ALLENSTOWN, N.H. — A once-tired riverside campground tucked between Route 28 and the Suncook River has a new name, a new look, and — if its owners have their way — a new place in the life of the town.
Joe and Kim Caprio, Massachusetts transplants with a long-running camping habit, bought the 22-acre park in May 2024 and kept it open while tackling a top-to-bottom overhaul. This season they reintroduced the property as The Suncook River Camp, a nod to the slow, amber river that frames most of its sites.
“Every expert told us to close for a year,” Joe said in an interview. “But we couldn’t call the seasonals and cancel their vacations. So we renovated around people. It was hard, chaotic — and worth it.”
The Caprios describe the first months as taking a house “down to the studs.” Fresh paint, rebuilt bathrooms, a new pool liner, a remodeled playground, added pergolas and sunshades — and, crucially, more electrical capacity after years of flickering service along the waterfront.
The narrow, long parcel runs parallel to the Suncook, and much of the park’s identity comes from that frontage. The first half of the river now hosts pull-through sites for transient RVs; the second half is being converted into a “rental village” of glamping domes, platform tents, vintage campers, a school-bus conversion and compact cabins. A renovated tiny cabin with a loft and river view is already open; three more cabins are slated for next season, along with additional domes and vintage units.
“We wanted three things: water on property, a great park next door, and to be within two hours of Boston,” Kim said. “This place checked every box — and then some.”
The “great park next door” is Bear Brook State Park, New Hampshire’s largest, which the Caprios think is under-celebrated locally. They pitch Suncook as the quick escape: close enough for a midweek “mini-moon,” far enough to feel away.
Renovation wasn’t the only change. The couple also reset expectations: quiet hours, no smoking in common areas, children accompanied by parents in shared spaces, electric golf carts, and no motorcycles on campsites. Some longtime seasonals left, they said, but the park quickly refilled — largely with locals.
From the outset, the Caprios made inclusivity explicit. “We’re a family campground that welcomes everyone — no matter who you are or who you love,” Kim said. “If that makes you uncomfortable, you probably won’t be comfortable here.”
That clarity, they say, has helped build the kind of mixed crowd they hoped for: families driving up from Boston and Cambridge for river floats on weekends, and Allenstown or Pembroke neighbors sliding in Tuesday–Wednesday for a quiet night and a campfire. One local couple turned up midweek this summer to celebrate the same spot where they married 30 years ago — and ended up skipping the concert they’d planned to attend, choosing the river instead.
Their approach is a deliberate counterpoint to the national trend of private-equity campground rollups. The Caprios fund improvements gradually, hire local tradespeople, and keep seasonals on the map.
“Too many places get stripped, rebuilt and priced into a ghost-resort,” Joe said. “We’re trying to prove you can upgrade without erasing. We want a place where one family from ‘Camberville’ and one family from Allenstown feel equally at home.”
That local weave shows up in the details: electricians and plumbers from Allenstown, seasonal campers who also work on grounds and housekeeping, food trucks invited onto the property, and a steady presence in community events, from parades to open cookouts. Midweek drop-ins — pool passes, a tube rental, a food-truck dinner — are encouraged.
The Caprios say the park is optimized for the two-nights/three-days crowd — Friday–Sunday or Tuesday–Thursday. After a local TikTok video drew hundreds of thousands of views in July, weekend demand spiked and the team shifted to flipping rentals twice weekly. The river float has become a signature: an hour-long drift from camp to the next boat access, followed by a five-minute walk back.
Most families swim in the pool; the Suncook, dam-quieted and tea-dark from pine tannins, is better for floating and paddling in high summer. As temperatures cool, the owners plan to add a small sauna and hot/cold plunge courtyard to extend the shoulder seasons for glamping.
Waterfront RV sites (transient): Pull-through on the river’s first half.
Glamping & rentals: Three platform “deck tents,” three domes (including a king-bed dome), a school-bus conversion, several vintage trailers and large RVs set as turnkey rentals, plus a renovated tiny cabin (with additional cabins planned).
Amenities: Blue, sparkling pool; rebuilt playground; remodeled bathhouses; broad sunshades and a pergola; riverfront lawns; easy tube access.
Community & programming: Arts and crafts (yes, Shrinky Dinks still delight), rock painting, occasional weeknight barbecues, parade participation, and food-truck nights.
Capacity upgrades continue. The owners tripled electrical service along the river in the last off-season and plan to triple capacity again in the front lot this winter before finishing that section’s facelift. “If you came back in a year,” Joe said, “the last unrenovated corner will look as polished as the riverfront.”
For all the polish, the pitch remains simple: this is an easy escape for southern New Hampshire and Greater Boston. The park sits roughly 60 miles from Boston and within short striking distance of Manchester and Concord. The owners say most guests travel 60–100 miles to get here; many are local.
“We’re not a week-long beach-house stay,” Kim said. “We’re the place you can reach after work for a real two-night reset — river float, pool time, campfire, Bear Brook trails, and back home by lunch.”
As summer gives way to foliage season, the Caprios are still working through punch lists and planning the next round of improvements. But the big idea — renovate without losing the locals, welcome everyone and keep the nights quiet — is already visible by the glow of the fire rings.
“The pool’s blue, the river’s calm,” Joe said with a grin. “It’s still the same campground — just better.”
Thursday, Oct. 16, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. the League of Leaders professional networking group is hosting their second monthly event at the campground. The camp is providing a bonfire and s’mores. This event is free and open to other business people. For more information, reach out to Tony LaCasse at tony@tri-townrealty.com.
