Branch Brook Campground — Hotel in Thomaston

Branch Brook Campground is a little slice of heaven! Our family has camped for decades since we were children and now we are full time RVers, so we have been to dozens of campgrounds across the United States.

When first arriving at Branch Brook, there is a lovely sign with cedar posts illuminated with delightful lamps that lead the way to the office. Once there, you will be greeted by Phil who is the best guide and concierge! He has a warm and welcoming personality, is very helpful and generous and genuinely cares about the folks in the campground and wants everyone to be happy!

Each site is unique and almost all will fit a larger RV, with most being partially shaded with mature trees. There are a few different neighborhoods so to speak and the campground has a homey, woodsy feel rather than a “parking lot rv park”.

There are some spectacular sycamore trees along the brook! Oh, Branch Brook is a sweet meandering brook lined along both edges with hiking/walking trails. The level wide walking trails give access to moderate hikes in the Mattatuck State Forest to Leatherman’s Cave for the more adventurous.

A large pool for fishing is easily accessible and there are frequently anglers enjoying the bounty that flows through Branch Brook. Wildlife abounds in the water with ducks and egrets making their home in the brook.

The new pool, pool deck, fencing and landscaping along with the friendly and laid back guests made us feel like we were at a resort. The pool offered both shade and sun on the deck and there is easy access to very clean bathrooms just steps away. The temperature was usually just right and floats and pool games are permitted.

The new laundry room with new washers and dryers is close enough to the pool and pool deck that one can wash and dry while enjoying the sun and refreshing water.

There is a large pavilion with picnic tables that can be used for family gatherings or just to get out of the sun for a bit.

A large community fire pit is available nearby. Speaking of community, there is a large community garden which is a site to behold as it begins to flourish over the season.

Leashed dogs are permitted and we didn’t encounter any dog poop on our walks.

The grounds were clean and roads well maintained.

Each site has a firepit and wood is available for sale at the office. There is a propane fill station on site as well.

The local area is a nature paradise! Within walking distance is Black Rock State Park with an abundance of hiking trails, swimming and fishing pond and picnic areas. A bit further out is Mt. Tom, Bantam Lake and White Memorial for water sports, hiking and enjoying nature. The Litchfield Hills is a quaint New England region with traditional New England architecture and geography. You will see livestock, produce and flower farms, upscale boutique shops and good old fashioned home cooking restaurants. From fine antiques and shops to sweet little thrift stores, there is something for everyone. Dining options have a lot of character, including a restaurant in an old jail and a pizza joint covered floor to ceiling with...

WARNING, DO NOT GO!!!||ALL CAMPERS ARE NOT TREATED EQUAL!!!||Arrived at check-in to find an inexperienced boy behind the desk who could not find our reservation. When questioning us about who took the reservation and when it was made, he also advised us that the campground was full. This is the same reservation we had made 2 weeks prior and in-person with Manager, Marcie and paid in full and even received an email confirmation from Marcie. We showed the boy the payment receipt and the e-mail confirmation. We asked to speak to the Manager, Marcie. We were told she was on her way to Vermont. We asked for the owners and we were told they were not there either. The boy called Marcie on the phone but the two seemed more intent on finding out who made the mistake than trying to resolve it (even though it was Marcie that took the reservation). The boy eventually found the reservation and it was thought the dates may have been documented wrong but we quickly realized there was something sketchy happening.||Although when I originally made the reservations with Marcie, I drove thru the campground and selected site #40, we were now being told that they do not reserve sites, they are only assigned upon arrival. Conversely, I was told there was another camper was on his way and will be camping on site #40. The boy mentioned that the camper just called to pay. We questioned this contradiction. We said that we are here now and it should be first come/first serve. We questioned when that camper made their reservation. We were told by the boy that he didn’t know when the reservation was made by the other camper (we suspect the other camper had just made the reservation, paid and was promised site #40). We deduced that we were being bounced to make room for this camper as the boy and Marcie referred to this camper by name. ||After almost an hour of back and forth with the boy being on the phone with Marcie, they attempted to offer us another site (#9) that was too close to the highway for us. We said since we are here, we’ll take the site we reserved and paid for (#40) and you can put the other camper on #9. They refused. Again, we questioned the contradiction. “If you don’t assign sites at the time of reservation then why is that camper being given #40? We said since we are here, made reservations 2 weeks ago and paid in full in person with Marcie, why can’t we go on site #40, “it’s vacant?” They repeated the contradiction. Finally, we told them we were going to camp on the site we reserved (#40). We were quickly told that if we did that the police were going to be called. ||While we were there another camper came in to complain about being taken advantage of. ||No Ownership/Management on-site during business hours/ a campground’s busy time. ||Left a boy who only does maintenance for the campground in charge during a campground’s busy time…a weekend. Lies, Deception, Threats, Mistreatment, and Mismanagement. ...

WARNING, DO NOT GO!!! ALL CAMPERS ARE NOT TREATED EQUAL!!! Arrived at check-in to find an inexperienced boy behind the desk who could not find our reservation. When questioning us about who took the reservation and when it was made, he also advised us that the campground was full. This is the same reservation we had made 2 weeks prior and in-person with Manager, Marcie and paid in full and even received an email confirmation from Marcie. We showed the boy the payment receipt and the e-mail confirmation. We asked to speak to the Manager, Marcie. We were told she was on her way to Vermont. We asked for the owners and we were told they were not there either. The boy called Marcie on the phone but the two seemed more intent on finding out who made the mistake than trying to resolve it (even though it was Marcie that took the reservation). The boy eventually found the reservation and it was thought the dates may have been documented wrong but we quickly realized there was something sketchy happening. Although when I originally made the reservations with Marcie, I drove thru the campground and selected site #40, we were now being told that they do not reserve sites, they are only assigned upon arrival. Conversely, I was told there was another camper was on his way and will be camping on site #40. The boy mentioned that the camper just called to pay. We questioned this contradiction. We said that we are here now and it should be first come/first serve. We questioned when that camper made their reservation. We were told by the boy that he didn’t know when the reservation was made by the other camper (we suspect the other camper had just made the reservation, paid and was promised site #40). We deduced that we were being bounced to make room for this camper as the boy and Marcie referred to this camper by name. After almost an hour of back and forth with the boy being on the phone with Marcie, they attempted to offer us another site (#9) that was too close to the highway for us. We said since we are here, we’ll take the site we reserved and paid for (#40) and you can put the other camper on #9. They refused. Again, we questioned the contradiction. “If you don’t assign sites at the time of reservation then why is that camper being given #40? We said since we are here, made reservations 2 weeks ago and paid in full in person with Marcie, why can’t we go on site #40, “it’s vacant?” They repeated the contradiction. Finally, we told them we were going to camp on the site we reserved (#40). We were quickly told that if we did that the police were going to be called. While we were there another camper came in to complain about being taken advantage of. No Ownership/Management on-site during business hours/ a campground’s busy time. Left a boy who only does maintenance for the campground in charge during a campground’s busy time…a weekend. Lies, Deception, Threats, Mistreatment, and Mismanagement. ...