Father's Day weekend saw our return to
Bear Creek Campground at
Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. We spent 4 days at Lake Compounce and my kids loved every minute of it. Our first visit was last Father's Day weekend and we went again later in the summer. Bear Creek is a relatively new campground, built in 2014, and owned by Lake Compounce Amusement Park (Festival Fun Parks LLC). The campground is located across the parking lot from the park entrance and it is easily walkable or there is a tram that provides guests rides to and from the park.
During our first stay last year, we became Lake Compounce Platinum Season Pass Holders and thanks to a Black Friday Special, we are Diamond Pass Holders this year. Bear Creek has new Stay and Play Package options or you can purchase a Lake Compounce season pass starting at $55.
While we stayed in a RV site, Bear Creek offers tent, tipi, cub hut and cabin rentals, in addition to both tent and RV sites. This was our third stay at Bear Creek and each time they have made improvements to both the facilities and programming from our previous visit. The Activity Schedule is a little more robust this summer and the kids had fun crafting and playing games.
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| The kids were so proud of their Father's Day crafts. |
The best thing about Bear Creek Campground is of course it's proximity to Lake Compounce Amusement Park. Lake Compounce is a great family-friendly park with traditional rides, Dino Expedition with lifelike dinosaurs and Crocodile Cove, its water park. All three of my children love visiting Lake Compounce and my 9 year old was thrilled that he was able to ride their newest roller coaster,
Phobia Phear. The coaster was closed twice while my son and husband were waiting in line, the second time they were next to ride, but the third time was a charm and they were finally able to ride. My twins love the Kiddie rides and cannot wait until they are ready to join their big brother on the bigger thrill rides. Another plus is that the campground's store, bathrooms and other are very well maintained and always clean. Everyone from the campground manager to maintenance crew are friendly and more than willing to assist campers.
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| They finally conquered Phobia Phear! |
We really have only one complaint about Bear Creek and that is fact that there is no escape from the heat! As the campground is only a few years old, it is lacking shade since most of it was clear cut. There is some shade along the edges of the campground and the Premium Tent Sites, but otherwise shade is at a minimum. It can be very hot with the relentless summer sun beating down. To go along with that, there is neither a pool nor splash park (or even a hose and sprinkler) at Bear Creek. I understand that they most likely want you to visit Crocodile Creek, the water park at Lake Compounce, but there are times when kids and parents need to take a mid-day break from the park and having an option at the campground would only improve the camping experience.
My three kids keep asking when we'll be returning to Bear Creek this summer and we hope to book another trip towards the end of August, this time with friends! Overall, it's a great place for families, and the perfect place to plan a fun activity like making
sponge water balls to keep cool on those hot summer days.
Happy Camping,
Rachel
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| Pulling Out of Our RV Site |
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| Tipi rentals |
