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◂︎ Mandy & Lexi's Rhode Island Adventures
Jamestown
Beavertail State Park
Date visited: 6/10/2022
When we were at Compass Rose Beach a few weeks ago, we met a family who suggested we check this place out. It was a good suggestion. There's a loop trail that circles the park, with side trails that take you right out to the rocks. The lighthouse made for some good photo opportunities. One part of the trail was washed out, but we found an alternate trail that got us around. Maybe not quite as nice as some of other Rhode Island adventures, but it was still a worthwile visit.
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Beavertail State Park
Date visited: 10/2/2023
This is the second of five places we visited on this warm day in early October, and our second visit to this wonderful state park. The other four places were on the shorter side, so this stop provided me an opportunity to get in some extra steps. We concentrated on the area around the lighthouse on the Newport side, and facing out to the ocean. We didn't take a lot of pictures of this section on our first visit. There was a cruise ship docked in Newport that you can see in some of the photos. I couldn't resist taking a few photos by the lighthouse as well, even though we already took photos there on our first visit.
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Beavertail State Park
Date visited: 3/23/2025
As I said before, it's hard for me not to visit the ocean when in Rhode Island. We came here just to take some photos after our bike trail adventure. We wound up walking about a mile and a half here, taking some wonderful photos on the rocks.
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Beavertail State Park
Date visited: 9/12/2025
This was a special trip for Mandy & Lexi, as they were joined by their Grandpa for a nice walk around the lighthouse.
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Fort Wetherill State Park
Date visited: 8/18/2022
This state park has a few different sections. The main section, with the ruins of the fort, is probably the creepiest place we've visited.
The place has an apocalyptic vibe going for it. I feel like I walked on to the set of The Walking Dead or something. It's a former artillery fort,
but was decomissioned after World War II and now a state park. The ruins have not been preserved. Nature and people have contributed to the decay.
It is quite overgrown, and also quite vandalized, with layers of graffiti. Not to mention the garbage and glass everywhere. I'm sure the
Rhode Island State Park philosophy of not providing garbage cans doesn't help in this regard. Most of the ruins can be explored
inside and out, with only a few sections blocked off. There is a very steep trail behind the fort that goes downs to the rocky area on the
shore line. We braved the challenging climb down and back up to check out the rocks that were also tagged by graffiti artists.
Another section of the park can be accessed via the park road or some very overgrown trails. This section is quite scenic as it features a
trail that runs along side the edge of a very high cliff and offers outstanding views of Narragansett Bay. You can see across to
Fort Adams in Newport. There are a series of benches at the top where you can just sit, relax and
enjoy the view. Even with the garbage and decay, this was a very cool place to visit and offered some great photo opportunities.
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Fort Wetherill State Park
Date visited: 8/13/2023
We were back a second time, a few days shy of a year from our last visit. This time we visited a whole different area of the park than we visited on our first visit. This section had another, smaller set of graffiti tagged ruins, but the highlights here are the scenic rocky areas. There are a few different spots that jet out into different coves, and even a couple of small beaches where people were sunbathing and swimming. There's also some dedicated fishing spots, and even a spot for scuba divers. I liked this section of the park quite a bit. I think the dogs enjoyed this section more, as it offered a few opportunities for them to cool off in the water.
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Fort Wetherill State Park
Date visited: 6/25/2024
On this day, we came here just go to the beach. There are two different beach areas accessed from the scuba divers parking lot. We stayed mostly at the bigger beach, where most people go if they just want to hang on the beach. We did check out the smaller beach as well. We didn't do a lot of walking, since we had already walked over four miles through Newport, it was a hot day, and we had walked through most of the park on our previous visits. We did check out a very short trail that we didn't walk before, that led to a nice scenic overlook. I actually went in to the water, and tried to get Mandy and Lexi to go out further with me, but they don't like it when they can't touch the bottom.
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Fort Wetherill State Park
Date visited: 1/30/2025
This was our fourth visit to this park. This time, we parked here in order to walk to Cottrell Pier - Greens Beach and Old Salt Work Beach. After exploring those beaches, we walked around part of the state park. Since we had been here a few times before, we didn't take a lot of photos. At the end of our walk, I found a short trail that we didn't explore on our previous visits. It went up a small hill to a scenic overlook, with beautiful views of the bay.
