The first Dark Sky community has been recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association... Sark Island in England. No street lights or cars along with other limits on external lights at night keep the town light pollution at bay so the the night sky is very dark enabling one to see the stars light we did over 100 years ago. Here is the article in Space.com. And a link to IDA.
New York City is considered one of the most light polluted cities in the world. A 10 on the Bortle Scale. We only see 1-2% of the stars in the night sky. But there is a dark sky park about five hours from NYC, and they have camping also. Just leave the flashlight at home. Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania. If you are interested in finding out where there might be a place closer to you, this link is a bit confusing at
first, but indicates what the night sky will be on the Bortle Scale in your area. http://www.cleardarksky.com