Beavertail State Park and lighthouse is a great place to visit. We recently took a picnic lunch from Gansett Wraps (a nearby restaurant) and drove 20 minutes over the Jamestown Bridge to the park. If you take the first exit after the bridge and a right on North Road you will drive past a cool, old windmill and the (resident-only) Mackerel Cove Beach, both on the left. Once at Beavertail Park we found a nice spot to have our lunch and sat on folding beach chairs we brought from the house with a blanket at our feet. We enjoyed the sunshine, peace and quiet as we watched the sailboats lazily passing. There are several little paths that lead down to a rocky shore where others were enjoying the view and a bite to eat. This Beavertail-shaped peninsula at the southern tip Jamestown has lots of access to the rocky shoreline. It is fun to explore, and maybe even get wet in the waves.
Aquarium & Museum
In addition to the lighthouse, which is the third oldest in the United States, the park features a little aquarium. Though the aquarium is small, it boasts several rare off-colored lobsters and a rather large turtle! The centerpiece of the park is a wonderful little museum where you can learn the history of the lighthouse and the many maritime incidents and shipwrecks that have occurred in this area since the 1700s.
Hiking, Fishing, & Sightseeing
There are also some hiking trails with views of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. You can even bring a fishing pole and try your luck at saltwater fishing from the shoreline. But don’t forget to have a current RI fishing license if you do! Looking for views? If you stand at the point where the foundation of the original lighthouse once stood you can look out at the Atlantic Ocean and see for miles on a clear day.
Don’t miss it!
The Beavertail State Park is a wonderful little place to check out while visiting the area. We really loved this park. It’s clean, has lots of open, grassy space and has nice restroom facilities. We even saw a few elderly couples enjoying the park views from the air-conditioned comfort of their cars as the road is designed nicely for drivers and those not looking to leave their cars.