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

So much to do both on site and off site at this luxury waterfront resort

One of the best things about your stay at the five-star Ocean House resort: There are so many fun activities both on and off the property. On site, there’s the private sandy beach, of course, with beach butler service. There’s croquet on a manicured lawn, championship-level squash courts, a 24-hour fitness center, heated indoor saltwater lap pool and summer programs for kids as well as movie nights and concerts. Take a wine or cooking class at the Center for Wine & Culinary Arts, learn how to surf or get a massage at the world-class spa. Off-site, play tennis or golf, go hiking or biking, visit a lighthouse or winery, take a trip out to glorious Block Island or a short drive to Mystic Seaport.

Visit our sister properties - Weekapaug Inn - Watch Hill Inn

Paddy's 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 plenty of seating 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.

Peace on a Pristine Pond

A visit to Ninigret Pond off Route 1A in Charlestown is a unique experience on the water. The pond is shallow, brackish, and protected from the Atlantic by a narrow barrier beach. Kayakers skim the surface and dart among the grassy hillocks while clamdiggers stand in the shallow water beside their boats and rake for quahogs. Watch for kids hitch-hiking from one tiny island to another. And, if you have a kayak, bring it!

Visit Misquamicut Beach - Rhode Island's family beach town

Ready or Not: Surf Your Heart Out

The ocean-raised and family-friendly owners and crew of Paddle Surf Shop at 3 India Point Road (at the Frank Hall boat yard) in Westerly have one goal: to get you on a board and out on the ocean, whether you feel quite up to it, or not. The shop offers private or group lessons in surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, and on the lift e-foil (which you will need to get the experts to define for you). Need gear, not lessons? Gear is available for rent, and Paddle Surf Shop will deliver it to you, for a fee. Reservations highly recommended. 401-741- 5661.

Glass Blowers Create Shop & Studio of Delicate Art

The Glass Station Studio and Gallery on Main Street in Wakefield is an art project for Eben Horton and Jennifer Nauck, and a shopping delight for you. The glass blowing workshop is attached to the gallery, allowing visitors to see the artists at work and even to try blowing glass for themselves. The gallery offers many glass objects, from small hostess gifts to large platters, vessels, and sculpture. In addition to the owner / artists, other glass and jewelry makers display their art here. This is a fun shopping experience. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays. 401-788-2500

Get Your Summer Fun in Misquamicut

South County is famous for its long, sandy beaches and non-stop beach fun in the summer. One of the best of them is Misquamicut, along Atlantic Avenue in Westerly, a 3-mile stretch of sand that encompasses several beaches, including Misquamicut State Beach. In summer, this is a place of classic, old-fashioned family fun. Misquamicut has a drive-in movie theater, and most nights in summer bring entertainment: live blues music on the beach and hermit crab races on Wednesdays, Classic Car Cruise Nights and family-friendly Magic on the Sea on Thursdays. Also: surfing lessons, kayaking and paddle boards, water slides, an amusement park Spring and fall festivals in Misquamicut bracket the season. Night life for adults is at The Andrea, Paddy’s Beach, Sandy’s Lighthouse, and Windjammer. 401-322-1026.

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.

The Essex Steam Train & Riverboat -Train & Boat Excursions through the Connecticut River Valley - with all the bells & whistles!

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

Mellow Water Park for Young Families Out in the Woods

Yawgoo Valley Water Park at 160 Yawgoo Valley Road in Exeter is a smallish, intimate, and kid-friendly park that offers snow tubing in winter, and outdoor fun in the summer on water slides, in three swimming pools and a wading pool. It’s easy and restful for parents and other adults to bring a picnic and relax nearby during supervised play in the pools. Enjoy ice cream at the snack-oriented Tiki Bar. This is really and truly out in the country -- beautiful woods and country roads. Reserve your space at a timed session; see park website.

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

Know Your Ecosystem

People who are fascinated by Rhode Island’s complex coastal ecology should high-tail it to the Kettle Pond Visitor Center on Bend Road in Charlestown, the local habitat of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Located on the north side of U.S. 1 between Burlingame State Park and Ninigret Park, the center offers an interactive gallery of dioramas, murals, and giant photos of sandy beaches, rocky shores, and other other Ocean State ecosystems. Extensive hiking trails are open dawn to dark.

Paddy's Beach Club & Tikki Beach - Creative Oceanfront Dining in Misquamicut, RI

State

Blackstone Valley

Block Island

Newport

Providence Warwick