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

From seal tours to touch tanks, Save The Bay has lots of activities for explorers

Start with this: seal tours! And if that’s not enough, environmental nonprofit Save The Bay also offers lighthouse tours, nature cruises and an Exploration Center & Aquarium where you can meet sea stars, dogfish sharks and sea urchins at their three touch tanks. Lighthouse Tours are offered June through October, while Nature Cruisies and Seal Tours take place October through April. The organization’s Bay Center in Providence offers public, Bayside walking trails, a kayak launch and fishing platform, while the year-round Exploration Center and Aquarium in Newport offers three touch tanks, and dozens of exhibits featuring local species.
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

When you stay at this oceanfront inn, you’ll need a list to decide among all the activities, attractions

When you arrive at the Ocean House, take the time to make a list: There are so many different things to do on and off the inn’s 13 gorgeous acres of oceanfront property. There’s the private white-sand beach, with cabana service and surfing and paddle-board lessons, the tournament-level croquet lawn, putting green and shuffleboard court. There are movies in the screening room, children’s day and evening programs, bikes to take out to explore Watch Hill Village’s shops and galleries, and a heated indoor saltwater lap pool. Go for a sail on a yacht or a ride in a Mercedes – or just relax in your spacious room, suite or cottage. Nearby activities include a carousel, lighthouse museum, theaters, wineries, casinos and hiking trails. Ocean House was recently named to Forbes Magazine's list of "Most Luxurious Hotels & Spas", and is one of the top 100 hotels in the world among Travel + Leisure readers.

Visit our sister properties - Weekapaug Inn - Watch Hill Inn

Paddy's Beach Club

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

Soak up the sun, and have a blast on the beach, at this popular restaurant and bar

Have a blast at the beach at Paddy’s Beach Club! Reserve a chaise lounge or cabana on Tikki Beach (for the over-21 crowd) or enjoy the sand and surf of lively Misquamicut Beach with the family, on the opposite side of the property. Dine on creative beach cuisine, from raw bar offerings to street tacos and lobster rolls, and sample some of the drinks that earned Paddy’s a nod from Coastal Living magazine as one of the top 10 Beach Bars in America. Enjoy live music, DJs, and beach dance parties. Watch Hill Catering also pairs with outside vendors in its summer dinner series, this year including offerings from Gooseneck Vineyards and Harpoon Brewery. It’s a fun place to spend a summer afternoon or evening.

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!

Harpoon Oktoberfest in Boston - September 29-30, 2023 at Harpoon Brewery in Boston, MA! Click here for more info & tickets

Paddys Beach Club - Misquamicut Beach, RI

Campers Inn RV - Your Trusted Source Since 1966! Click Here to Explore.

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.

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.

Re Antiques and Interiors - North Kingstown, RI

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).

Newport, Rhode Island - A Year Round Destination!

Visit Misquamicut Beach - Rhode Island's family beach town

Pump House Music Works - Wakefield, RI - Photo Credit Bob Kidd Photography

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]

Frosty Drew Observatory - Charlestown, RI - Photo Credit Scott MacNeill and Frosty Drew Observatory

Summer Stargazing Nights From a Coastal RI Park

Stargazing Nights are happening each Friday at the Frosty Drew Observatory in beautiful Ninigret Park in Charlestown. If the weather allows, the observatory opens itsSky Theatre and telescopes for free stargazing and astronomy to anybody interested in the night skies. Expect to see nebulae, star clusters, binary stars, the moon, and possibly Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars.

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 Westerly after 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?

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