Ask a Bartender: Where are the Best Beach Bars in New England?
Pam Martin, GoLocalProv Ask A Bartender Columnist
Ask a Bartender: Where are the Best Beach Bars in New England?
McGuirk’s Ocean View Hotel, Restaurant, and Lounge – Hampton – Go for the drinks, stay for the food at this staple of Hampton Beach. Some people dream of shark attacks all year long—the drink, not the inevitable string of headlines from the Cape. The Shark Attack is a huge, goblet of a drink, garnished with a gummy shark, of course. Once the thirst subsides and the hunger sets in, grab a menu. They’ve got poutine! And of course lobsters in almost every variety you can dream of. The menu covers it all, and includes a few items paying tribute to the owners’ Irish heritage.
Coast Guard House – Narragansett - Once the beach day is done, and if you got there early enough, toss your best flip-flops on and walk a few yards over to the deck at the Coast Guard House. The drink menu is not overwhelming, but it is not disappointing by any means. My personal favorite is the “Life’s a Peach”, or the Coast Guard House Mudslide. The staff is generally happy to accommodate you. While you wait, you can enjoy the beautiful views and feel the breeze off the ocean. Sometimes there is a band setting up around dinnertime, but the setup is ideal so that you can generally be as close or as far away from the excitement as you want. Try the calamari and the crab cakes while you watch the sun go down and contemplate ways of sleeping on the beach.
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The Beachcomber – Wellfleet – It’s impossible to go to the Cape, or to know someone who loves the Cape, and not hear at least two Beachcomber references. Rightfully so, I suppose. With drinks named the “Goombay Smash” and “Mooncusser”, it’s hard to avoid checking this place out, and perhaps falling in love. Set along the beach, tracking in sand is not something to worry about when you walk through the doors at this Wellfleet favorite. They keep the food menu simple, with a wide variety of both seafood and standard pub fare. If you’d like to really check it out without leaving your beach chair, go to their website and take a look at one of their beach, bar, or dining room streams. Not creepy at all.
The Sand Dollar Bar & Grill – Dennis Port – Family-friendly restaurant by day, and exciting dive bar by night! The service is great, and the drinks are strong. Come in before the live music starts and sample a stuffed quahog, or the Fireball Burger, you know, before the Fireball shots start pouring.
Pam Martin bartends at Compass Tavern at 90 Harding Street in Worcester every Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
Top Beaches in Rhode Island
1.
Most Scenic
Second Beach
Second Beach is the most scenic beach in Rhode Island, located at 474 Sachuest Point in Middletown.
Second beach features 1.25 miles of sand dunes and is located next to the 300 acre Norman Bird Sanctuary.
Parking at Second Beach is $10 on weekdays and $20 on weekends and holidays.
For More on Second Beach, click here.
Photo courtesy of kmr1889/ Flickr
2.
Best Surfing
Narragansett Beach
Narragansett Town Beach is open on weekends only but is the best beach for surfing in the state of Rhode Island with a seperate area of the beach marked off just for surfing.
Beach locations include 39,77 and 81 Boston Neck Road in Narragansett.
Admission to the beach is $8 per person while children under the age of 11 get in for free.
For more information on Narragansett Beach, click here.
Photo courtesy of Bigwal1/flickr
3.
Best Food
First Beach
First Beach and Oakland Beach are tied for the beach with the best food in Rhode Island. If you are heading over to First Beach, make sure you grab a twin lobster roll from their snack bar.
If you looking for something more formal, or an adult beverage to add to your meal, head inside to the ABC Club to grab a bite to eat.
First Beach is located on Memorial Boulevard, right at the beginning of the famous Newport Cliff Walk.
Parking will cost you $10 during the week and as much as $20 on the weekends.
Click here for more information.
4.
Best Food
Oakland Beach
Oakland Beach is in a tie with First Beach for best food, with a number of great restaurants in the area, namely Iggy's Doughboy and Chowderhouse and Top of the Bay.
Oakland Beach is located on Oakland Beach Avenue in Warwick.
Click here for more information.
5.
Most Dramatic
Block Island - Mohegan Bluffs
For a dramatic experience of a lifetime, take the ferry across to Block Island and check out Mohegan Bluffs.
The views, cliffs and beach are spectacular.
The Bluffs are located just past the southeast lighthouse. There is limited parking in the small dirt parking lot, however, spots will be available along the road.
For more information, click here.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Andrew/flickr
6.
