Newport. Think about Southern Rhode Island and that is what comes immediately to most people’s mind. And rightly so: With its mansions, yacht-laden harbor, Ocean Drive, and music festivals, Newport is undoubtedly the best-known destination in this neck of the woods. But fortunately, there is much more to see and do along the Atlantic coast of the smallest state in the Union. Making things even better, these “attractions” are connected by stretches of scenic little roads, some of them right alongside the Atlantic, others across beautiful fields, still others through beautiful little towns and fishing ports. Perfect for that great, all-American institution: the road trip
What follows is a short write-up of just such a trip. It started on the western end of the state—in Westerly, by the Connecticut border—and finished on the eastern one—in Sakonnet Harbor, by Massachusetts. It added up to about 120 miles (190 km). So, yes, it can be done in one day. But let me suggest that you make it even better: take two days! Spend a night in “beach-central” Narragansett; or in “picture-pretty” Jamestown; or in “glamorous” Newport! Lastly, as you will see in the photos, I did this road trip on the faithful Mule—i.e., my motorcycle. But the journey is equally enjoyable if done in a car… Ok, ok, almost as equally enjoyable
On the Road
From Westerly, it was along the Pawcatuck River to Watch Hill. This “little Newport”—home in the summer to stars like Taylor Swift and Conan O’Brian (and, in the past, to Clark Gable and Douglas Fairbanks)—is known for its beautiful “cottages,” with their impressive, well-trimmed hedges! The town’s flying horse carousel, by the beach, is equally impressive. Dating back to 1883, it is the oldest continuously-operating carousel in the US; and the only surviving one with flying-horses (“flying-horses” because as the carousel rotates, centrifugal force pushes the horses outwards). And right around the carousel, you have St. Claire Annex. If you haven’t had breakfast…
My next stop was Misquamicut Beach, one of the most popular beaches in the state. …Popular indeed—and a tiny bit on the “beach-resort-trap” side—but still far from being unappealing. To get here from Watch Hill, no need to go back to Rte. 1A. Rather, stay closer to the coast, on Ocean View Hwy.
Then it was onwards to the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, in Charleston. Fantastic indeed: Think of it as a hippy community set up on a farm in 1968 which has survived as such to this day. The place to go for more exotic arts and crafts; to walk around resident chickens and guinea fowls; and to see the Emus!
Back on US Rte. 1, I detoured to Jerusalem, at the very end of Succotash Rd., for a great view of Galilee’s fishing harbor. Equally important, midway there, you drive by the Matunuck Oyster Bar—one of the best restaurants on this side of the bay.
My next stop was Galilee, just across the inlet, but to get there, you need to drive all the way around Point Judith Pond. Galilee is Rhode Island’s largest working fishing harbor, known in the trade for “moving” large volumes of longfin squid—i.e., calamari! It is also where you come to catch the ferry to Block Island.
Leaving Galilee, I made a short detour to Point Judith, the southwestern “corner” of Narragansett Bay. For beautiful views of the ocean all around! Soon thereafter, I was on my way to Narragansett, heading north along the bay, on Rte. 1A—aka Ocean Rd. On Narragansett, think of it as a bit of a posh beach town. You know you are getting closer to it when you start seeing those big, Victorian “cottages” again!
Tiny Jamestown, across the first big bridge on my route, was the next stop. Jamestown happens to be one of my favorite towns of Rhode Island: In the summer, its harbor—loaded with yachts on their moorings—is a sight not to be missed. A short detour to the lighthouse on Beavertail Point should not be missed either.
And then it was across the second big bridge, to Newport, home of the mansions! Personally, I just love walking through the older part of town: around Eisenhower Park, up to the old Touro Synagogue, and back down to Queen Ann Square. And no, at the end, I did not miss the drive around Breton Point, through Ocean Drive and Bellevue Ave. Because it is against the law to drive through Newport and not do this loop. …And if it is not illegal, it should be!
I left Aquidneck Island—the island on which Newport is located—via its northeast “exit,” i.e., the Sakonnet River Bridge. Shortly after this bridge, I was going south on one of my favorite roads in the whole state: Rte. 77.
My next stop was at the super-quaint—and historic—Tiverton Four Corners. Park around the corner and walk a bit through the ‘hood (it is a miniscule place…). And once you are done, go to the Groundswell Café & Bakery for a cup of tea or a coffee. And go ahead, try one of their pastries. I have been told that the pastry chef is Parisian!
Done with Tiverton Four Corners, it was back to the scenic Rte. 77. From here to the end, by Sakonnet Harbor, the scenery is Rhode Island at its most rural: Farms and ex-farms everywhere (including a working winery with its vineyard); roadside stands selling flowers, or fruits and vegetables, or pies; a few tractors here and there. Sakonnet Harbor’s tiny port is the end of the road and the end of this road trip!
