Rhode Island
 

Misquamicut State Beach

 

Rhode Island, also known as the “Ocean State”, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of the United States. During the summer, the beautiful oceanfront beaches of the island attract people from all over the world. One such attraction is the Misquamicut State Beach in Washington County and Westerly.

 
Its seven mile length of pristine beaches stretches from Weekapaug to Watch Hill.

 

Weekapaug is a small district, which was called Noyes Beach after Reverend James Noyce during the 1700s to the late 1890s. Watch Hill is also a small district in Washington County.

 

It is best known for the Watch Hill Lighthouse and for the Flying Horse Carousel. In 1894, Misquamicut was bought from Chief Sosoa

of the Monauks.

Misquamicut state beach
Misquamicut was called Pleasant View until 1928. In 1959, Misquamicut Beach was designated as a state beach, and in 1992 it was almost shut down because of defects in its plumbing and sewage systems. The beach had to have a new septic field, but there were laws prohibiting such additions to parks and beaches.  Fortunately, this problem was solved by adopting waterless and ecologically-friendly waste management techniques.

In 1999, the State of Rhode Island installed a 1.5 million dollar bathing pavilion in the beach. It is called the James J. Federico State Beach Pavilion. After a year, the pavilion was completed. It has cold and heated showers, environment-friendly composting toilets and charming gazebos. Its parking lot can hold up over two thousand cars. The construction of the James J. Frederico State Beach Pavilion led to a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting Misquamicut.

The Misquamicut State Beach is filled with activities for locals and tourists of all age groups. There are mini-golf fields, shops, parks, carousels, rides for children, movie screenings, go-carts, batting cages and water slides. Swimming and surfing shops abound in Misquamicut beach, and most of them serve food for the hungry swimmers and sunbathers. Aside from a fun-filled summer experience on the beach, Misquamicut also provides an array of fine restaurants, cozy lounges and bistros. They include the Venuce Restaurant, WB Cody’s Steakhouse, Dunn’s Corners Pizza and Dunn’s Corners Market.

There are a lot of annual events in Misquamicut. One of which is The Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night. The celebration is a bonfire gathering featuring a re-enactment of the inquisition and execution of Guy Fawkes (also known as Guido Fawkes). Fawkes was a revolutionary of the Roman Catholic Church who was one of those behind the Gunpowder Plot against Protestants. Other annual events include the Misquamicut Music Festival Concert and Fireworkds, the “Kids Can Make a Difference” benefit concert, the Misquamicut Beach Salt Pond Challenge, the “Lights and Legends” slide shows and the MBA Beach Cleanup.