Eat Fresh Seafood And Sip A Narragansett In Narragansett Bay
Whether you prefer yours refreshingly cool and covered in mayo or warmed up and shining with butter, you can put an end to the Maine- versus Connecticut-style lobster roll debate by testing both here in the heart of New England. Pop into Zeeks Creek Bait & Tackle to get the freshest seafood and lobster youve ever tasted from a small, shingled shack perched on a marsh. As the name implies, they also sell bait for just a few spare doubloons, so you can join the fishermen down on East Ferry Pier. Though Zeeks is currently closed for the season, it reopens again around May 1.
Like much of Rhode Island, J22 Tap and Table successfully straddles the line between upscale and divey. Top your Island Boy Nachos with shrimp or wagyu chili, or keep things clean and refreshing with local oysters and littlenecks. Later, head just down the street to Slice of Heaven for a Fish Naanwich, which has juicy flakes of haddock wrapped in a thick, warm, doughy naan and just a touch of a creamy chipotle sauce.
For an authentic Jamestown experience, head to Narragansett Cafe, known to locals simply as the Ganny. The clam cakes and fish and chips here are more of a side to the beer and live music performances, and you’re bound to run into some salty seadogs. But for the best brews, the obvious choice is Generals Crossing, where they concoct everything from Norwegian smoked ales and Gingerbread stouts to Mexican dark lagers and Caribbean brews.
Where To Stay In Newport Rhode Island
Ultra Luxury The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection This former Vinderbilt mansion has been restored into one of the most exclusive hotels in Newport! Enjoy the rooftop bar for drinks in the summer while being just steps from the waterfront.
Fun VacationAttwater Hotel Beautiful boutique hotel close to all the great attractions of Newport. Bed and breakfast feel, with a unique touch of class and stylish decor.
Bed & Breakfast Bellevue House Opening in 1828, Bellevue is known as the first and oldest hotel in Newport. Comfy accommodations and convenient location to the center of town.
For more places to stay in Newport RI you can explore the latest prices here!
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New England Watson Farm
In 1789, Job Watson purchased some land on Conanicut Island. Were sure at the time he couldnt have imagined it would have lasted five generations and almost 200 years in his family!
In 1980 it was handed over to Historic New England and is maintained as a fully operational farm. On your visit to Jamestown you can take a tour of the grounds and see firsthand how they produce their grass-fed meat and wool.
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Village Hearth Bakery Cafe Jamestown Rhode Island
Village Hearth Bakery Café is an artisan bread bakery and cafe in Jamestown that was originally opened in 2001 and expanded to its current facility and operations in 2009. The delightful cafe is located a block from the city’s village center and is home to a wood-fired pizzeria and community bakery that is housed within a converted historic home. Freshly-baked European-style breads and pastries are sold daily, crafted from stone-milled whole grains prepared on premises. Delicious menu items served up throughout the day include grilled panini sandwiches, homemade soups, and fresh-made health-conscious salads. Diners should note that the cafe is cash only.
2 Watson Ave, Jamestown, RI 02835, Phone: 401-423-9282
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Cliff Dive Scuba Dive And Visit Real

The locals may favor Mackerel Cove Beach for its long stretch of sand and surrounding cove dotted with New England houses, but you cant come to Jamestown and not check out the beach in Fort Wetherill, Bring a portable record player, strip down to your underwear, and do a little shimmy to channel your inner child .
From there, you can kayak out on the water or watch the brave youth who cliff jump into the depths below. Just watch out if you choose to partake: this cove is especially popular with novice scuba divers. On clear days, divers have been known to spot pink and mauve vegetation, lobsters, squid, starfish, blue crab, and even tropical fish who are seriously lost. Advanced divers can also see an old submarine net, an anchor, and even torpedo remnants. The local boy scouts created a couple scuba diving racks here, because thats just too perfect. If you want to give it a dive, Bubbles Dive Center over in Newport offers lessons.
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Fun Things To Do In Jamestown Rhode Island
Jamestown is a neat little island town that is sometimes overlooked, but there are lots of great things to do in Jamestown Rhode Island!
One of the cutest small towns in Rhode Island, Jamestown is an adorable little town with a lot of great history just waiting to be explored!
Here are some fun things to do in Jamestown Rhode Island during your next visit.
