Public Spaces – Watch Hill Fire District

Watch Hill Village

Watch Hill Village is situated along Bay Street at the southwestern-most point in Rhode Island. In the summer, it is home to numerous shops, boutiques, eateries, and clubs. Two-hour parking is provided for shop and restaurant patrons. Less than a mile from end to end, Watch Hill Village makes for a pleasant walk and is easily navigated.

For more detailed information about shops, lodging, restaurants, and boutiques, please visit the Watch Hill Business Association’s website located in our Links section.

There are three private beaches in Watch Hill with access to the public, all overseen by the Fire District Park Commission. They include East Beach, the Watch Hill/Carousel Public Beach, and the Napatree Point Conservation Area. Watch Hill/Carousel Public Beach is open to the public for a fee and is free to Fire District Residents. Cabanas can be rented seasonally or daily for a fee. Bathing facilities and lavatories are available.

East Beach is accessible through a number of entrances located on Bluff Avenue and Manatuck Avenue. Please note that while the beach is open to the public, it is privately owned. There are neither lifeguards on duty, nor is there parking available in close proximity to these entrances. Street parking is prohibited at all times and monitored closely by the Westerly Police
Department. During the early summer months, areas are marked off for preservation of the Piping Plover, an endangered species of local dune-dwelling bird. Please avoid these areas, keep dogs on leashes during allowed times and be respectful of our neighbors.

Napatree Point Conservation Area and beach is accessible via an entrance from Fort Road immediately adjacent to the Misquamicut Club parking lot. Footpaths are marked, and visitors are instructed to remain on the paths at all times. This sensitive area is also home to the Piping Plover and as with East Beach, will have several areas marked off during the early summer months.

For those wishing to visit any of Watch Hill’s beaches, in addition to the Town of Westerly Resident parking, there is pay parking available. Please visit our Parking & Access section (above) for more information. For those coming by boat, there is a public dinghy dock available.

One of the most visible attractions in Watch Hill is the historic Flying Horse Merry-Go-Round. The original carved wooden horses of the Merry-Go-Round, the oldest continuously operated Merry-Go-Round in the United States, have been scrupulously maintained in cooperation with the Watch Hill Memorial Library and Improvement Society.

Adjacent to the harbor, the Bay Street Park and Gazebo are maintained by the Park Commission and the WHMLIS. This open area has recently been replanted to model the original Marian Coffin design from the 1930’s. Concerts sponsored by the Watch Hill Business Association occur bi-weekly during the summer as do other events year round. For the concert schedule, please see our events calendar or click here.

Public parking is available throughout the year for sightseers, shoppers and tourists. Yellow spaces are restricted parking for permit holders only. Currently, there are three public parking lots for beachgoers, the TK behind Lanphear Livery on Bay Street, The Watch Hill Inn, also on Bay Street, and the Larkin parking lot on Larkin Road. Parking is available for a fee. Please note that non-pay public spaces have a two-hour time limit and are monitored closely.

Town of Westerly Resident parking is available on Larkin Road with a three-hour limit. Town of Westerly Resident stickers must be affixed to cars.

Access to East Beach is available at Bluff Avenue and Manatuck Avenue. Please note that public parking is not available at any East Beach entrance with the exception of the pay lots available in the Watch Hill Village near the Bluff Avenue entrance. Access to the Fire District Carousel public beach is located between the Merry-Go-Round and St. Clair Annex.