Find great and fun things to do in South County

Rhode Island > South County > Things to Do and See > 60 Great Things to Do in Rhode Island

Scenic South County offers seaside lodging and unique shopping at a gourmet kitchenware outlet and a funky gift shop in the woods (The Fantastic Umbrella Factory). Hit the trails on horseback in a 14,000-acre state park. There’s a mobile paint party that will bring art and music to your home and a brew bus to transport you to small-batch and artisanal beer brewers. You’ll find pristine beaches and beach resorts , cozy harbors, lighthouses, the fishing fleet, and the Block Island ferry and free classes will teach you the simple art of digging for clams. The last of the great Victorian Hotels is here complete with Five Diamond Lodging status by AAA.

Save The Bay

Multiple Centers & Dock Locations Providence, Newport, Westerly, RI and Fall River, MA Phone: 401-272-3540

Hands-on fun on beautiful Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth and Save The Bay connects you to it with hands-on and on-the-water experiences for families, groups, students and schools. Enjoy 360° views of harbor seals on winter Seal Tours. Get up close with hundreds of Bay critters year-round at the Exploration Center & Aquarium in Newport. Take in the beauty and history of Narragansett Bay on summer and fall Lighthouse Cruises. Enroll in week-long summer BayCamps that give K-12 students the perfect mix of fun and marine science education. Join Save The Bay in protecting and improving Narragansett Bay, keeping it swimable, fishable and accessible to everyone.
Boat tours depart from Newport, Westerly, and Providence RI.

Ocean House Resort

1 Bluff Avenue Watch Hill, RI, 02891 Phone: Toll-Free: 877-346-9442

Taste, create, learn – and have fun – at this wine and culinary arts center

Whether your goal is to be a better home cook, or a famous chef, the Center for Wine & Culinary Arts at Ocean House has an experience for you. Study classical French cooking, sign up for a blind wine tasting (and there’s plenty to choose from among the inn’s 8,000-bottle collection) or explore the region’s agricultural bounty with the inn’s “food forager.” No superior skills required: The Wine Education Program offers hands-on experiences for casual wine drinkers as well as connoisseurs. And among top-of-the-line appliances in the gorgeous Gaggenau Demonstration Kitchen, cooks both confident and just curious will have lots to learn. The center is a marvel, with its wide-plank walls and post-and-beam structure.

Visit our sister properties - Weekapaug Inn - Watch Hill Inn

Heliblock Helicopter Tours

63 Tom Harvey Road Westerly, RI, 02891 Phone: 401-859-1001

Helicopter tour of South County coast will send your spirits soaring

The view is almost limitless when you book a helicopter tour with HeliBlock tours, where you’ll be able to see the Westerly shoreline or Block island from the seats of a helicopter (doors open or closed – your choice), piloted by experienced and knowledgeable guide. You’ll see Westerly’s Misquamicut Beach (and celebrity estates) or the Mohegan Bluffs, ponds and dramatic landscape of Block Island. Or, book a tour over North America’s only offshore wind farm or a trip that includes dinner at an island restaurant or an open-water parasailing experience. Kids of all ages are welcome to join you as you soar over the beautiful coastline and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Paddys Beach Club

159 Atlantic Avenue Misquamicut, RI, 02891 Phone: 401-596-2610

A summer place for everything your summer self desires

A summer of sun, fun, and surf is upon you and Paddy’s Beach Club on Misquamicut Beach. Join the crew as the sand and waves come alive and let the prime beachfront location and expansive tented deck overlooking the ocean keep you smiling, tanned and dry. There’s seating for 350 for your next party or event and a top-notch staff and casual, fun atmosphere. Paddy’s is kid friendly and there’s always lots of parking and great events including Monday Night Trivia, Wednesday night Kids Nights, Thursday Non-profit nights July 4th Fireworks and the always popular DJ Dance Parties. Enjoy great food, drinks, and entertainment in the Tikki Beach VIP area or Ocean Lounge. Book a cabana, daybed, or chaise Lounge and just chill.

Paddys Beach Club - Misquamicut Beach, RI

Visit Misquamicut Beach - Rhode Island's family beach town

The Blues Finds a Place to Wail at the Knickerbocker

The Knickerbocker Café , a longstanding club serving up primo blues, jazz, and R&B, reopened in 2009 on Railroad Avenue in downtown Westerlyafter having been shuttered for a number of years. As if to make up for lost time, the places howls every weekend with excellent live music in a small, relaxed club atmosphere with tables wrapped around a little but hard-used dance floor. Groups that appear and re-appear at the reincarnated Knickerbocker include Soul Shot, The Shiny Lapel Trio, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, The Commander Cody Band, Johnny and the East Coast Rockers, Roomful of Blues … you get it. Got it? 401-596-4225.

