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Rhode Island
6 Most Idyllic Small Towns in Rhode Island
As the smallest state in the United States by area, Rhode Island may seem like one big, bayside city. While many people flock to the capital of Providence, it is far from the only Rhode Island community with amazing attractions. Spilling from the central hub are tiny drops of fun and serenity that are worth a dip. From a whole town of beaches to a nest of nature preserves to an inland wonderland, these Rhode Island retreats should not be skipped during your next New England vacation.
Narragansett
With 14,500 residents as of the 2020 Census, Narragansett would not be considered a small town in many other states. But, in Rhode Island, this town is one of the smallest. Nestled between Point Judith Pond and Narragansett Bay, Narragansett is brimming with beaches. For example, Narragansett Town Beach is a 19-acre eastern shore oasis with swimming, surfing, sunbathing, snacking, and views of The Towers, the regal remnant of a Medieval-style casino that burned down in 1900. A few miles south is Scarborough State Beach, which occupies 60 acres and features two multi-use units. Last but not least for beachgoers, Roger Wheeler State Beach brings them near the southern tip of town, which is marked by the historic Point Judith Lighthouse. Those only here for a short trip can knock off four beaches worth of sand at the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge, a 550-acre preserve of marshes, forests, and birds along the picturesque Pettaquamscutt River.
Warren
Home to over 11,000 people, Warren is another sizeable town that is small by Rhode Island standards. It sits deep in Narragansett Bay but attracts drivers and sailors with a scenic waterfront comprised of the Warren Boat Yard, Warren Town Beach, and eateries like The Wharf, Trafford Restaurant, and The Guild. After sampling Warren’s famous seafood, visitors can tour its famous historic district. Gorgeous heritage haunts include the Warren Town Hall (c. 1900), George Hail Library (c. 1888), First United Methodist Church (c. 1844), and yet another castle-like Rhode Island monument: the Historic Warren Armory, which was built in 1842 to store cannons. Though short on space, Warren is big on nature since it boasts the 66-acre Audubon Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge and neighbors the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium.
Charlestown
A classically compact community of about 8,000 people, Charlestown straddles Rhode Island’s western coast and has most of the expected seaside attractions. Charlestown Beach offers swimming, sailing, surfing, sunbathing, beachcombing, and sightseeing. The Breachway Grill is ideal for eating and drinking, and the Charlestown Seafood Festival boasts seasonal partying. However, Charlestown also claims its fair share of unexpected attractions. One of them is the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, an international bazaar that has been operating since 1968, perfect for finding a quirky souvenir or keepsake. Or, one can opt for the Frosty Drew Observatory & Sky Theatre, a domed stargazing spot in Ninigret Park called “Southern New England’s gateway to the Milky Way.”
Charlestown has several outdoor areas for nature enthusiasts, including Burlingame State Park, the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, and the Indian Cedar Swamp Management Area. Moreover, the town owns six open space properties for the “scenic enjoyment of residents”: Tucker Woods Preserve, Charlestown Moraine Preserve, South Farm Preserve, Schoolhouse Pond Preserve, Richard Trails Preserve, and Patricia Sprague Forest Preserve. With so much outdoor space to enjoy, there is no shortage of activities in Charlestown.
Jamestown
Jamestown may not have the same quantity of preserves as Charlestown, but it does have the quality via Fort Wetherill State Park. This 61.5-acre former military site overlooks Narragansett Bay from 100-foot granite cliffs and offers hiking, mountain biking, birding, saltwater fishing, picnicking, scuba diving, and, of course, sightseeing. After the park, most tourists head to downtown Jamestown to see the Jamestown Arts Center, The Wicked Whisk ice cream shop, slice of heaven cafe, and the Jamestown Newport Ferry. No matter what one does with their time in Jamestown, the views are scenic as this 5,600ish-person town spans three islands, two of which are uninhabited. On said secluded isles, one can find abandoned buildings, untamed nature, and the Dutch Island Lighthouse, a lone preserved beacon.
Scituate
Situate yourself in Scituate, a town with just over 10,000 people that sits many miles from the ocean. Yes, inland Rhode Island can also be idyllic. Instead of a bay, Scituate has Scituate Reservoir, the state’s largest inland body of water. As Rhode Island’s main source of drinking water, the reservoir is off-limits for recreation, but visitors can still get amazing views of certain features, especially Ponaganset Falls. Meanwhile, tourists looking to raise their heart rate can do so at numerous neighboring parks, such as the Audubon George Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge, Ken Weber Conservation Area, and Snake Den State Park. After the fun, they can relax in Scituate proper with a coffee at Cold Brook Cafe, a beer at The Village Tavern, or a slice at Scituate Famous Pizza. Those who want to pack everything in one day can combine rest and recreation at the Scituate Art Festival, a legendary autumn event that attracts over 100,000 visitors.
