Misquamicut State Beach — Attraction in Westerly

Do not feed the seagulls. Ever. They have become increasingly aggressive over the past couple of decades because they've become more conditioned to human interaction and easy food. Hide your food under something more than just a plastic bag when you're away. If you're looking for a relaxing beach day with small children, do not come here on a summer weekend, when the surf is over 2-4' or when winds approach 20mph. It will not be a relaxing day. Seaweed comes and goes unpredictably; that can also ruin your day. On summer weekends, you will hit gridlock if you're not at the beach by 10am; the parking lot will be full before noon, and there will be gridlock again around 5pm as people leave. Private parking lots may have spaces, but you'll be charged over $40 (the lot owners aren't dumb). Smoking is not permitted at any RI State Park, nor is alcohol. The Town literally has cops go undercover on summer weekends to enforce the zero tolerance alcohol ban; there is a long list of those caught in the local paper every Monday - younger and older than 21. This is the beach to go to if you are a competent swimmer and want to bodysurf, as the break is a good distance offshore and there are no rocks anywhere. Skimboarding, ball/frisbee throwing and many other fun things are banned, although enforcement varies; consider that before buying a skimboard or frisbee at one of the shops. Do not sit in front of a lifeguard chair. Don't walk near someone lying down if you're wearing flip flops. Please be conscious of the wind when using spray sunscreen, getting sand out of your towel and positioning your radio. Parents: if your child does not know how to swim, do NOT put a life jacket on them and start reading a book. This is open ocean, not a kiddie pool. Inexperienced swimmers must be watched like a hawk. In my opinion (some disagree), life jackets should not be worn at ocean beaches because of the false sense of security that they create.

TL; DR: there are better beaches for novice beachgoers and swimmers, particularly those in CT on Long Island Sound (Rocky Neck, Ocean Beach, Hammonasset, etc.). Consider those strongly before deciding on...

I come here on a regular basis as this is my sons favorite beach. One day we had his grandmother with us and we decided to get ice cream. They only serve soft serve (which we knew) and depending on the day they either have chocolate or vanilla (this we also knew). When we went up to ask what flavor the guy had he said they had vanilla that day (mind you if he had said chocolate we wouldn’t have placed an order) we asked for 2 ice creams in a bowl. My son said “can you put two scoops!” Before I could get a world out to explain to him that it was soft serve and not hard, the guy who was working the stand Ridley looked at my son and said “this isn’t hard ice cream. It’s soft. We only have soft serve.” I let it go and explained it to my son. I had told my mother in law I was going to walk to the other side and grab some coffees for us. As I’m standing in line she came back and said that he started serving chocolate. The man was super rude and was telling us that he definitely didn’t say vanilla and that Thai is what they had. SUPER rude. I was disgusted. It was my mother in law and 2 young kids. I asked for our money back. He was very hesitant. So unfortunately no more ice cream at misquamicut. But the beach over all isn’t that bad. It’s clean on the beach for the most part. And they just got dumpsters so the trash isn’t in the parking lot as much. I wish they had more lifeguards on duty.But I assume that’s because they’re...

I’ve been coming to Misquamicut State Beach once or twice a summer for years now. It used to be home to Atlantic Beach Park which featured water slides, carnival rides, and a fun park with go-karts, mini golf, bungee jumping, and other activities before sadly closing due to financial hardship. Despite the entertainment permanently closing 6 years ago, the beach itself is massive, spanning a few miles long. You really come here for the big waves and boogie boarding, being a beach that’s unprotected by Long Island. You also have beachside restaurants like Paddy’s offering great views, cocktails, and food. That being said, DO NOT come on Saturdays during the summer, as the beach is packed with families so much so that you won’t find a spot with more than 8ft of space. You also have families blasting awful reggaeton or Hispanic music that no one but them wants to hear. Sundays are nearly as crowded, so try to come midweek during the summer. The parking is $15-20 too unless you find a spot inland. Lastly, a huge reason for the 4 stars are the barbaric and ruthless seagulls that will swarm any bit of food they smell or that is tucked away. I’ve NEVER encountered more aggressive and obnoxious seagulls before. They aren’t afraid of getting up close and personal if they see you trying to enjoy a snack. They will even go in baskets, bags, or plastic containers to get it, the bastards are that smart. So never leave food...