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Fort Wetherill State Park
Date visited: 6/22/2025
This marked the start of a four-day heat wave expected to bring record-high temperatures to the area. That kind of heat limits
our adventures to cooler shoreline spots—places where Mandy and Lexi can cool off in the water. So, over the next few days,
our outings will likely be to dog-friendly locations we’ve already visited along the Rhode Island coast. While I love discovering
new places, returning to favorites like this isn’t a bad trade-off, especially with the weather being what it is. It was a
comfortable 80 degrees here, with a refreshing breeze. As you can see from the photos, Mandy and Lexi wasted no time getting
soaked and were ready to go.
We started at the coves near the east end of the park, which offer easy access to the water.
Only one cove has a sandy beach, and with the tide high, the sandy area was quite narrow—and more crowded than I’ve ever seen
it on our previous visits. From there, we explored some unmarked trails that lead to scenic spots with breathtaking views.
A few of the trails run close to the edge of the cliffs, so we gave those a wide berth. One unexpected highlight: we caught a
glimpse of the massive crane ship Bokalift 2 sailing out of Newport Harbor. It’s used to install foundations for offshore wind
turbines and made for some really interesting photos.Surprisingly, we even discovered a few short trails we hadn’t explored
before—one of which led to a set of apocalyptic-looking ruins we somehow missed on earlier trips.
Oh, and a special shout-out to
Mandy and Lexi: I forgot to bring the dog treats I usually use to coax them into posing for photos, but they still did an
incredible job! All in all, we walked just over three miles. This was the perfect place to cool off on a hot summer day.
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Fort Getty Park
Date visited: 9/20/2023
This is a town park at the site of an old fort that offers a fantastic view of the lower Narragansett Bay. The best spot is along the beach on the south and west ends of the park. There's also a nature trail that leads out to a boat launch and a salt marsh. The park is mainly known as a campground, and even though it is off-season now, there was still an army of RV's parked at the campground. The best part about the park is that dogs are allowed year round. I think after October 1st they are even allowed off-leash. During the season, there's a $20 day fee to park, and it's not clear when the "season" ends, but there was no parking fee for us in Late September. This is definitely a worthwhile trip, just for the views.
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Fort Getty Park
Date visited: 5/8/2025
This was our second visit to this wonderful park. The first time was over a year and a half prior, and that time we arrived late in the day after a previous adventure, and didn't have the time and energy to explore the park fully. This time, we were able to explore more of the rocky shoreline. There are some really cool rock outcroppings south of the beach, and a stone stair case that leads out to a nicely kept grassy area. North of the beach, there is a short trail that runs through the woods above the shoreline, with access paths that lead to down to small rocky beaches. Eventually the trail ends near the camping area, where there is a dock and some more grassy areas. Dogs are allowed off-leash from May 15th through September 30th, and an area near the campground is used as make-shift dog park by the locals. (According to what I found on the internet, they are also allowed off-leash during the summer months from 7-11 AM, and 3-7 PM). In the summer season, they do charge a fee, but I'm not sure what dates that applies. There was no fee in early May. This is a fantastic park with great views, and dog friendly as well.
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East Ferry Memorial Square & Beach
Date visited: 8/18/2022
We stopped here on our way back from Fort Wetherill State Park to take some pictures. There are great views of the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge here, and the dogs were able to get into the water.
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East Ferry Memorial Square & Beach
Date visited: 7/18/2024
While our first visit here was brief, we stayed longer this time around. This was a nice two mile walk along Conanicus Avenue, passing through Conanicut Marina, East Ferry Memorial Square, and East Ferry Beach. The beach is a thin strip of sand between the road and the water, with wonderful views of boats and the bridge. It's a good spot for the dogs, as they have easy access to calm waters.
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East Ferry Memorial Square & Beach
Date visited: 7/30/2025
As part of our walk through Downtown Jamestown, we made our way here so the dogs could cool off.
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Taylor Point Lookout
Date visited: 2/10/2023
This is a scenic site on the north side of the Claibone Pell Newport Bridge. There is a very short trail that leads out to the rocks. There are some nice views of the bay and the bridge.
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Old Salt Work Beach
Date visited: 8/13/2023
I'm not positive on the name of this place, but I see "Old Salt Work Beach" on Google Maps. This is a super tiny beach on Dumpling Drive just north of the Jamestown Boatyard. There's also a private beach near here with signs to keep out, but there were no such signs here. You can pretty much see the entire beach in the first picture below. The second picture is the pier at the boatyard. We didn't walk on the pier, we just took a photo from the road. We walked here from Fort Wetherill State Park so I could get some more steps. It was a nice detour, but not worth going out of your way for.