Get the Spirit at Pump House Music Works

You get the feeling from the street view – just from the beauty of this old stone building – that the Pump House Music Works at 1464 Kingstown Road in Wakefield is a special place. The place started as a guitar-making school by Shady Lea Guitars, and has evolved into a live music venue, with shows every Friday, Saturday & Sunday. All manner of performers play music in all genres in this cozy, 125-seat space. Monthly open mic and pot luck socials, backyard barbecues and holiday parties are times for music makers and listeners come together and build community. A full bar helps add to the joviality. See schedule of events. 401-824-9971. [photo by Bob Kidd]

Re Antiques and Interiors Makes Browsing Easy

Re Antiques and Interiors at 7511 Post Road in North Kingstown loves the concept of “re-”in the sense of re-use, re-design, and renew. The collection of antiques found here is vast in scope and very, very interesting. The objects to browse and buy are curated by the shop owner, who knows how to invite antiques into a contemporary design setting that maintains relevance with current interior trends. Here’ s a nice feature: on the Re Antiques and Interiors, you can click on the dropdown ”Shop” and see many and very detailed photos of what is in the store. Check website for operating hours. Pictured here: a Black Forest carved box with Meershaum pipes. (On your trip here, don’t miss the chance to also visit the charming village of Wickford, just a bit further down Post Road). 401-667-5996

Sweet Antique and Garden Shop Warms Wickford

The Book Garden , at 99 Brown Street in Wickford is a sweet, quirky, and not overly serious corner shop in the very heart of the downtown, right where shopping, dining, strolling and village festivals converge. The shop enjoys and displays a potpourri of items that cross the line between antiques, collectibles, books and gardens. Don’t limit your browsing to the Book Garden: this seaside village, bisected by a small harbor , is a fine place to walk around, enjoy the historic plaques on 17th- and 18th-century houses, and eat at any of a number of small restaurants. Come back for the large and very popular Wickford Art Festival every July. 401-294-3285

Ocean House on Bluff Avenue in Watch Hill RI

Five Diamonds for One Magnificent Hotel

Ocean House on Bluff Avenue in Watch Hill (Westerly) has been named a Five Diamond Lodging by AAA. This is among the most prestigious awards any lodging can receive, and the first received by a Rhode Island establishment, according to AAA. "Five Diamond lodgings feature extraordinary physical attributes and meticulous personalized attention,” said an AAA spokesman. The Ocean House is the last of the grand Victorian hotels, where life is still lived much as it was a century ago, a tranquil timetable of tides and sun, teatime and cocktails, sailing regattas and strolls on the beach. The hotel first opened in 1868 and was closed in 2003 in a state of disrepair. Later that decade it was restored to its original state and reopened. Phone: 401-584-7000

Sons of Liberty Spirits Co. South Kingstown RI

American Whiskey Reborn, From the Sons

Pumpkin spice whiskey? Hop flavored whiskey? Seasonal whiskies? If you’re curious, here’s a way to taste these ideas. Sons of Liberty Spirits Co. at 1425 Kingstown Road in South Kingstown was born because of a few unanswered questions: “Why is no one distilling single malt whiskies from the beers we love?” and “Why are there so many seasonal beers, but no seasonal whiskies?” The distillery is the owners’ answer to this gap in whiskey tasting. And it also is brewing craft beers. Come for tours and tastings Thursdays through Sundays, and live music on weekend nights. Voted 2017 Craft Producer of the Year by Whisky Magazine. 401-284-4006.

On a Peninsula in Narragansett Bay

Beavertail State Park, at the southern tip of Jamestown Island, is a refreshingly beautiful place starting with the fact that the commercial footprint is very light. The tip of the park has the neat Beavertail Lighthouse. Every side of this peninsula tip has great views of life on Narragansett Bay: sailboats, rocky coasts, distant shorelines with beautiful houses and harbors. It’s easy to clamber around on the rocks and visit the sea life in the tide pools near the water or to stay up on the higher ground and fly a kite. Provided you’re dressed for it, a trip to this park is fine in all seasons; people sometimes go here to watch big weather coming up the Bay. Phone: 401-884-2010.

Dance and Listen at This Grand Casino

The Towers is a visual symbol of the lively and historic seaside town of Narragansett, dating from a grand casino and resort that thrived in the town from the 1880s into the 20th century. After a modern refurbishing, the Towers continues as a hub of culture and fun. Ballroom dancing and dance lessons happen ever Wednesday evening at the Towers. Lots of live music is performed at this iconic place, which also happen to be across the street from the Coast Guard House, where all of the state goes to drink and dine in the beach seasons.

Explore Rhode Island’s Woods and Fields

ExploreRI offers great, easy maps and guides to walks and hikes all over this beautiful state, from the leafy woods of western Hopkinton to Narragansett By-side walks north of Newport. Find a trail scaled to your fitness and interests on an excellent interactive trail mapper or a list identified by town names. The icons on the map mark trailheads, meaning places to access a trail system. Note that some trail systems may be accessed via more than one trailhead.

State

Blackstone Valley

Block Island

Newport

Providence Warwick