Watch Hill, RI

Watch Hill's most storied dining room, open since 1916 and perched above the harbor at the center of Bay Street. The menu is modern New England — lobster bisque, grilled fish, house-made pastas — paired with an award-winning wine list. Every table has a line to the water; the west-facing deck catches one of the best sunsets in Rhode Island.

The beloved breakfast and brunch stop on Watch Hill Road, just before the village. A casual, counter-service cafe known for hearty omelets, fresh sandwiches, Cobb salads, and house-made key lime pie. Lines form on summer mornings, and most people take their food to a nearby bench or the beach.

A Watch Hill institution since the early 1900s, this counter-service spot on Bay Street does two things flawlessly: overstuffed lobster rolls and hand-churned ice cream made on the premises daily. Flavors rotate with the season — fresh peach in August, pumpkin in fall — and the line out the door is part of the summer ritual.

The more accessible dining room inside the grand yellow Ocean House resort, offering a relaxed alternative to the formal fine-dining room. The menu runs from charcuterie and flatbreads to elevated New England mains, all drawing on local farms and the Block Island Sound. Non-hotel guests are welcome, and the wraparound porch is one of the most atmospheric spots in Watch Hill.

Westerly's favorite neighborhood wine bar and cafe, with plush couches, local art, and live acoustic music several nights a week. The menu of small plates, flatbreads, and charcuterie boards is designed for sharing, and the martini list is serious. It draws a loyal local crowd that makes it feel very un-touristy even in peak summer.

A historic Post Road tavern and event space on a sprawling 14-acre property, acquired in 2025 by the Bellone family — the longtime Misquamicut hospitality group behind Maria's Seaside Cafe and The Hotel Maria — who reopened it after renovations. The wide-ranging, crowd-pleasing menu runs from wings, tacos, and pizza to burgers, lobster rolls, steak, ribs, and fresh local seafood, served across multiple bars and dining rooms.

The revamped restaurant inside the charming Shelter Harbor Inn, a short drive east of Watch Hill toward Charlestown. The kitchen leans heavily on local farms and Block Island Sound seafood, served in a renovated barn space with floor-to-ceiling windows. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with a menu priced in the $25–45 range for mains.

The quintessential Misquamicut beach bar, right on Atlantic Avenue with sand in your shoes and frozen drinks in your hand. Known for fried seafood baskets, clam chowder, lobster rolls, and an infectious summer party atmosphere. The outdoor deck overlooking the ocean is packed on any sunny afternoon from June through Labor Day.

Part of The Hotel Maria on Atlantic Avenue, this Misquamicut dining room serves Sicilian-inspired Italian cooking — house-made pasta, fresh off-the-boat fish, and seasonal plates — alongside craft cocktails and a deep wine list. Seating spreads across a covered, open-air dining room and a rooftop with views over the Misquamicut shore, drawing a summer crowd for long dinners and sunset drinks.

A seasonal clam shack near the Weekapaug Breachway at the eastern end of Atlantic Avenue, with no pretense and very good fried seafood. Clam strips, whole-belly clams, fish and chips, and two kinds of chowder are the reason people stop, and it doubles as a small fish market. The take-out format means you can eat by the water within minutes of ordering.

A bright, contemporary spot on Post Road in Westerly offering elevated comfort food — think crispy chicken sandwiches, creative flatbreads, and craft cocktails — in a relaxed open dining room with a large streetside patio. It attracts a younger local crowd and is a solid choice when you want something casual but with more craft than a beach bar.

A 3.1-mile out-and-back (or partial loop) along the Napatree Point barrier spit, rated 4.6 stars on AllTrails from nearly 1,000 reviews. The trail is almost entirely oceanside — one side faces Little Narragansett Bay, the other the open Atlantic — with Fort Mansfield ruins at the far end and exceptional shorebird and migratory bird watching throughout. The terrain is flat, sandy, and accessible for most fitness levels.

