Rhode Island’s Sandy Beaches Offer Refreshment

WESTERLY, R.I. — Whalers still anchor 10 miles from here in Mystic Seaport, and people of all sorts go to the seashore for the same reason Herman Melville did--to be refreshed.

The beaches of Westerly are well-known to fans who return year after year. Here, it is still possible to escape the hordes that thunder off to Cape Cod or Block Island and to absorb the deep relaxation a beach vacation can offer.

Tucked away in a corner of the tiniest state, this stretch of sandy beaches is largely noncommercial, holding fast to a sense of its history.

In 1882 Rhode Island bought its southwestern corner from the Indians. They paid a group of Narragansetts $15.43 each in exchange for official rights to what was already a thriving community of sea resorts, shipyards and granite quarries. That parcel of land, called misquamicut , or “red salmon at this place” by the Indians, became the Town of Westerly, including Westerly, Shelter Harbor and the seaside villages of Watch Hill, Misquamicut and Weekapaug.

A trip to Westerly can mean a quiet month or just a weekend in a cottage, inn or motel, with days spent relaxing on the beach or pursuing a busy schedule of trips to the area’s many attractions.

Old-Fashioned Mood

The mood of a genuine turn-of-the-century sea resort pervades Watch Hill, and rightfully so, for in 1900 it rivaled Newport, Narragansett and Block Island as the fashionable place to summer. A summer house could mean anything from a modest cottage to one of the mansions that crown the bluff, range along the coastline and dot the countryside. The mansions are not open to the public, but a drive along the winding bluff road will provide some breathtaking sights.

Evidence of the elegant past carries the mantle of Old World gentility, led by the example of Ocean House. Commanding the bluff by its sheer size, this gigantic hotel sprawls down a craggy slope to the Atlantic and its private beach. It retains much of its original decor, shunning the telephone and TVs of modern life.

The 59-room hotel is open from June 26 through the day after Labor Day, with prices from $128 to $148 per couple a night, including a full breakfast and dinner. Reservations are recommended as far in advance as possible, which is true of every lodging establishment in the area. Phone (401) 348-8161.

Another dinosaur from 19th-Century America is the Flying Horse Carrousel at the end of Bay Street. Considered by some to be the oldest merry-go-round in the nation, it has been in use since 1879 and was most likely built around 1850. Send the kids on a spin astride hand-carved wooden steeds for 25 cents. Ride from mid-June to Labor Day from 1 to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Bay Street Stroll

A stroll along Bay Street, no matter what the weather, can provide hours of pleasant browsing among the rows and clusters of awning-draped shops. Antiques abound, some dealers specializing in glassware, pottery and jewelry, others in furniture or books.

One of the rarest finds in Watch Hill are two stores, half a block apart, that house the Book and Tackle Shop. You will find an hour or two of enjoyment rummaging through the shelves or talking with owner Bernard Gordon, unofficial historian of Watch Hill.

Under one of Bay Street’s awnings is the Olympia Tea Room, a renovated ice cream parlor dating to 1916. Sidewalk tables, looking out on Little Narragansett Bay, are a fixture in good weather.

Inside one finds a chatter-filled room packed with varnished dark-wood booths. Fans revolve slowly against the pink ceiling, reflected in long mirrors lining the walls behind the soda fountain. You are likely to be greeted by owners Jack and Marcia Ferber, who keep the restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The menu offers an imaginative selection of fresh seafood, creative salads and homemade breads and pastries at moderate prices. For lunch, try the Watch Hill gumbo, a combination of quahog clams, steamers, shrimp and sausages smothered in a spicy creole sauce and topped with a slab of crusty French bread ($6.50).

For dinner, make a selection from the blackboard menu, which changes with each day’s catch. You might find an offering of sauteed soft-shell crab ($5.95) and homemade tomato linguine with scampi ($11.95); on the next day, bouillabaisse made to order with native mussels, clams, shrimp or scallops ($13).

Swan Spectacular

A spectacular finale is provided by the desserts, particularly the Avondale swan. This elaborate swan is created in detail from eclair pastry, stuffed with French vanilla ice cream, topped by whipped cream and sent swimming in a sea of hot fudge spiked with espresso ($3). Strollers can stop at the new outdoor-indoor raw clam bar added just this season.

Across the street in the harbor, fishing boats may be chartered, starting at $400 a day for inshore fishing. Anglers will find bluefish, fluke and mackerel awaiting them, while farther offshore, meaner fish: sharks, tuna and marlin. Simple pleasure cruises may also be arranged. Call Fishmonger at (203) 928-6700 or Avanga at (203) 848-0170. Both sail out of Watch Hill.

Additional places to stay are just a short walk down Bay Street. The Harbor House, (401) 348-8998, offers clean rooms from $50 a night double to $480 a week for an apartment (maximum six persons). The Narragansett Inn, (401) 348-8912, has rooms with harbor views available for $40 to $55 a night.

A mile west of Watch Hill along scenic Rhode Island 1A lies Misquamicut. The Westerly beach line runs six miles from the tip of Napatree Point in Watch Hill to Weekapaug, but the longest run of bathing beach is in Misquamicut.