Little Compton
A truly little town, Little Compton has about 3,600 residents and is one of the smallest communities in the state. But it is first on many people’s lists of the best towns in the state. Why? Little Compton is a microcosm of Rhode Island charm. It has a beach: South Shore Beach. It has a preserve: Simmons Mill Management Area. It has a lighthouse: Sakonnet Point Lighthouse. It has a marina: Sakonnet Point Marina. It has a historic haunt: Little Compton Historical Society. And it even has a reservoir: Watson Reservoir.
While all these attractions will make any trip enjoyable, Little Compton distinguishes itself from other communities with Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard, which produces award-winning Rhode Island wine, and the Wilbour Woods, a storybook-esque forest in the middle of town. Meanwhile, for a unique experience, one can visit the Rhode Island Red Monument, which commemorates the creation of the Rhode Island Red chicken in the mid-19th century.
Rhode Island is a tiny state with one big city surrounding a bay. As such, it might appear that Rhode Island has little room for rural retreats, but Narragansett, Warren, Charlestown, Jamestown, Scituate, and Little Compton prove otherwise. Those six small towns have some of New England’s most idyllic attractions. With endless coastal activities and tons of historical landmarks, visitors should hit the road to explore ravishing rural Rhode Island.
New East Bay Bike Path bridges are open and ready for bikes
What’s it like to ride over the new East Bay Bike Path bridges? We sent a reporter to try them out.
I’ve long thought bike paths are among Rhode Island’s premier attractions, up there with the beaches, the mansions and the bay.
We like to knock government, but credit where it’s due, the state has done an amazing job building out an incredible pedaling network.
It’s clearly a priority.
At least I thought it was.
But they’ve just dropped the ball on what should have been a beautiful new stretch.
The plan was to finish a mile-long connector from the East Providence end of the Henderson Bridge all the way to the East Bay Bike Path.
There was even $25 million set aside to get it done.
Except WPRI recently reported that it’s now been canceled.
The main fault lies with the Trump administration, which is no friend of bike paths, and moved to kill that $25 million.
But it gets complicated, as government funding always does.
To try to rescue that money, the state DOT reportedly worked with the administration to refunnel it into a road project. Specifically, the $25 million will now be spent helping upgrade the mile-long highway between the Henderson Bridge and North Broadway in East Providence, turning it into a more pleasant boulevard.
That totally sounds worthy.
But it’s insane to throw away the bike path plan.
Especially for a particular reason in this case.
They’d already put a ton of money into starting it.
When state planners designed the new Henderson Bridge between the East Side and East Providence, they included a bike path.
It’s a beauty – well protected from traffic by a barrier, a great asset for safely riding over the Seekonk River.
The plan was to continue it another mile or so along East Providence’s Waterfront Drive, ultimately connecting with the East Bay Bike Path, which runs all the way to Bristol. Which, by the way, is one of the nicest bike paths you’ll find anywhere.
But alas, that connector plan has been canceled.
So the expensive stretch over the Henderson Bridge to East Providence is now a bike path to nowhere. Once the bridge ends, the path on it continues a few hundred yards or so and then, just … ends.
Too bad.
We were so close.
Most of the stories on the issue have been about the complex negotiation to rescue the $25 million by rerouting it to that nearby highway-to-boulevard project. But I don’t want to get lost in the weeds of that bureaucratic process here because it loses sight of the heart of this story.
Which is that an amazing new addition to one of the nation’s best state bike path systems has just been scrapped.
You can knock the Rhode Island government for blowing a lot of things.
The PawSox.
The Washington Bridge.
But they’ve done great with bike paths.
And especially, linking many of them together.
Example: not too many years ago, Providence bikers had to risk dicey traffic on the East Side to get to the more pleasant paths in India Point Park and on the 195 bridge to the East Bay Path.
But the state fixed that by adding an amazing connector that starts behind the Salvation Army building and beautifully winds along the water of the Seekonk River for a mile or so.
That makes a huge difference – and no doubt has avoided some bike-car accidents.
We were close to a comparable stretch on the other side of the river – that’s what the $25 million would have done.
But it’s now apparently dead.
Online commenters aren’t happy about it.
On a Reddit string, “Toadscoper” accused the state of being “complicit” with the feds in rerouting the money from bikes to cars.
And there was this fascinating post from FineLobster 5322, who apparently is a disappointed planner who worked on the project: “Mind you money has already been spent on phase one so rejecting it at this point is wasting money and also against the public interest … but what do I know? I only worked on the project as an engineer … I didn’t get into this to build more highways. I do it … to give back to communities and give them more access to their environment.”
Wow. One can imagine the state planning team is devastated. That’s not a small consideration. Good people go into government to make life better in Rhode Island, and it’s a bad play to take the spirit out of the job by first assigning a great human-scale project and then, after a ton of work, trashing it.
A poster named Homosapiens simply said, “We just accept this?”
Hopefully not.
The first stretch of the path over the Henderson Bridge is done, money already sunk.
What a shame to leave that as a path to nowhere.
It doesn’t have to happen.
Between Governor McKee and our Washington delegation, there’s got to be a way to get this done.
There’s got to be.
mpatinki@providencejournal.com
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
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