What To Do And See In Jamestown
Fort Wetherills 100-foot-high granite cliffs that served as a coastal defense battery also overlook Mackerel Cove, home to the town beach and a fabulous protected spot to drop anchor for lunch. Its also a major attraction for scuba diving. Jamestowns more famous state park, Beavertail, separates the East and West Passages of Narragansett Bay. It has hosted beacons and lighthouses since at least 1705, and the current lighthouse was built in 1856. Attractions also include a lighthouse museum, hiking and biking trails, and plentiful scenic picnic spots. Seven other lighthouses can be seen from some parts of the island. The Beavertail area is now home to some of the island’s largest waterfront houses, with large lots and many ocean views since the land slopes down to the Bay. North of Beavertail is West Ferry, site of the old ferry landing that traveled from Saunderstown. It is noted for Sheffield Cove and its oysters, as well as Dutch Island Harbors working skiffs and plentiful mussels. Newport is just a mile away via the Pell Bridge, built in the late 1960s. Islanders find the new connector road to I-95 makes commuting to Providence easy. T.F. Green Airport is just 20 minutes away and Boston is just over an hour away. With its abundance of open space, Jamestown offers small communities lightly traveled roadways and pleasant views an excellent locale for walking, biking, and relaxing.
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Contact Information All Travelers
All air passengers to the United States will also be required to provide contact information to airlines before boarding flights to the United States. This strengthens a travel process already in place to rapidly identify and contact people in the U.S. who may have been exposed to a communicable disease, such as COVID-19. Access to travelers contact information will allow U.S. federal, state, and local health departments, and agencies to share appropriate health and public health information necessary to help keep the public safe.
History Of Jamestown Rhode Island
Situated on Conanicut Island, Jamestown was first settled by the Dutch in 1636 and used by fur traders. In 1638, the English would make agreements to use the island for grazing sheep.
However, years before the arrival of Europeans it was inhabited by the Native American Narragansett Tribe. Therefore, the island was named after Chief Canonicus, and Jamestown for King James II. Over the next century, it would become both an essential military stronghold and stop for travelers entering Narragansett Bay.
This included the British Army who invaded Jamestown at the start of the Revolutionary War. Forts were constructed in the late 19th century of which ruins can still be seen today. From the early 1900s up until the present day it has become a vacation and tourist destination.
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Visit The State Parks
We just mentioned Beavertail, but you should know there are numerous state parks to explore in Jamestown! Beavertail has a 2.3-mile trail that loops around the coast and is an easy walk for all ages. Fort Getty is a great place to go camping, see the old fortifications, and enjoy one of the rocky Jamestown Rhode Island beaches.
Nevertheless, a visit to Fort Wetherhill State Park might beat them all! Not only do the great granite walls and cannons have a deep historical significance, but there are numerous hiking trails with epic views of Narragansett Bay. Fort Wetherhill also plays host to many popular water activities and is known as one of the best scuba diving spots in New England.
Fort Getty Park Jamestown Rhode Island
Fort Getty Park is a lovely town park in Jamestown, originally operated as a military fort between the turn of the 20th century and World War II. The fort was originally constructed to defend Narragansett Bay’s West Passage and was named in honor of Colonel George W. Getty, known for his service throughout the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. Following World War II, the fort was disestablished in 1948 along with many United States coastal defenses. Today, the park is operated as an outdoor recreational site and campground, offering a public boat ramp and dock for visitor use. Facilities for RV hookups are offered, along with tent campsites and facilities on nearby Dutch Island.
1050 Fort Getty Rd, Jamestown, RI 02835, Phone: 401-423-7211
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Everything You Wanted To Know About Living In Jamestown Rhode Island
With just 5,800 year-round residents on 9.7 square miles, Jamestown has a quiet rural character, an abundance of open space, and an informal boating community. No surprise, since Jamestown commands a large share of the more than 400 miles of Rhode Island waterfront real estate. Nearly everyone has a front seat to sunset or sunrise over Narragansett Bay. An uncrowded mix of modern and historic coastal neighborhoods line the island from Conanicut Park at the northern tip to the Beavertail Lighthouse guiding boaters around its southern point.
Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe

If youre looking for a good Perfect Cup of Coffee spot in Jamestown, Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe is it! In addition to their excellent coffee options, they also have a great baked goods menu that features goodies like their Bourbon Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie yum!
If youre needing something stronger than just a great cup of coffee, they also have beer, wine, and a full food menu as well. Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe is a well-kept Jamestown secret that youre now in on!
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Historic New England Watson Farm Jamestown Ri
Historic New England Watson Farm is a spacious 265-acre working family farm in Jamestown, originally established in 1789 by Job Watson and cultivated by five successive family generations. Today, the farmstead is open to the public for self-guided walking tours throughout the year, showcasing sustainable farming practices and operations, including pastoral husbandry traditions and Heritage Red Devon cattle pasturing. Grass-fed beef and lamb are produced at the farm, along with wool blankets and other wool products. Visitors can observe farm fields and seasonal farm activities or participate in outdoor farming workshops throughout the year during open hours.
