Looking for RV parks near Boston MA

[Dave5143]

Hello all. Our theme for this year's summer adventure is "Early American History". We will be visiting some of the most historic sites from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and of course the District of Columbia.

1.Right now I am focused on the Boston area and am looking for advice on finding a good RV park to spend a few days while visiting the sites in Charlestown and Boston. Any good ones we should consider?

2. I was told that I may not want to bring our F250 tow vehicle anywhere near Boston for visiting because of narrow streets and limited parking. Should we call an Uber or what?

We are retired and plan to spend two/three months on the road this summer so we are not in a rush to see things.

As a diehard westerner, I'm not really all that familiar with challenges associated with RVing along the Eastern Seaboard.

[irish31790]

lampooner wrote:
Lived in Boston area for 20 years in the town of Harvard. I would recommend Minuteman RV park in Littleton MA. It is a relativey small park in Westford MA. This is near Lexington and Concord which you can drive to. Also near two commuter train stations where you can catch a train to downtown Boston.

You do not want to try driving your truck into Boston unless you really enjoy total frustration!

I second Lampooner. We stayed there last year and really enjoyed it. Lots of trees, nice pool, well maintained. But have your bug juice handy, the skeeters were thicker than thieves!!

[Mickeyfan0805]

Dave5143 wrote:

I understand there is some kind of walking trail that takes in the major historic sites. I can't remember the name of the trail though. We will want to take that.

edit*** Never mind, it's the Freedom Trail, I remember now.

Yep - a good walk that includes many sites, but also puts you in the vicinity of some of the other destinations around the harbor, Quincy Market, etc.

[mdcamping]

DrewE wrote:

Dave5143 wrote:

I'm just finding that out. What about the Charlie ticket with the 1 week link pass?

The one week pass is a Charlie Ticket, I guess, based on the MTBA web site. If that's what you're getting, then you can safely ignore what I wrote.

For a la carte single fares a Charlie Card is cheaper than a Charlie Ticket, and it took me far too long to suss out how to obtain said Charlie Card. That was all. Living in Vermont I'm more likely to head down to Boston for a day trip or maybe an overnight/weekend than a week, and single ride fares usually end up being more economical than a day or week pass for me in such situations.

We go to the Red Sox games frequently and leave from Riverside station, they are always selling the Charlie Cards and if I remember you can load any amount of money on the cards. Do they sell the cards at all stations? probably not. But maybe a good guess at all the major hub stations.

Mike

[paulcardoza]

Freedom Trail! Don't miss it. It is a pretty easy walk.

Dave5143 wrote:
Wow, lot's of great advice here. I now have a pretty good idea how we're going to do this. While I have taken my truck into some pretty tight places I absolutely hate, hate, hate most urban parking garages. They are not designed for pickup trucks. I may opt for the parking lot mentioned earlier but I think it will make most sense to leave the truck at the park and take the train.
I understand there is some kind of walking trail that takes in the major historic sites. I can't remember the name of the trail though. We will want to take that.

[Dave5143]

Wow, lot's of great advice here. I now have a pretty good idea how we're going to do this. While I have taken my truck into some pretty tight places I absolutely hate, hate, hate most urban parking garages. They are not designed for pickup trucks. I think it will make most sense to leave the truck at the train station parking lot and take the train.
I understand there is some kind of walking trail that takes in the major historic sites. I can't remember the name of the trail though. We will want to take that.

edit*** Never mind, it's the Freedom Trail, I remember now.

[Mickeyfan0805]

Used to live in that area. The Cape Cord KOA is decent, but we always preferred Normandy Farms. Probably the biggest thing we miss, since moving away, is Normandy. It was our go to weekend campground for local stays. It was a bit pricier than others, but you get what you pay for. We've spent the last 4.5 years trying to find a comparative - all to no avail.

Either way, both of these are south of the city, so you will have a few choices for transit. I agree with others who would suggest NOT driving into the city. The Lakeville station mentioned above is a commuter rail stop that would take you into the city. It's a bit pricier than just getting onto the T, but it's convenient. If you want to drive north up to Braintree or Mattapan, that would allow you to park and board the T directly. If you look up the MBTA, it can give you a good overview of the system and options.

