Find great and fun things to do in South County

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.

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.

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]

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.