11 Fun Things to Do in Jamestown Rhode Island

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Jamestown is a neat little island town that is sometimes overlooked, but there are lots of great things to do in Jamestown Rhode Island!

One of the cutest small towns in Rhode Island, Jamestown is an adorable little town with a lot of great history just waiting to be explored!

Here are some fun things to do in Jamestown Rhode Island during your next visit.

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The Jamestown Fire Memorial Museum

Located next door to the main Jamestown fire station, Jamestown Fire Memorial Museum is a two-story memorial building featuring antique firefighting equipment and local fire history.

Have you ever seen a horse-drive steam fire engine from 1894? You can at Jamestown Fire Memorial Museum! Those are the kinds of neat fire-fighting history exhibits you can expect from this quaint little museum.

Beavertail Lighthouse and Park

Beavertail Lighthouse and Park is a great place to visit; the Beavertail Lighthouse is the third oldest lighthouse in the United States of America! Standing 45-feet tall, this gorgeous granite lighthouse is an impressive sight to see.

The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum and Gift Shop offers great historical information about the lighthouse and property over the years, and the surrounding park is a lovely outdoor space that is the perfect spot to hike a little and take in some great ocean views!

Jamestown Windmill

The old Jamestown Windmill was originally built in 1787 and was used in regular operation until 1896! Even today, the town of Jamestown keeps the Jamestown Windmill maintained in working condition.

Jamestown holds its Windmill Day every odd year in July, allowing the 30-foot windmill to return to its former glory as its cloths are attached to the sails so they can catch the Rhode Island breeze again!

Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe

If you’re looking for a good Perfect Cup of Coffee spot in Jamestown, Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe is it! In addition to their excellent coffee options, they also have a great baked goods menu that features goodies like their Bourbon Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie… yum!

If you’re needing something stronger than just a great cup of coffee, they also have beer, wine, and a full food menu as well. Village Hearth Bakery & Cafe is a well-kept Jamestown secret that you’re now in on!

Fort Getty Park

Originally used as a military fort and a POW re-education camp (the stone gate posts at the entrance were actually built by German POWs in 1945), Fort Getty Park is today used as an RV campground and recreational site.

With restroom facilities and plenty of space, Fort Getty is a local favorite in the RV community, but even if you’re not interested in camping, it’s still worth the drive out to take in those gorgeous ocean views! There is also a pavilion that can be rented out for events.

Tour the Historic New England Watson Farm

Editorial credit: LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES / Shutterstock.com

For a spectacular interactive look at a historical working farm, a visit to Jamestown’s Watson Farm is in order! Sustainable farming practices are employed on this historic farm and you can visit the heritage breed livestock to see what this looks like up close and personal.

Watson Farm hosts workshops, holiday happenings, and other fun community events throughout the year, so check out the event calendar to see what’s going on at the farm. You can also schedule a self-guided tour if you’d rather explore at your own pace.

Mackerel Cove Beach

Also known as Jamestown Town Beach, Mackerel Cove is a beautiful beach that is popular for swimming and sunbathing. The water in the cove is shallow, calm, and sheltered from the strong currents of the bay, making it an ideal beach for little ones.

Lifeguards are present from June to September, but it is technically only open to residents and those with rental leases of 30 days or more during this time period, so this is the kind of beach you’ll need to make a local friend to visit! East Ferry and Sunset Beach are two other Jamestown beaches that provide nice access to the water, too.

Conanicut Island Sanctuary

Looking for a quiet place to admire some of the local wildlife? Conanicut Island Sanctuary is that place. Parking can be tricky as the trailhead is technically at a highway off-ramp, but the Jamestown Police Station is just south of the entrance and as long as you ask first, they have been known to okay parking in their lot!

Once you’re in, you’ll be treated to some great photo opportunities in the observation areas and boardwalks that look over the Marsh Meadows Wildlife Preserve. This lovely salt cove is home to wildlife like ospreys, herons, sandpipers, and more, as well as a beautiful grove of white birch. There are lots of photo ops to be found at this quiet spot.

Fort Wetherill State Park

Another former military post, Fort Wetherill State Park was a coastal defense battery and training camp. Today, it is a popular Rhode Island state park for those that come to walk its 61.5 acres and explore the now abandoned remains of the fort.

The 100-foot high granite cliffs are an impressive sight, providing a fabulous view of Newport Harbor, drawing crowds to watch events from above. Graffiti covers the walls of the abandoned fort today, but it is still an interesting historical sight to see, particularly if you are brave enough to enter and explore its abandoned tunnels!

Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge

One of the most iconic bridges in the region, the Claiborne Pell Bridge (aka Newport bridge) is an essential part of the spectacular view across Narragansett Bay.

Admire it from the ground, or drive the length of the longest bridge in New England, but either way, you won’t be able to visit Jamestown RI without seeing this stunning suspension bridge.

Jamestown Museum

The Jamestown Museum began in 1885 as a one-room schoolhouse for Jamestown residents. In 1898, it evolved from schoolhouse to town library, which it remained until 1971.

Today, the Jamestown Museum features exhibits of local historical artifacts and art pieces and is a great place to visit to learn more of this little town’s past.

Jamestown is a fantastic little spot to visit, and its close proximity to Newport and all the fun things to do and great places to stay and eat there isn’t so bad either!

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Amy Hartle

Amy Hartle is the owner and editor of New England With Love, a comprehensive resource for travel in the New England region. Amy lived in Vermont for 15 years, attended Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, and continues to travel regularly around the entire New England region. On this site, Amy aims to share her love of New England and help you to have the best possible adventures!

Amy has been a full time blogger since 2012, and is also the publisher of Two Drifters, where she writes about couples travel and relationships, as well as Let’s Adventure Baby, a family travel site. When not traveling the world or creating epic blog content, Amy can be found cuddling with her husband, son, and cats, & drinking a maple latte.