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'Camp Rockaway' Is Now Open For Glamping Near The Beach At Fort Tilden
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 21, 2017
Modified Sep 21, 2017
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 21, 2017
Modified Sep 21, 2017
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Summer officially ends Friday, and yet it's supposed to be in the 80s and humid this weekend. Confusing. If it still feels like summer, who's to say you shouldn't enjoy one more beautiful beach day? Or hell, maybe a beach weekend? If you're still Down To Beach and want to make the most of it while it lasts, here's a fresh option: Camp Rockaway, a new "safari-style tent lodging" venture that just launched a fall pilot program at the Gateway National Recreation Area's Fort Tilden.
"Inspired by shoreline tent colonies of the 1900s," Camp Rockaway is renting out a handful of fully-furnished tents with floors, canvas sides, solar lights, deck-chairs, and Casper mattresses. The designated camping area is a short walk to the beach, and the organizers also promise showers, bathrooms, a community kitchen and dining area, and a camp store selling food and supplies. There will also be games like horseshoes and a communal campfire for telling ghost stories about how many pedestrians your dollar van driver almost killed on your way to Tilden.
The whole thing is the brainchild of New York City-based designer Kent Johnson, who, you'll recall, started a Kickstarter in 2014 to make his dream of beach glamping a reality. This fall's pilot will last for six weeks, until November 6th, when surely it will no longer be in the 80s?
Camp Rockaway's seven fixed tents rent from $115 to $195 per night, with a two night minimum on the weekends, but there are also open spaces to pitch your own tent for $65 a night. (The area is under the auspices of the National Park Service, which doesn't just give camping spots away.) Check out the campground layout below, and make reservations here, or just drunkenly pass out on the beach for free and hope the Park Ranger's horses don't step on you.
Tagged
fort tilden
glamping beach.
rockaway
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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