455 North Rd, Jamestown, RI 02835, Phone: 401-423-0005
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Tour The Historic New England Watson Farm
Editorial credit: LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES / Shutterstock.com
For a spectacular interactive look at a historical working farm, a visit to Jamestowns Watson Farm is in order! Sustainable farming practices are employed on this historic farm and you can visit the heritage breed livestock to see what this looks like up close and personal.
Watson Farm hosts workshops, holiday happenings, and other fun community events throughout the year, so check out the event calendar to see whats going on at the farm. You can also schedule a self-guided tour if youd rather explore at your own pace.
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Lighthouses Lobster Rolls Scuba Diving And More Ocean
It seems appropriate that Ive been stranded on an island of shipwrecks. Before the bridges were built, it happened to people here in Jamestowna village of 5,500 on Conanicut Island off the coast of Newportquite often, including in the climax of Wes Andersons movie Moonrise Kingdom: a work of fiction, sure, but one inspired by and filmed on this Rhode Island islet.
This time, its a snowstorm that shuts down the two connecting bridges and maroons yours truly. White mist hovers above the ocean, enveloping the ruins of a stone house as six-foot waves crash against the giant boulders that line the shores. Still, as ominous as that sounds, theres something romantic about being huddled with everyone on this lonely rock, so close to Newport yet so easily cut off by some water and fog.
Jamestowns isolation out in the Narragansett Bay helps explain the many hey-look-out! lighthouses that surround the island: There are short stubby ones that stand alone tall ones that gaze majestically at the pointy tip of land some closely resembling houses because they are, in fact, residential. Once upon a time, these grand yet imposing buildings expertly guided lost ships out of the wild, perilous oceanand sometimes, not so much. Though boats dont crash into this hunk of rock as frequently these days, the remains of several shipwrecks still litter the ocean floor if youre experienced enough, you can even dive to see them for yourself.
Th Century To The Present
There was a burst of military fortification activity from 1890 to the end of World War I. The SpanishAmerican War was a catalyst, beginning in 1898, and work began on Dutch Island‘s Fort Greble. The War Department bought 31 acres for Fort Getty, and fortifications were quickly erected. Summer homes were condemned near Fort Dumpling to establish Fort Wetherill. More land was acquired at Prospect Hill near the Conanicut Battery site for an observation and fire control station, and the government established a torpedo station and test facility on Gould Island. Then, at the end of the First World War, the Conanicut Island fortifications fell into disuse. World War II brought establishment or reactivation of military bases around Narragansett Bay, including Forts Getty, Burnside, and Wetherill on Conanicut Island, Fort Greble on Dutch Island, a torpedo factory on Goat Island, and a torpedo station on Gould Island.
In 1938, a major hurricane caused much property damage and the loss of more than 300 lives in the Narragansett Bay region. It swept away much of the sand from the Mackerel Cove beach, destroyed its popular beach pavilion, and destroyed the West Ferry dockswhich actually speeded approvals for a bridge to Saunderstown. The first Jamestown Bridge opened in the summer of 1940, replacing West Ferry service with a continuously available link to the west.
U.S. Decennial Census |
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Jamestown Rhode Island Beaches
After youve taken in some of the historical sites, one of the best things to do in Jamestown Rhode Island is hit the beach! Also known as Jamestown Town Beach, Mackerel Cove is the spot to enjoy for locals and tourists alike.
The soft sands and calm currents of Mackerel Cove Beach make for the perfect place to swim and catch some rays on your afternoon in Jamestown. However, there is one caveat to this summer retreat! From early June to September its only open to residents of Jamestown.
If youre not able to visit this exclusive beach, also check out nearby Jamestown Rhode Island beaches such as East Ferry and Sunset beach.
Newport To Jamestown Ferry
The Newport to Jamestown Ferry is a great way to get in between these famous Rhode Island destinations. Not only does it transport you between the two towns, but also stops off at many attractions along the way.
The hop-on-hop-off ferry goes to the Rose Island Lighthouse, Fort Adams, the Ann Street Pier, and Perotti Park. So youll be able to see these other attractions before all the great things to do in Jamestown!
Know that if you take the ferry you will only be able to explore downtown Jamestown Rhode Island. The other locations we mention in this post you need to drive to get to.
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