Just up the beach from Oceanstone Inn & Cottages is the compact, seaside King Neptune Campground (902-823-2582), whose 20 tent sites (site number 55 is a gem) and 45 RV sites (go for spots 27 or 34) are run by the feisty, no-frills Kay Richardson and her daughters Joyce and Elva. “I’ve always got extra flour on supply for camper’s fish fry,” says the 85-year-old fisherman’s widow. There’s also tea and homemade gingerbread for the weekly campfire socials held every June to October since the ’60s.

“We’re basic here,” Richardson brags, referring to her what-you-see-is-what-you-get policy: no privacy, pay-showers, thin dirt-floor sites on granite beds and lots, and lots of ocean. There are electrical, sewage and water hook-ups available, and unserviced sites start at $25.
 

Photo: Mangrove Mike