Old Salt Work Beach
Date visited: 1/30/2025
This is a different section of beach than our first visit. That time, we were on a small semi-public section on the north end of the beach by the road. This time, we were able to get to the more "private" and secluded south section of the beach. In the summer, only "Dumpling Association" members have access to the beach. These aren't people who like dumplings, they live in the neighborhood around Dumpling Drive. According to their website, members are known as "The Dumplings". I can't make this stuff up. My GPS enabled map showed a path from the south end of the beach that leads back to a road near Fort Wetherill. There are steep rocks and a stone stair case that leads up a hill. The dogs refused to climb the rocks. Evidently, they are smarter than me, because I found out that the trail leads to private property. Had we taken it, we would have had to turn around and walk back the way we came anyway. On our way back, the dogs forgot it was the middle of winter and decided to splash through the water. I chose to walk on the sand.
Conanicut Battery Historic Park
Date visited: 10/2/2023
This was the first of five stops we made in Jamestown on this day. It's the site of an old colonial military battery built during the revolutionary war. There are monuments and signs dedicated to the history of the battery. Evidently dogs are allowed to be off-leash here year round. The trails are short, and even though there are some nice views of the bay, there is no access to the water. It's a good park to let the dogs run free for a bit, but there's not a lot to do other than that here.
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Hull Cove
Date visited: 10/2/2023
This is a really neat "secret" beach. There's a short trail through the woods that leads out to Hull Cove and it's rocky beach. The water is calm. and there are some nice views. The beach is short, but we ventured out a bit on the rocks as well. It's probably used more for fishing and surfing then for sunbathing and swimming. It's still pretty nice, especially since dogs are allowed. Just be aware, there are only four or five parking spots, and there is no parking on the road. I imagine it can fill up pretty quick on weekend days in the summer.
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Hull Cove
Date visited: 6/6/2025
This was our second visit here. We mainly went here to give the dogs an opportunity to cool off on a very warm and humid day. It was only in the low 70's here, but well over 80 inland. It was also very hazy, and there was a weird low fog in the distance. On our last visit, we climbed the rocks on the north side of the cove. This time we went the other direction, until the terrain became too difficult. We actually walked over a mile. The only downside was the trail leading to the beach area was super muddy this time, and I had to carry the dogs over.
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Mackerel Cove Beach
Date visited: 10/2/2023
The first time we drove by this beach was on our first to Jamestown when we were headed to Beavertail State Park. As we passed, Lexi was looking out the window and started barking. It looked like the kind of place we visited, so Lexi wanted us to stop here! We finally did, about 16 months later! Dogs are allowed after October 1st, but the parking is permit parking only until October 15th, but only enforced here until 5PM. Got It? Jamestown has some complicated rules with their town properties related to parking and dogs. This is a pretty calm beach, being tucked inside a cove. We saw the same cruise ship from Beavertail earlier in the day as it was departing dock in Newport. We didn't stay very long. It only takes about 10 minutes to walk the length of the beach and back.
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Head's Beach
Date visited:10/2/2023
This beach is also known as "Sunset Beach". You can see why in the first photo below. I made sure we arrived here for sunset! There are some complicated rules regarding when dogs are allowed. Evidently they are allowed year round north of the middle jetty, and only allowed in the off-season on the rest of the beach. There is a grassy park area out front as well. Be aware, there are signs in the parking lot indicating that it's permit parking only from May 15th to October 15th. We were a couple weeks early, but there were only a handful of cars in the lot. The beach is west facing, so the view is of the bay and the Jamestown Bridge, and not the open ocean. It's still a nice place to watch the sunset.
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Potter Cove
Date visited: 11/16/2023
This is a small beach area near the Newport bridge toll plaza. There's a small lot off Freebody Drive with a stair case that leads down to the beach. Jamestown has complicated rules for when dogs are allowed at town parks and beaches. They are allowed here off-leash from October 1st thru May 15th. They are also allowed to be off leash here from May 16th through September 30th, but only between the hours of 6am to 10am and 5:30pm to sunset. They are not allowed at all at other times (which I guess is 10:01am through 5:29pm during the summer months). It's not a great beach, but the dogs don't mind! Actually, despite the nice weather, there was only one other dog here arriving as we were leaving. The beach is small, it took only about 15 minutes to walk the entire length and back. The area connects with Taylor Point Lookout, a place we had visited previously.
