For me, it is the coastline that has always cast a spell.
I turn inland, only to find myself eager to get back to the sea as soon as possible.
But youll miss out on all the wonderfully eccentric, elegant, and kitschy attractions scattered along the shore.
Credit: Garret Voight/Flickr (cc by 2.0)
I started vacationing in Rhode Island more than 25 years ago.
Little Compton is one of those rare childhood places that doesnt look smaller when you return.
It looms larger than memory.
Steve Geer/Getty Images.
The beach club and golf club are private, with impossibly long waiting lists for memberships.
Once you start making friends, which takes a long time, you realize that everyone is related.
The area is lively in summer, quiet and isolated in winter.
Some might say bleak.
But that can be romantic.
Summer society is changing.
Sakonnet rentals can now be had for a week.
The public beach, a beautiful, sandy stretch, is impossibly crowded by midday on sunny weekends.
Theres also a fancy new hotel in Little Compton.
However, thats calmed down, and so have the room rates.
Little Compton had a long reputation as an artists colony in the middle of the last century.
I have become a bit of a weaving nut.
(Does it go with a love of granola?)
It didnt stop them, though.
But youd be making a mistake.
It has an extensive collection of early Rhode Island furniture.
Who did the cooking?
The ironing of all those starched napkins?
(Jews and Quakers were among the earliest settlers in the religiously tolerant colony.)
Some claim that its elegant lines influenced Thomas Jeffersons Monticello.
Henry James was a frequent visitor, no doubt taking respite from the frenzied gaiety of the cottage crowd.
Sadly, though, a plague of McMansions has befallen every coastal town.
They call their business Rhody Warm.
And I drive on.
Things get livelier in Galilee; it is crowded and kitschy and fun.
Theres Iggys Doughboys & Chowder House, serving a great fish-and-chips, and all manner of clam shacks.
(If it’s possible for you to, read John Caseys superb novelSpartinabefore you make this road trip.
The weirder the better, as far as Im concerned.
Still, its worth the walk.
The place always felt thrillingly, frighteningly as if it were about to slide into the ocean.
We would head down toward the beach to ride the colorful wooden creatures of the Flying Horse Carousel.
The wind caught their real tails and manes and we suspected we might soon spin off into the air.
Residents claim that the carousel, built in 1879, is the oldest in the country.
But that was in the mid 1980s, before the go-go years of the last boom economy.
In the nineties, a new generation of money began to renovate the old houses.
The Ocean House was rescued by Chuck Royce, a Wall Street financier with a passion for architecture.
Where the old hotel had 159 guest rooms, the new one has 49.
Each room is large and the bathrooms are spalike, with Edwardian-style fixtures.
Art from the local Lily Pad Gallery (for sale) lines the hallways.
But, hey, thats probably in keeping with the original spirit of the place.
On either end are the rich, luxurious bits.
Stay
Chanler at Cliff WalkFormal, 20-room hotel overlooking the coast.
117 Memorial Blvd., Newport; 401/847-1300;thechanler.com; doubles from $599.
351 Thames St., Newport.
; 401/846-8018;41north.com; doubles from $375.
Ocean House1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill; 401/584-7000;oceanhouseri.com; doubles from $595.
Stone House122 Sakonnet Point Rd., Little Compton; 401/635-2222;stonehouse1854.com; doubles from $275.
7 South of Commons Rd., Little Compton; no phone; coffee for two $6.
Black PearlClassic seafood spot in the heart of the city.
Bannisters Wharf, Newport; 401/846-5264; dinner for two $45.
Coastal RoastersBracing espresso, roasted on site.
1791 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/624-2343; coffee for two $6.
Commons Lunch48 Commons Way, Little Compton; 401/635-4388; lunch for two $32.
Evelyns Drive-InGreat fried clams.
2335 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/624-3100; lunch for two $50.
Grays Ice Cream16 East Rd., Tiverton; 401/624-4500; ice cream for two $8.
Iggys Doughboys & Chowder House1157 Point Judith Rd., Narragansett; 401/783-5608; dinner for two $30.
Matunuck Oyster BarTake a seat under an umbrella for local shellfish and views over the small marsh pond.
629 Succotash Rd., East Matunuck; 401/783-4202; dinner for two $60.
Milk & Honey Bazaar3838 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/624-1974; lunch for two $25.
Provender3883 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/624-8084; lunch for two $27.
Sakonnet VineyardsStop here for a light lunch at picnic tables under the trees; try the Americas Cup White.
162 W. Main Rd., Little Compton; 401/635-8486; lunch for two $25; tours free.
Seasons1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill; 401/315-5599; dinner for two $120.
Shop
Amy C. Lund, Handweaver Studio & Gallery3964 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/816-0000.
Conanicut Marine Services Shop20 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown; 401/423-7158.
Cottage at Four CornersDesigner Nancy Hemenways store is the go-to spot for housewares.
3847 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/625-5814.
Gallery 4Sells clean-lined furniture from China and Vietnam as well as colorful shoes and shawls from Turkey.
3848 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/816-0999.
Mills CreekLovely handcrafted goods for wardrobe and table.
4436 Old Post Rd., Charlestown; 401/364-9399.
Roseberry-Winn Pottery3842 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/816-0010.
Sakonnet PurlsThe place to find thousands of yarns in every color.
3988 Main Rd., Tiverton; 401/624-9902.
Tiffany Peay Jewelry3851 Main Rd., Tiverton; 888/808-0201;tiffanypeay.com.
Umbrella Factory Gardens4820 Old Post Rd., Charlestown; 401/364-9166.
See and Do
Blithewold MansionIts worth the trip just to see the 32 acres of beautiful gardens.
101 Ferry Rd., Bristol; 401/253-2707; admission $10.
Brownell Library44 Commons, Little Compton; 401/635-8562.
The Elms367 Bellevue Ave., Newport; 401/847-1000;newportmansions.org; admission $14.50.
380 Corys Lane, Portsmouth; 401/847-1000; admission $14.50.
Kingscote253 Bellevue Ave., Newport; 401/847-1000;newportmansions.org.
Marble House596 Bellevue Ave., Newport; 401/847-1000;newportmansions.org.
Ninigret National Wildlife RefugeGreat for spotting cranes, osprey, hawks, gulls, and more.
50 Bend Rd., Charlestown; 401/364-9124; fws.gov/ninigret.
Redwood Library & Athenaeum50 Bellevue Ave., Newport; 401/847-0292.
Touro Synagogue85 Touro St., Newport.
United Congregational ChurchGracious old church whose steeple can be seen from the sea.
1 Commons Way, Little Compton; 401/635-8472.
Watson Farm455 North Rd., Jamestown; 401/423-0005.
Wilbor House548 W. Main Rd., Little Compton; 401/635-4035.
Worm Ladies of Charlestown161 E. Beach Rd., Charlestown; 401/322-7675.
