If you’re looking for a great place to pull up your RV, or pitch a tent that’s stocked full of amenities – look no further than Pine Acres Family Camping Resort. We had the opportunity to speak with Denise, who’s one of the owners of Pine Acres. She told us about the pool, the mini-golf, and of course – the camping! Listen to our full interview here:
Pine Acres Family Camping Resort Massachusetts
Camp Massachusetts: I’m talking with Denise today. She is one of the Owners at Pine Acres Family Camping Resort in Massachusetts. How’s it going this morning, Denise?
Denise: It’s going great.
CM: So, let’s just start off with how long Pine Acres Family Camping Resort has been there and how you guys got started.
Denise: Oh, well, Pine Acres was started by my husband’s family back in 1960.
CM: Wow, quite a while ago.
Denise: Yes, a long time ago. They were one of the first Parks in New England, and they opened that Labor Day Weekend, I understand, with about 15 campsites here on the shores of Lake Dean that he had carved out of pretty virgin forest here.
CM: Okay. And did it just start out as tent camping then?
Denise: No, there were RVs back then.
CM: Okay.
Denise: But of course, it was a lot more rustic.
CM: Yeah, absolutely.
Denise: There weren’t a lot of facilities, but in terms of the family camping experience, I think that, from what we understand, it sounds like it was pretty similar to what we actually do today.
CM: Nice. Now, what types of camping do you guys offer there?
Denise: Well, because of our location, we’re what you call a destination park, and so we, being on a nice, small lake here, offer pretty much everything that people would need once they arrive. Not that we’re that far from points of interests, or shopping areas and such, but we still offer that level of service for our customers. A lot of people come here to vacation, whether it be a short three-day vacation or a week or two, and so we’ve developed, you know, a number of things on the property from, you know, all the sports facilities for the families. Tennis and mini golf, and things like that, all the way to having a little country store and cafe on the property.
CM: Nice. Now, obviously RV camping there, but then it looks like you offer tent camping as well.
Denise: We do. We have a little bit. The way the Park was developed, we have a little bit of everything, which is nice, because we can cater to camping families that are in different phases of their lives. So we do have a separate tenting area for our younger families that might be just starting out, or what we call real campers, who still like to tent.
CM: Sure.
Denise: And then, of course, down in our main area, we cater mostly to RVs, and then just in the last ten years or so, we’ve added a number of different types of lodging facilities. Types of cabins. And that seems to work well with our family groups, as you might get a family that several of them have RVs, but not everyone. So, this way, they can come and those that don’t have the RVs can rent a facility here and still participate in the family activity.
CM: Okay, it looks like you guys have a lot of activities there. The pool looks amazing. What are some of the most popular ways people like to spend their time there?
Denise: Well, again, we are on the lake, so that’s a big draw, and we’re under the tall pines. So, it tends to be a little bit cooler than the cities, particularly in season, which is nice. It’s just a beautiful area in what we call the Worcester Hills. So there’s a lot of water activities. We rent kayaks – fun kayaks – and paddle boats and paddle boards. A lot of fishing from serious fishermen to families fishing and teaching the little ones how to cast off and catch a little fun fish. And then, again, you know, there’s just about everything on property here that the kids could be looking for, from mini golf. We have a family redemption arcade, which is popular. Just recently, in the last several years, we added a little mining smooth.
CM: Fun.
Denise: Where they can purchase a bag that has some gems or fossils in it. And sift through that and find some surprises. There’s a basketball, horseshoes. We have an outdoor theater. So, of course the main beach on the lake is busy on a hot day, along with our resort pool. We have a nice, little splash pad on the side of it, and quite a large adult spa.
CM: Okay, great. Just two more questions for you, Denise. If you were going to spend just one hour in Pine Acres Campground there, how would you spend your time?
Denise: Oh, that’s a difficult one, but I like to be on the water. I guess I would choose to be out there at sunset time, when the water is nice and smooth, in a nice little kayak.
CM: That sounds great. I love kayaking.
Denise: Yeah, and it’s really nice. The far end of the lake, you can get out and there’s some beaver — I don’t know if you call them beaver huts.
CM: It’d be a beaver lodge.
Denise: Beaver lodge, and there’s lots of wildlife down at that end. You often see like big cranes and ducks, and all kinds of things.
CM: Cool.
Denise: So that’s my favorite.
CM: Is it an active beaver lodge? Do you see them cruising around the lake sometimes?
Denise: Oh yes, you do.
CM: Cool.
Denise: Yeah, a lot of wildlife in the area, so that’s really nice as well.
CM: And last question. If you could spend just one night at Pine Acres, which specific site would you choose and why?
Denise: Ooh, it really depends on the season, as we’re quite busy during our ten weeks when the kids are out of school, which we call our high season. But there is a site. We call it a premium waterfront site, down on our main lakefront. And do I have to give you the number of it?
CM: Well, we could just say ask for the premium waterfront site.
Denise: Yes, that’s a popular area anyway, but there is one site down there that is situated such that it’s quite a lovely spot.
CM: I’ll tell them to seek you out and tell them 50 Campfires sent them to find Denise.
Denise: Yeah.
CM: For the best site.
Denise: That’s right, and then I’ll give up.
CM: All right. Well, hey, Denise, thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to chat with us about Pine Acres Campground in Massachusetts.
