Best beaches in Rhode Island

Rhode Island isn’t nicknamed the Ocean State for nothing.

So here are some of the best beaches for your southern New England travels.

Narragansett Town Beach: Don’t be fooled by the name. Narragansett town beach is a big, popular spot and it’s also a classic New England Saltwater Coastal Beachfront. This is the “it” place to be during the summer — but careful, Narragansett draws huge crowds. Numbers have it at almost 10,000 visitors a day at the peak of summer! It’s bound to be a lively spot for all of your socializing needs. Narragansett beach is also known as one of the cleanest and accessible beaches. Use your GPS to simply map yourself to “Naragansett” and there’s plenty of entrances to the water. There’s also a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels nearby, so you’ll have a lot to do even if you don’t stay in the sand or the water.

But this comes at a price. Starting June 12th through Labor Day weekend the Town Beach is open daily and admission is $10 per person per day. Be aware, it’s not transferable, and cash only. Children 11 years old and under are free. Parking fees are $10 per vehicle Monday through Friday and $15 per vehicle on weekends and holidays. You can also take a chance and drive around to see if there’s any accessible street parking, although it’s also limited.

One of the reasons why I love this spot: the stone wall walk. If you park your car around the end of Ocean Road, you can walk to the seawall opening to Narragansett Beach and walk around the ocean’s edge. Sometimes I like Narragansett the stone wall curving around the beach but walk on the sidewalk away from the sand. You can chat with a lot of other walkers along the way, most of them with precious pups. You’ll also catch a lot of surfers in the area, and that’s fun to watch.

Point Judith: it’s a village and a small cape also on the coast of Narragansett, Rhode Island, with the location for the principal year-round ferry service that connects Block Island to the mainland and contains the fishing hamlet of Galilee, Rhode Island. There’s a bunch of pathways and beaches along this coast in the Point Judith area, including Scarborough State Beaches (North and South) on 970 Ocean Rd, Narragansett; Galilee about 1.9 miles from Point Judith Lighthouse at the intersection of Great Island Rd. and Galilee Escape Rd., Narragansett; Salty Brine State Beach at 254 Great Island Rd, Narragansett.

Scarborough State Beaches is one of the more popular spots because there’s some great people-watching on its boardwalk to picnicking under shaded shelters, and saltwater bathing in one of Rhode Island’s most popular spots. Scarborough State Beaches also has hot & cold showers which is a treat to keep that sand off when heading back to the car. These areas can be slightly choppier and windy, though the crowds aren’t nearly as bad as the main Narragansett town beach. Nearby Beavertail Lighthouse and Park in Jamestown is also an attraction.

Gaspee Point is one of the beaches in Warwick. It’s only a small peninsula on the west side and reaches of the Providence River in Warwick. The cautionary message, make sure you check the signs around the area for any warnings — sometimes the water does have bacteria where it’s advisable not to go in. However, this beach makes it on the list of best Rhode Island beaches because the sunsets are incredible. The photos of the sunsets below are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen.

It’s worth a walk around the shore, even if you never get into the water. Be aware, it’s not the most sandy at all parts, so there will be some treking through patches of dirt or grass. Parking is limited, although it’s a little bit of a hidden spot, you’re bound to avoid tourists a little bit better.

Oakland Beach: This is another beach in the city of Warwick. Same goes for checking lifeguard signs around for the status of the water and if you can get in; that’s because it’s a Bay inlet beach, so once in awhile, water is a concern. The perks of this beach is that there are restaurants nearby and often during the summer, there are plenty of food trucks. The post popular staples of Rhode Island are here: Iggy’s Boardwalk, Top of the Bay, Beach Cafe, and Christopher’s landing.

If you head by Iggy’s Boardwalk, there’s an express line outside for the infamous Rhode Island Doughboys: local sugar-dusted, deep-fried dough treat. The issue is the restaurants bring a lot of foot and car traffic, so parking is a battle sometimes. Most people will stay on the sand and the shore to tan at this saltwater beach, many opting out of the water. There’s a boat ramp on Bay Ave.

Map yourself to Oakland Beach Avenue in Warwick for the entrance.

Do you have other favorite local beach spots? Post a comment to this post and I’ll add it to this list! And don’t forget to subscribe to Adventures with Crystal for the latest travel destinations.