Explore Beavertail State Park on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Rhode Island's Third-Oldest Lighthouse, Tide Pools, and Narragansett Bay Views

At the southernmost tip of Conanicut Island in Jamestown, Rhode Island, where Narragansett Bay meets the open Atlantic Ocean, Beavertail State Park occupies 153 acres of exposed rocky headland that has served as one of the most strategically significant coastal positions in New England for nearly three centuries. A lighthouse has marked this point at the entrance of Narragansett Bay since 1749, when the wooden tower became the third lighthouse built in the Thirteen Colonies, known at the time as the “Newport Light.” The current granite lighthouse, constructed in 1856, continues to operate as an active navigational aid and stands as one of Rhode Island’s most recognized maritime landmarks.

The park is free and open year-round from dawn to dusk. Its 153 acres offer a compressed but remarkably layered experience: panoramic bay and ocean views from four overlooks, a rocky shoreline trail system along exposed phyllite formations where the geological Beavertail Fault is directly observable, tide pools along the southern and eastern shores where crabs, sea stars, urchins, and anemones reveal themselves at low water, and the historical depth of the lighthouse complex and World War II installations. The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum, housed in the 1898 assistant keeper’s quarters, is open seasonally from spring through early October and documents three centuries of lighthouse keeping through exhibits and the stories of the keepers themselves. The seasonal Beavertail Aquarium, in the former foghorn building, displays live marine specimens collected from local waters and is a particular draw for families with children. Remains of Fort Burnside’s World War II coastal defense installations, including observation posts and gun emplacements built in 1942 to monitor Narragansett Bay traffic, remain explorable on the western side of the headland.

The park’s most enduring activity is simply being on the rocks with the ocean. The rugged phyllite shoreline is superb for rock sitting, wildlife watching, saltwater fishing, and wave photography, particularly during northeast storms when breakers crash over the exposed points in dramatic displays. The park operates a naturalist program focused on the rocky intertidal zone and local geology that attracts families and school groups throughout the summer season. Swimming is not recommended at Beavertail; the rocky shoreline and powerful wave energy make the water dangerous. The park has no campgrounds.

Beavertail is accessible from the mainland via the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge from North Kingstown or the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge from Newport. The park’s position between Jamestown and Newport makes it a natural anchor for a day trip that combines Rhode Island’s best coastal scenery with Newport’s legendary mansions, restaurants, and sailing culture. Families find Beavertail an easy complement to a Newport vacation, with the tide pools and lighthouse delivering a natural history experience the mansions do not.

Newport, a five-minute drive across the Newport Bridge, is the natural hub for vacation rentals serving Beavertail visitors. The city offers luxury waterfront condos, cozy cottages, beautiful multi-bedroom homes, and vacation rentals of every scale, many with views of Narragansett Bay. Properties with hot tubs and outdoor decks are well-suited to evenings after a day on the rocks at Beavertail. Book your accommodations near Beavertail State Park through Lake.com.