Moonstone Beach — Local services in South Kingstown

Kind of a disappointment. If you're not a resident, it's $27 to park, and you can only pay by using an app. Signs don't display the price. The price is only revealed after you download the app and enter all your information. You can't see the beach from the parking (on one side of the dirt road) so you don't know what you're going to get until after you pay for it. The beach seems to be in the middle of a nature preserve, access to it is limited to a 50 yard strip, with ropelines separating the beach from the preserve on both sides. If you just want to sit on the sand crowded in with a 20 or 30 other people, this might be okay. But if you want to go for a walk on the beach, you'll have to walk in tiny circles. No bathrooms, no changing rooms, no water, no lifeguard. The $27 parking fee seems to just be a way for South Kingstown to rip off...

Moonstone is one of those rare, unique gems in Rhode Island that has easily become one of my favorite outdoor spots in the state. HOWEVER... it is also a fresh reminder of how ignorant people truly are. There are TONS OF SIGNS POSTED on the beach, with ROPES CORDONING OFF most of the beach area as it's a protected nature area for ploving pipers; it's extremely easy to see this stuff is here for a reason, YET.... people go underneath the ropes, or walk along the water where it's supposed to be safe from human beings. Water is rough, with large waves. Not a place for children. Also because of the small beach area, nor good for groups. There is no public restroom or amenities, and parking is limited...

Beautiful beach! It's a little out of the way down a long dirt road, but very worth the trip. If you go from April-Sept, you can expect parts of the beach to be roped off due to plover nesting and dune restoration. Even though the beach is smaller at certain times of the year, it's still a wonderful place to sit and watch the waves or hunt for rocks. We found SO many amazing stones there.

Just a note that parking seems like it can be a bit of a pain. It's street parking, no lot, and during the summer you need a resident pass to park before 4pm. There's lots of signage warning of tickets & towing if you don't have a pass. We went in the early evening (after 4) and...