A short strip of beach surrounding Misquamicut State Beach is fairly commercial. Beachfront shacks hawk chowder, shrimp baskets and hot dogs, and tiny shops sell T-shirts and sea gull souvenirs. Add a video arcade, and you have what is, for some, the essence of a vacation.

The good news about Misquamicut is that just a short hike along the beach will take you away from all that and back to the sea.

Finding a Retreat

The most crucial element of planning a beach vacation is finding a place to stay that is a respite from the pressures of urban insanity. The more abandoned and quiet the site, the better.

Pleasant View House (401) 348-8200 in Misquamicut is a modern ocean-front motel catering to a clientele seeking relaxation and sun. Founded in 1903, the motel has been owned since 1965 by the Terra Nova family. Stan Terra Nova Jr. says: “We have no telephones in the rooms, and everything just goes at a slower pace. We try to accommodate people and give them what they want with a personal touch.”

The rooms are modern and clean, but the real draw is the balcony on most oceanside rooms. It’s a personal eagle’s nest to survey the seascape, abandoning all care.

Beneath the balconies a row of deck chairs faces out to sea, regimental as in a Hopper painting, awaiting the day’s sunbathers and readers. Down the wooden stairs ambles a couple, arm in arm, headed for the waterline to walk a mile in this direction and a mile in the other in search of tide treasure.

Pleasant View House is open May 2 through Nov. 5. Rates vary from $56 to $78 a night per person, double occupancy.

Breakfast and dinner are included in the price of the room and are served in a formal dining room with long, narrow windows opening to a panorama of seascape. Early American antique chairs are clustered around tables draped with lavender tablecloths.

The dinner menu offers a wide selection of such favorites as broiled lobster, prime rib and Cornish game hen.

Other amenities include the private beach, swimming pool, sauna and separate changing facilities for those who want to arrive before check-in time or linger late. Use of the five area golf courses is possible for a slight extra fee.

Cottage Rentals

For those who want a little more privacy and personality in their beach stay, investigate cottage rentals. Hundreds are available in all shapes and sizes, from the humblest shanty to (occasionally) one of the Watch Hill castles. Prices vary accordingly. In Misquamicut, call Stanton Realty, (401) 596-2885, or the Beachcomber Agency, (401) 348-8669.

Atlantic Avenue winds along the coast west from Misquamicut to Weekapaug, bordered by the Atlantic on one side and Winnapaug Pond on the other. This two-mile stretch makes for picturesque hiking or bicycling. Rocky overlook points offer a gorgeous setting for a picnic lunch. Within two miles is the tiny village of Weekapaug, a name that in Narragansett means “at the end of the pond.” The houses are a little grander there, with a complete absence of commercialism.

The Weekapaug Inn is secreted away on a private lane, its shingled and red-shuttered exterior crowned by gable windows. It looks for all the world like the turn-of-the-century retreat for the upper classes that it still is. Owned for three generations by the Buffum family, the resort maintains an air of exclusivity and does little advertising.

Guests are offered a miles-long private beach, an 18-hole golf course, tennis, lawn bowling, shuffleboard, sailing, windsurfing, rowing, fishing and swimming. Rates range from $80 to $150 a day per person and include three meals. Call (401) 322-0301.

Shelter Harbor

In the sap-green countryside just a mile north of Weekapaug is a restored 19th-Century farmhouse, Shelter Harbor Inn. Set back from U.S. 1 in a lush field, the farmhouse and newly renovated barn contain 18 guest rooms, with a redwood deck overlooking secluded woods. The rooms create a convincing 19th-Century atmosphere with their period antiques and print wallpaper. Cocktails are served in the sun parlor and meals in the dining room.

The inn’s restaurant is one of the finest in southern Rhode Island, and the menu is any gourmand’s treat. You could begin with an appetizer of smoked scallops and cappellini ($3.75) and continue with a fish chowder ($1.75) and Rhode Island johnnycake (75 cents), a pancake made of finely ground cornmeal.

The inn is known for its seafood potpie Shelter Harbor ($11.95), a pastry-sealed crock of shrimp, scallops, lobster, and scrod. Or choose from finnan haddie with bacon cream ($9.95), sole stuffed with lobster mousse ($9.95) and roast ducking with beach plum sauce ($11.95). The staff is prepared to accommodate special diets. Service is personal and warm, and you get the rare feeling that even the employees enjoy being there.

Shelter Harbor Inn offers its guests the use of a private beach just a few minutes’ drive away. Use the inn as a tranquil base to relax and plan day outings to the area’s many points of interest. Phone (401) 322-8883.

Unlike many resorts, the inn is open all year. Rates range from $58 to $72 per person a night, double occupancy, and include a full breakfast.

Whatever your style, these hidden Westerly beaches provide escape from people and pressure. You may become a cultist of the Rhode Island shore and return next year.

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Destinations within an hour’s travel of Westerly include Mystic Seaport, Harkness Music Festival, Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theater Center, Colonial Theater (in Westerly) and the restored 18th-Century Casey Farm, complete with animals for children to feed and pet.

Other places of interest not far away are the ferry to Block Island (in New London, Conn.), Newport and Providence.

For information contact the Rhode Island Department of Economic Development, 7 Jackson Walkway, Providence 02903; (401) 277-2601.