Narragansett Beach

Narragansett Beach is the finest ocean beach in Rhode Island and one of the premier surf beaches in Southern New England — a 3-mile stretch of Atlantic sand bookended by the historic Towers arch and the Narragansett Pier community, with a consistent beach break well known to New England surfers and a broad sandy beach that draws families, day-trippers, and coastal lovers from across the region. The beach faces southeast, generating some of the most reliable surf on this section of the New England coast, with wave conditions particularly favorable in late summer when tropical systems send swell up from the south.

The Towers — a Victorian Romanesque archway straddling Ocean Road at the north end of the beach — is the architectural symbol of Narragansett and one of Rhode Island's most recognizable landmarks. The arch is all that remains of the great Narragansett Pier Casino of 1884, a McKim, Mead & White-designed resort casino that burned in 1900 but whose distinctive stone gate towers survived and were preserved as a memorial to the town's Gilded Age resort heyday. The Towers now houses a visitor center and hosts seasonal events.

Narragansett's dining and restaurant scene is exceptional for a small New England beach town — the proximity to Rhode Island's spectacular seafood resources (Block Island Sound, narragansett Bay, and the Atlantic) means outstanding raw bars, chowder houses, and seafood shacks are concentrated along Ocean Road and the Pier area. The combination of surf, historic architecture, excellent food, and easy access from Providence makes Narragansett Rhode Island's definitive summer beach experience.