Exploring Newport and Napatree Point
Despite the small size of Rhode Island, Newport and Napatree Point Conservation Area are cool destinations for a day trip from Boston.
Newport
Newport is famous for its well-preserved mansions, so we started with the Cliff Walk on the western side from the Wetmore Avenue entrance and walked south. It’s neat to see the mansions from the exterior. We actually had a lot of fun seeing some of the wildlife in the tidal pools (they had mini crabs and shrimpies!). While the northern part of the Cliff Walk is paved and not very cliff-like, the path becomes unpaved further south and does have some high drops.
We headed back along Ledge Road and then joined Bellevue Avenue to see the fronts of the mansions before stopping by Harvest Market. The sandwiches are pretty good, though there was a fair wait time. After eating lunch, we headed into Newport. The town itself feels like any other old New England port town, except larger and much more focused on eating/shopping/night life. We dropped by some cool shops, notably Anne Hall Antique Prints. They have a bunch of really old and unique prints for sale and it’s worth taking a look! The building that the shop is in is also one of the oldest in Newport and still contains some of the original equipment used for shipbuilding. The port has some interesting history in its involvement in the slave trade. Otherwise, I didn’t find Newport to be my style of vacation destination.
Narragansett
We stopped by Narragansett, Rhode Island for a bite at Monahan’s Clam Shack before heading off to Napatree Point. They have a wide range of shellfish/fish-based foods, but based on their name, I tried out a few of their clam dishes. The clam cakes are a ball of dough with mini clam bits scattered in them. Unfortunately they were quite salty and I didn’t feel like there was very much clam flavor in them. On the other hand, the clam chowder here is probably the best I’ve had. They offer three types of broths: clear (no cream), white (cream), and red (tomato). I tried the tomato and really liked the umami that it added (I’m a big fan of tomato-based broths). We also ordered crab cakes, and while pricier, they are really full of crab and tasty. I’d recommend the latter two dishes.
Napatree Point Conservation Area
Honestly I wish I had arrived here earlier in the day. Similar to my previous trip to Newburyport where the nature preserves on Plum Island were the highlight of the day, I really think that Napatree Point Conservation Area was the highlight of this trip.
Napatree Point is a long spit that is popular for both its fine sand beaches and diverse wildlife, in particular birds. Unlike other New England beaches like those on Plum Island, Napatree Point is unique because you can see both sunrises and sunsets as the spit is oriented east-west. We arrived roughly two hours before sunset and started by walking along the southern coast.
The southern side is where the fine sand beaches are, and most people hang out on this side. We were immediately greeted by the sight of squishy, shiny blobs washed along the beach. These are apparently called salps which are a type of tunicate that propels itself by shooting out jets of water from its body. Neat!
We then crossed over to the north side of the spit through their designated pathways. You have to be careful though as the grasses do have ticks in them and some of the pathways are quite narrow. The north side doesn’t seem to get very many waves and the water is much calmer, so the sand on this side is mixed with lots of shell fragments, rocks, and other random sea debris. However, this means that there are much less people and more opportunities to see wildlife.
After walking a fair distance westward we started to see a lot more sea birds. First, we saw sandpipers running across the water with their funny legs (it really reminded me of the Pixar short Piper). As we walked further we ran into a dead horseshoe crab (apparently you can see living ones here too!). Finally, we found a shallow sandbar not too far from the beach where a lot of birds were feeding and catching fish. The summer sunset was positioned perfectly above the sandbar, and the sounds of the birds chirping and the sight of them running and flying around with the sunset in the background was spectacular.
To give some idea of how it felt like, I compiled some footage recorded with my Nikon D750.
Even after the sun had set beneath the horizon, we were still getting really cool sunbeams poking through the clouds.
I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Napatree Point and see this sunset again!
A Detour into Connecticut
As Napatree Point is the westernmost point of mainland Rhode Island, we also briefly entered Connecticut to cross it off our state list. We dropped by Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream before heading home. They have a lot of different flavors and I think it’s worth a visit.
Getting There
Both Newport and Napatree are located close to major arteries so the drive is very comfortable. As Newport is located on an island, there are a couple of toll bridges to cross, so make sure to bring an EZ Pass. A Reddit post recommended Wetmore Avenue for shaded street parking next to the cliff trail, and I can confirm that the parking there was not too full and shady. Monahan’s Clam Shack in Narragansett forms lines by 4:30-ish, so be sure to go early. Napatree is also very popular among beachgoers, so the parking can fill up quickly. The parking lot closest to the spit has a two-hour limit.
