I love camping! This week I decided to pack the kids up and head down to Winter Island for a few days. Winter Island is a city park that is an island (connected by a causeway) right on the ocean. It has a few amenities like a very rustic bathhouse and a camp store but it’s really all about the beach, the water and a little bit of history.
We’ve been going to the beach there for twenty five years but had never family camped. I was amazed that I could be so “on vacation” this close to home.
Our campsite was wooded and spacious.

And the views are spectacular!

This is looking in toward Derby Wharf and the city.
The island was historically a fort and more recently a coast guard base.
Here’s a post about it’s history that was written by Salem blogger Beth Melillo a few weeks ago:
http://connectshore.com/2012/07/03/winter-island-a-personal-and-public-history/
There’s always something interesting to ponder.
Was this building used to store munitions or was it used for holding prisoners?
We really need to research that and figure it out.

Here’s the old sea plane hanger…

and a view from the back with one of the Salem Community Gardens sites in the foreground.

There’s the old barracks. I’d love to see this building restored and used again.

My kids have grown up playing at the playground.We used to go down for an hour before lunch and nap time when they were little.

There are flowers blooming all over the island.
One of the former caretakers loved to plant things and his handiwork is everywhere!
Casey’s gardens make me feel right at home.

The kids spent lots and lots of time exploring the tide pools…

Here’s a close up of some star fish that they found.

My little guy spends hours out there.

We did have to watch out for the critters that came out at night.
There were ground hogs and wharf rats. One night a skunk wandered right through our site as I was tucking the kids in.
We knew it was time to head home very early yesterday morning when Michael caught a raccoon pulling a bag of marshmallows through this hole that he (the raccoon) had chewed in our tent!

A little duct tape to repair the hole is nothing compared to wonderful family time and views like this!

Whether you spend a few hours or a few days, Winter Island is a perfect place to relax and get away!