Best Family Beach
Sand Hill Cove
Sand Hill Cove is in a tie with Gooseberry Beach for best family beach.
Sand Hill Cove is a great beach for families after having been redesigned between 1996 and 1997. The beach now features a play ground, concession stands and an enviromental education area.
The beach also features 63 picnic tables.
Sand HIll Cove beach is located on 100 Sand Hill Cove road in Narragansett.
Click here for more information.
7.
Best Family Beach
Gooseberry Beach
Gooseberry Beach is in a tie with Sand Hill Cove for best family beach.
Gooseberry is a great beach for families, presenting small waves and clean sand as well as many other families with children of different ages.
Gooseberry Beach is located on 130 Ocean Avenue in Newport with parking at a daily price of $20. Gooseberry is located just one mile from the Newport Mansions
For more information, click here.
Photo courtesy of IM_1251/flickr
8.
Best Tone, 6 Pack Abs and Thongs
Scarborough State Beach
If your looking to see some sites like 6 pack abs and thongs, amongst other things, Scarborough State Beach is where you want to be.
Scarborough features 75 picnic tables, a concrete boardwalk with concessions stands, gazebo's and an observation glasses and more.
Scarborough Beach is located at 970 Ocean Road in Narragansett.
Click here for more information.
Photo courtesy of Jerri Moon Cantone/flickr
9.
Most Historic
Watch Hill Carousel & Beach
The Watch Hill Beach and Carousel is easily the most historic beach in Rhode Island as the two are right next to each other.
The flying horse carousel is the oldest operating carousel in which the horses are suspended by chains.
Kids under 12 years olds may ride.
The Carousel is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, click here.
10.
Best Bar
Matunuck Ocean Mist
Matunuck Beach gets the best bar with Ocean Mist.
Ocean Mist hosts brunch on Sunday's, DJ's playing reggae music on Tuesday's and live performances by some of the best local and regional bands on Friday's and Saturday's.
In 2009, Esquire Magazine named Matunuck Ocean Mist one of the best bars in America and in 2012 Yankee Magazine named Ocean Mist best local hangout.
Ocean Mist is open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m Monday thru Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The Ocean Mist bar is located on 895 Matunuck Beach rd in Wakefield.
For more information, click here.
11.
Most Unspoiled
Napatree Point
The Hurricane of 1938 wiped out all the homes and buildings in the area were wiped out with 15 people dying.
Napatree point never rebuilt for fear of future destruction and is currently a wildlife preserve and beach protected by Watch HIll conservency and fire district.
Napatree Point is located on Fort Road in Westerly.
For more information, click here.
12.
Fast Escape
Barrington Beach
Barrington Beach is tied with Lincoln Woods as two beaches that make for an easy escape if you live in the city.
Barrington Beach presents four acres of beach that overlooks Narragansett Bay.
However, parking at the beach is limited to Barrington residents only.
For more information, click here.
13.
Fast Escape
Lincoln Woods
Lincoln Woods is tied with Barrington Beach as one of two beaches that make for an easy escape.
LIfe guards are on duty at the beach from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lincoln Woods is located betweeen route 146 and route 123 and is just minutes from Providence, Pawtucket and Cumberland.
For more information, click here.
Photo courtesy of Roger Williams/ flickr
14.
Most Natural
Goosewing Preserve
Goosewing Preserve is the most natural beach in Rhode Island
Goosewing Preserve features 75 acres of beach in Little Compton with access to the beach going through South Shore Beach.
Parking at Goosewing Preserve is $15.
For more information, click here.
15.
Most Explosive
Salty Brine
Salty Brine State Beach was rocked by an explosion in which one woman was injured.
The explosion at Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett on July 11 has been deemed "very likely" to have been caused by the combustion of a build-up of hydrogen gas in the beach sand, due to the corrosion of an abandoned copper cable that was previously used by the United States Coast Guard, according to Dr. Arthur Spivack, an oceanographer with expertise in geo-chemistry at the University Of Rhode Island Graduate School Of Oceanography (URI GSO).
In 1990 it was decided to rename Galilee State Beach as Salty Brine State Beach after a prominent radio personality long associated with Rhode Island’s nautical and seaside traditions.
For more information, click here.
Photo courtesy of James O806/Flickr
16.
Most Secret
Rejects Beach
Rejects beach is the most secret beach in Rhode Island, located at at the beginning of Ocean Drive.
There is no parking at Rejects Beach and the only way to access it is by foot or bike, making it a beach not many people go to.
For more information, click here.