Other Possible Stops Along the Way
Based on your own preferences and on how much time you have for your trip, you may want to consider stopping in a few other places along the way. I leave you with a few suggestions here:
- Historic Kingston. Read URI’s Main Campus! Hey, it’s my Alma Mater, so what did you expect?
- URI’s Bay Campus. Because it is cool to see what a mini nuclear research reactor looks like. And with a bit of luck, R/V Endeavour—URI’s ocean-going research vessel—will be home when you visit. On Rte. 1A between Narragansett and the turn to the Jamestown Bridge, turn right at the light on South Ferry Rd.
- Wickford. Another quaint little town by the bay. Worth a little detour, for sure.
- The Melville Marina District, in Portsmouth. Because this place must have one of the highest concentrations of sailboats anywhere in the US!
Hospitality
Below, you will find the names of a few places to eat and drink along the way, this in addition to the ones already mentioned above. But do note, it is far from being an all-encompassing list. The idea here is not to compete with Michelin’s Red Book, but to pass along the names of a few of my favorites.
- In Westerly, the Bridge. Nice esplanade, a stone’s throw away from Connecticut.
- In Watch Hill, the Ocean House. So that you can say that you ate or drank at the place where American Aristocracy (with Douglas Fairbanks) was filmed. Do bring your wallet!
- In Misquamicut, the Andrea Seaside Restaurant and Beach Bar. The name of the place says it all.
- In Narragansett, the up-scale Coast Guard House—for the views—or the popular Crazy Burger—best burgers in the world, period!
- In Jamestown, the Narragansett Café. One of my go-to places for live music back when I was a student at URI. Glad to report that the place is still going strong! Good burgers.
- In Newport, even my short list is too long for here! So just one reference, to the White Horse Tavern. Opened in 1673, it is believed to be the oldest “public house” still in service in the US.
- In Tiverton Four Corners, the Four Corners Grille.
- And further down along Rte. 77, Walker’s Roadside Stand. Best fruit pies in Rhode Island. (Only opened in the summer and early fall.)
One Last Piece of Advise
Avoid at all cost doing this route on either direction on a weekend or a holiday during the peak months of summer. Traffic along the beaches and across the bridges can be miserable!
On George Mendonsa, The Kiss, and Corey (I.e., Not Particularly Related to the Road)
The trap fishing vessel serving as background to the Mule on the picture below—the F/V Maria Mendonsa—belonged until a few years back to none other than George Mendonsa (or Mendonça, as I would write it…). As a matter of fact, she is named after his mother. And who is this George, you ask? Glad you did! He is the young US Navy sailor kissing the nurse on Times Square at the end of WWII on that iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt’s photo, The Kiss. But wait, it gets better! In 1997, George sold his fishing company to Alan Wheeler—from another Rhode Island family with a long history in the fishing trade. George’s idea was to go into retirement, but someway somehow, the Wheelers convinced him to stay behind and help them with the business. He did so for 10 more years, most of them as the Master Captain of the Maria Mendonsa. One of his crew members on the vessel in those days was a young Corey, Alan’s daughter. She would eventually take the helm of the Maria Mendonsa herself.
And I found all this out because, when I got to Sakonnet Harbor, the place was rather busy with two fishing boats unloading their hauls. I wanted to take pictures of the action, but I knew that I had to ask permission to someone. That was when I saw a young lady who looked kind of, like, the boss, and I approached her. “No one here likes to be photographed,” she said, “so do it quick.” Which I did. And then she told me about the Maria Mendonsa and about George. “In Portugal, they will like that,” she added. When I got home, I did a bit of research on all this. That’s when I realized that I had just met Corey! Here are a couple of relevant links that I uncovered on my research:
– On badass fisherwomen Corey Wheeler Forrest, see http://rhodybeat.com/stories/interview-corey-wheeler-forrest,22503, or https://www.soundingsonline.com/voices/proudly-pulling-twine-on-her-familys-workboat;
– For more on The Kiss pic, see: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sailor-kiss-world-war-two-george-mendosa-1.5023861.
Note: Some of the pictures in this post were not actually taken on this road trip.
LDQ
Jorge, nice article. I spent quite a few hours on Misquamicut Beach in my younger days – aka before the crowds. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant on the harbor entrance (George’s?); but, that was the annual site of one of my first personal challenges. To wit, eating the entire fried fisherman’s platter. The first year or two, my father had to finish; but, I can proudly announce that since then, I have polished off quite a few platters.
When I heard you were eating back to RI, I figured you were taking up residence at The Breakers.
JSerpa
Larry, George’s of Galilee is still there. Still going strong. Now a bit more upscale than before. You have to come back, so that we can renew the challenge!!! And then we go to visit the Breakers. And have dinner at the White Horse Tavern: serving sailors needs since 1673…!!! Cheers.