Camping Companions

Have you ever stayed at a campground that has a museum right within the park? Well you can at Sampson State Park in Romulus, NY. This park is located in the Finger Lakes region of NY, overlooking Seneca Lake, which is the largest of the lakes. The Air Force & Navy Memorial Museum is home of a former Military training facility for the Navy during WWII and then a training facility for the Air Force during the Korean War. Unfortunately, the museum and gift shop weren’t open yet when we were there, but we had a great time wandering around the memorial, boats, tanks, and an airplane! South of the Park Entrance on Rt 96A is the Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Check out our video tour below.

There are actually 2 campgrounds, the museum, and a marina all in the same area. We only stayed at the state campground, so we can only talk about that. The other is called Seneca Lake Resorts and is privately owned. The one we stayed in has 5 loops of camping, located on 2,070 acres on the East shore of Seneca Lake. There are 243 electric campsites. The marina is newly remodeled and has 96 boat slips. There is also a sandy beach & a really neat playground close to the water. There is another playground within the campground as well. We stayed in loop 5, which is the closest to the lake. A standard site with electric, picnic table, and fire ring is $26. per night on weekends. There are 10 Cabins in loop 5, six of which are 1 bedroom, and 4 are 2 bedrooms. One bedroom cottages are $1200. a week to rent, a two bedroom cottage is $1400. per week. A reservation fee of $7.25 is added to any reservation made. Bike rentals are offered for either 5 hours or full day. Pontoon rentals are also available by contacting Seneca Lakes Resort rentals. Visit the camp store/restaurant for your ice cream, beer, or forgotten necessities, or have a picnic with grills available to use. A recreation hall has video games, pool, table tennis, and foosball.

Pictures of Sampson State Park

If you want to head out of the campground there is plenty to do in the area. The area is known for the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Get your winery map and information here. Not your thing? Seneca County is also known for its Woman’s Rights Museum. Or take the kids to see white deer at Deer Haven park. Get your exercise by hiking over 30 interconnecting trails at The Finger Lakes National Forest. From relaxation, to history, nature, and sunsets, you will absolutely love Seneca Lake State Park. Watch our video to learn more!