[mbopp]

We stayed in Gloucester & took the rail to Boston (North Station). You can walk or take the subway from there.

[paulcardoza]

It's hard to imagine that someone who can drive a nearly 50ft truck/camper combo around the country cannot navigate with just the truck in Boston. Sure, there are neighborhoods (North End) where streets are very tight and you should avoid that area. If you're comfortable maneuvering your pickup, drive in, follow signs to Government Center and park in the large garage right near Quincy Market. That'll put you in the center of pretty much everything and give you easy access back onto the expressway when leaving the city.

If you're a very timid sort of driver, by all means don't drive in, but it really isn't all that bad.

Crowe wrote:
2. I was told that I may not want to bring our F250 tow vehicle anywhere near Boston for visiting because of narrow streets and limited parking. Should we call an Uber or what?

I'll have to disagree with Paul above a bit on this. It IS a big deal to take a large vehicle into the city. There is limited parking for larger vehicles and negotiating the small streets can be very difficult especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. And we Yanks are not patient with those that are "from away" and add to an already bad traffic situation. Save yourself some stress and take the T or commuter rail into the city. It is indeed a very walkable city plus you do have the option of taxis or Uber if you wish.

[pasusan]

We stayed at Wompatuck State Park and took the ferry into Boston from Hingham. That was super easy and dropped us right at the main wharf.



Boston is easily walkable and they also have the tour buses - no need to drive.

[lucy6194]

Don't think about taking your truck into Boston. Hight alone won't allow you in most of the parking garages. We live on the Cape and would never think about it. Only advantage biggest guy wins...if your aggressive!!!!

[Hedgehog]

The Lakeville T station is only 10 minutes from the Middleborough KOA, that’s the route I would take. You take the T into south station and from there you can take other subways or simply walk.

[DrewE]

Dave5143 wrote:

I'm just finding that out. What about the Charlie ticket with the 1 week link pass?

The one week pass is a Charlie Ticket, I guess, based on the MTBA web site. If that's what you're getting, then you can safely ignore what I wrote.

For a la carte single fares a Charlie Card is cheaper than a Charlie Ticket, and it took me far too long to suss out how to obtain said Charlie Card. That was all. Living in Vermont I'm more likely to head down to Boston for a day trip or maybe an overnight/weekend than a week, and single ride fares usually end up being more economical than a day or week pass for me in such situations.

[Dave5143]

DrewE wrote:

Dave5143 wrote:
Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated. I'll check out the Boston/Cape Cod KOA. I like the idea of taking a train. Is the "T" near the KOA?

I don't think there are any campgrounds near the T proper, but if I recall the KOA (and a few others) are not far from commuter rail, which can take you to the T.

One suggestion: get a CharlieCard as soon as practical for riding the T. It's a decent savings over the paper CharlieTickets, and the cards themselves are free...it's just not always obvious where you can get them. Certain stations do have them available if you find and ask an MTBA employee to get you one; their web site does have a list of those stations. You might think they could have some of the ticket vending machines stocked and able to spit them out, as in several other transit systems, but you'd be wrong.

I'm just finding that out. What about the Charlie ticket with the 1 week link pass?

[DrewE]

Dave5143 wrote:
Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated. I'll check out the Boston/Cape Cod KOA. I like the idea of taking a train. Is the "T" near the KOA?

I don't think there are any campgrounds near the T proper, but if I recall the KOA (and a few others) are not far from commuter rail, which can take you to the T.

One suggestion: get a CharlieCard as soon as practical for riding the T. It's a decent savings over the paper CharlieTickets, and the cards themselves are free...it's just not always obvious where you can get them. Certain stations do have them available if you find and ask an MTBA employee to get you one; their web site does have a list of those stations. You might think they could have some of the ticket vending machines stocked and able to spit them out, as in several other transit systems, but you'd be wrong.