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Park Dock
Date visited: 11/16/2023
This beach is located on the northeast tip of Jamestown, with views of Prudence Island. Dogs are allowed during the off-season. I believe the rules are the same as Potter's Cove (but don't blame me if they're not. I only looked at the sign real quick). Keep in mind, there are also only six parking spots. Three at the very end of the road require a town permit. It looks like non-residents can park on the three along the right side of the street. I did not see a permit only sign for those spots. According to the town's website, this was the spot of a steamboat landing for travel between Providence, Jamestown and Newport in the 1900's. The beach is a bit rocky, and the water is calm. There's a series of docks as you head north. Mandy decided to go in the water near one of the docks, despite it being November. Unforuntely, my camera broke at a previous stop, so the pictures below were taken on my iPhone. This time of year, the sun is low in the sky by 2PM, so I wasn't able to get the pictures I wanted because of the shadows and the lack of a decent flash on the phone.
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Eldred Field
Date visited: 11/16/2023
This is the site of soccer fields. In the off-season, when soccer season is over, dogs are allowed to run around here off-leash. The real surprise was that there was still some foliage on the trees here.
Jamestown Bike Trail
Date visited: 11/16/2023
This bike trail is across the street from Eldred Field. I didn't know that it existed. There's no signage or anything, but there is a poop bag dispenser by the trail head. The trail runs along side the Jamestown Public Garden before turning left and heading out to Jamestown Reservoir. It looks like they are constructing a continuation of the trail between the reservoir and North Main Road. The existing trail was about 3/4 of a mile, so about a mile and a half out and back.
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Seaside Drive Shoreline Access
Date visited: 11/17/2024
This was a fun adventure. Along the west side of Seaside Drive is a number of public waterfront access points. We parked at Head's Beach and headed a half mile north to the "Buccaneer Way" access point. From there we followed the short, and easy path to the shore. We walked south along to the shore until we were back at Head's Beach. From there, we went south about a mile down Seaside Drive until we reached the Hull Street access point, just past the bridge. This one had some steep rock steps to climb down. We continued south along the rocky and shelly shore line. The terrain got easier the further south we went, as it almost seemed like we were walking on a trail. We of course stopped for all sorts of photos along the way. There are cool looking large gold and shiny white rocks. When I see these kinds of rocks, they are usually small ones on the ground, but these were large boulder size rocks that made for great photos. We went about a mile before turning around and heading back to the car the way we came. Mandy and Lexi finished the trip by taking a dip into the water. We walked just over four and a half miles on this very fun trek on a sunny autumn afternoon.
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Decatur Avenue Shoreline Access
Date visited: 11/20/2024
We parked at Eldred Field and walked about a half mile to this waterfront access point at the end of Decatur Avenue. From here, there are great views of the Newport Bridge looking south, and you can see the Mount Hope Bridge in the distance looking north. Unlike the access points on the west side of the island, there isn't much to explore. The terrain isn't passable just to the north and south of the actual access point.
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Cottrell Pier - Greens Beach
Date visited: 1/30/2025
This is a private beach for Cottrell Pier Association Members. We parked at Fort Wetherill State Park and walked here. The beach is across Racquet Road from the Racquet Road Wildlife Refuge. We've been visiting these "private" beaches in the winter, so as to not bother the locals. There is a small, sandy beach area, and a pier. We explored the rocks to the north of the beach as well. The houses all have their own piers as well. It was a very bright, sunny day, with minimal wind. It was a good day for a nice walk on the beach!
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Jamestown Windmill
Date visited: 7/30/2025
We've driven past this historical landmark a number of times the past few years. I decided to stop and take some photos this time around. The grounds are open to the public on weekends in the summer. We were here during the weak, but were still able to take some photos. The windmill was built originally in 1787, and stayed operational until 1896. Every year on "Windmill Day" in late July, they allow the windmill to spin as part of the celebration.
Downtown Jamestown
Date visited: 7/30/2025
Jamestown isn't as touristy as some of the other nearby beach towns, such as Newport or Narragansett. While there are a few shops, museums and restaurants, the downtown area isn't lined with them the way the main tourist towns are. We basically walked from the center of town, near the town hall, down Narragansett Avenue to East Ferry Park, where the dogs were able to cool off in the water before heading back. The entire walk was about two miles on a very hot day.
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