A 2.3-mile easy trail through Westerly's glacially sculpted interior, rated highly on AllTrails from 727 reviews. The park covers 134 acres of kettle ponds, kame ridges, carved canyons, and glacial erratic boulders left by the last Ice Age. Elevated sections offer sweeping views over Winnapaug Pond toward Block Island Sound. Interpretive signs explain the glacial geology throughout.

An easy 2.2-mile wooded loop in northern Westerly, rated well on AllTrails from over 250 reviews. Well-marked trails with several smaller loops descend a long hill from Laurel Avenue down to the banks of the Pawcatuck River, running through mixed oak and pine. The shade makes it a reliable option in hot weather, and birding is good throughout.

A short, flat walk along the northern shore of Winnapaug Pond — a large coastal salt pond separated from the Atlantic by Misquamicut Beach. The path winds through coastal shrubland, freshwater wetlands, and salt marsh, with excellent waterfowl and wading bird activity. The pond is popular for kayaking and the shoreline views are serene, especially at sunset.

A downtown Westerly bait-and-tackle shop that also rents kayaks, with a private launch right behind the Main Street store onto the Pawcatuck River. Single, tandem, and sit-on-top kayaks come with paddles and life jackets, and the calm, flatwater river is beginner-friendly, winding past the Westerly–Pawcatuck waterfront and connecting downstream toward Little Narragansett Bay.

Based at Misquamicut, Paddle Surf RI offers stand-up paddleboard and kayak rentals for both the ocean and the adjacent Winnapaug salt pond. Lessons and guided tours are available, making it the best entry point for first-timers who want instruction. The pond option is especially good for families with young children looking for calm, sheltered water.

A community theater in downtown Westerly, housed in a restored 1849 Greek Revival granite church that reopened as the Granite Theatre in 2000. The resident Renaissance City Theatre company stages six or more productions a year — musicals, comedies, and dramas — drawing talented regional actors. It's a solid evening option when you want something more substantial than another beach bar.

The main beach at the base of Bay Street in Watch Hill village, operated by the Watch Hill Beach Association. A compact crescent of sand facing the protected Little Narragansett Bay with calm, clear water ideal for swimming. The bathhouse, chair rentals, and lifeguard service make it the most civilized beach option in the area, and it's steps from the Flying Horse Carousel and village shops.

Built around 1876 and continuously operated ever since, this is the oldest surviving flying horse carousel in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. The 20 hand-carved wooden horses hang on chains from a central frame and swing outward as the carousel spins — true 'flying' horses. Only children under roughly 12 can ride, but the craftsmanship and history make it a must-see for all ages.

A working federal lighthouse at the southwestern tip of Rhode Island, first established in 1808 and rebuilt in its current granite form in 1856. The grounds are open year-round for panoramic views across Fisher's Island Sound to Long Island and Connecticut, and the adjacent lighthouse keeper's museum opens for limited summer hours with artifacts, Fresnel lenses, and logbooks.

An 86-acre barrier spit that juts west from Watch Hill into Little Narragansett Bay, managed by the Watch Hill Conservancy. The narrow strip of beach and dune grass hosts nesting piping plovers and terns in summer, and the ruins of Fort Mansfield — concrete gun emplacements from a coastal-defense fort built around 1900 — sit at the far end. Swimming, beachcombing, and birding are all excellent, and the round-trip walk is just over three miles.

One of New England's longest and most popular ocean beaches — nearly two miles of wide, gently shelved Atlantic shoreline with calm, swimmable surf. The state-managed section has lifeguards, bathhouses, concessions, and ample parking. The surrounding stretch of Atlantic Avenue is lined with beach bars, arcades, and seafood shacks that give it a classic New England seaside resort feel.

A 14-acre Victorian garden park in the heart of downtown Westerly, designed in 1898 by the Olmsted Brothers firm and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mature oaks and copper beeches shade rolling lawns, a lily pond, and classical statuary. In summer the park hosts free Chorus of Westerly Summer Pops concerts on the lawn and the long-running Garden Market Fair each spring.