omelettes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and interesting combo meals, like "3 silver dollar pancakes & choice of meat" for $8. They also offer "Healthier Options" like egg beaters, egg white omelettes, and turkey bacon or sausage. For lunch, there was burgers, hot dogs, fried seafood, steak subs, and salads to name just a few. Prices are reasonable.

The hours of operation were a bit confusing. There was a big sign outside that stated they were only open only until 2pm, but it appeared the the Take Out area was open after that, so I decided to phone the restaurant and ask them to clarify. I spoke to a friendly gentleman (the son of the original "Rosie") and we had a great conversation. He told me a bit about himself and the restaurant. He graduated from culinary school and worked at the Mount Washington Hotel restaurant for many years, before taking over the reins of his mom's restaurant, which she opened over 20 years ago.

So, here is the scoop (hehee ice cream pun intended): Rosie's Restaurant inside dining is open from 5:30am to 2:00pm (Breakfast and lunch). The outside Take-Out and Ice Cream area (where we ordered) is open from 12pm to 9pm (but closed on Mondays)

We enjoyed our lunch at Rosie's, and will definitely return. I found another review online that raved about their breakfast, so we will have to plan a morning visit next time we are in the area. Also, I would like to check out the ice cream for a early evening treat...

Yum, now I am hungry after writing this review! Do you have a favorite restaurant while camping? Visit our food forum and share!

Note: I told the owner that I was writing a review of his restaurant, so if he has any corrections or additions, I hope he comments!

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Danforth Bay-2008 Pets Weekend
May 20, 2008 - Article Categories: Travel-Plans • Danforth-Bay

Sunday, we returned from a fantastic weekend at Danforth Bay Camping Resort in Freedom, New Hampshire. We love the theme “Pets Weekend” and have participated in 2 past years’ activities. A big hello and thank you to the Danforth Bay staff, especially Craig & Dina. They do a great job organizing the events. Every dog is a winner, and no one goes home without at least one ribbon. The dogs are happy and exhausted by the time the events are over!

I also must give a huge thank you to Bob, Patty and family (NewEnglandCamper) for organizing a special Friday night social for some of the That’s Camping forum regulars. It was so much fun to meet some of the great people that have made the forum such a wonderful place to hang out.

Shout outs go to:

It was so nice to meet ya’all with your families and pets.

To view photos from the weekend, please visit the Pets Weekend album in our Photo Gallery.

Mindy at Pet's Weekend

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Little Ponderosa Campground Closed (Boothbay, Maine)
March 12, 2008 - Article Categories: Travel-Plans

The Little Ponderosa Campground in Boothbay, Maine has closed for business. What a shame. It is a fantastic campground. Very quaint and peaceful. About a week ago, we inquired about reservations, and we ended up choosing to stay at the Shore Hills Campground instead. It is good that they are returning deposits to their customers, in time for them to make reservations elsewhere. Plus, they could have just went out of business without returning any money at all. Very decent of them!

This is the message on their web site:

Little Ponderosa Campground in Boothbay Maine is closing for business

I don’t know if it is a permanent situation, I really hope that it is just for this year or two. Perhaps they can find a buyer. I really hope it stays as a campground, and doesn’t get sold for land to build houses or something. Some conglomerate hopefully won’t scoop it up for condos on the water.

Thanks to MaxFox, one of our web site visitors, for bringing this to our attention. We wish the owners of Little Ponderosa Campground good luck in the future!

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Updates to That’s Camping
March 11, 2008 - Article Categories: Miscellaneous

I made some changes to the site tonight, and hopefully they are for the better.

I found it difficult to read the Reviews main page with just a list of titles, so I added a brief summary. You should now be able to view the date, author, overall rating of the campground, as well as other information listed at the beginning of each review. Since there are so many reviews to read, I hope this change will save time, allowing visitors to tell at a glance if a review is positive or negative and decide if the full review should be read.

The same changes have been made on each Region Category page (ie Maine, Lakes Region, Cape Cod, etc). Again, I hope it saves time reading the vast amount of reviews on the site.

Please everyone!! Do me a favor, and let me know if you see any glitches or errors. I tried to troubleshoot the site as best I could, but there could be issues that I missed.

If you notice anything out of order, please add a comment below or email me at

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New Hampshire Camping & RV Show
February 29, 2008 - Article Categories: RV-Camping-Shows

We went to the NH Camping & RV show this afternoon (at the Armory in Manchester) and I wanted to write my review right away, just in case others were wondering if they should go or not. It is a small show, but packed with lots of campground booths, and a few small trailers and pop-ups. It was nice to see the A-liner trailer, and so many of the “cute” smaller RVs that are usually missing from most of the larger shows.

If you can brave the snow, tomorrow would be a great time to head there. Since everyone will be stuck digging themselves out from the snow, the show should have the same intimate feel that we experienced.

We arrived at approximately 4pm (Friday); it really pays to go during the less busy time of day because you can really talk in depth with the campground owners and staff. We asked a lot of questions, looked at campground photo albums, and grabbed a bunch of brochures. It got me in the mood for camping and I am looking forward to this season. Problem is, there are so many campgrounds are interesting in, I don’t know how to choose.

Some intriguing campgrounds:

My review would not be complete without a shout out to my buddy Rocky from Papoose Pond - I see him (and his lovely wife) at most of the camping shows, and he always makes me laugh! We haven’t visited Papoose Pond since 2005 and maybe this year we’ll return.

I also would like to mention Flat Rock Bridge Resort in Lebanon, Maine. It was so nice to finally meet John in person. He is still working hard updating the campground, and I am glad to hear they are really doing well.

And to the person (you KNOW who you are!) that complained that my review of the New England Camping Show was too harsh (hehee, I believe “blistering” was the word you used), I hope you like this one better!!!

Check out the New Hampshire Camping & RV Show - running this weekend from Friday (Feb 29) to Sunday (March 2) - get an online coupon and get the directions to the Armory at the UCampNH website.

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New England Camping & RV Show - 2008
February 10, 2008 - Article Categories: Equipment • RV-Camping-Shows

At the last minute, we decided to check out the New England Camping & RV Show this afternoon. This year the show is in Foxboro, MA at Gillette Stadium. Easy access off Rt 1. Free parking. $9 adult admission.

The show was much smaller than when it was held in Boston; Mike estimated that it was only about a quarter to a third the size of past shows. Read the whole review!

Read More...

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What Games to You Play While Camping?
February 08, 2008 - Article Categories: Camping-Tips • Miscellaneous

We have a great conversation going on the forum. What games do you like to play while camping?

So far, we have:

Let us know what you play either by posting a comment, or joining in at the forum.
Thanks to Lucas for starting the conversation!

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