Misquamicut State Beach

This beach is a fantastic spot to enjoy time with family, friends, or even by yourself. The sand is clean, and there are lifeguards on duty for added safety. I noticed many Great Black-backed Gulls, so be careful with your food. Parking costs $20 (on Tuesday), and when I arrived around 2:30 PM, I was still able to find a spot. The water was beautiful and perfect for swimming.

Tuesday in July at 10AM had lots of parking. By 2PM, parking was more difficult. Mororhomes under 30ft can park here if there is room or grass. The seagulls here will sneak up and steal food out of your hand. Clean, cool water with nice soft sand.

There are lots of litter, and it's quite irritating that it's only free after 6 instead of 5 now. It's one of those beaches that is pretty rocky, full of seaweed, and always busy. But, it's a beach...all in all, it's going to be beautiful regardles.

It's hard to believe that it is October. The beaches are empty because the kids are at school. There are still some businesses open. Nice, relaxing and still beautiful waves.

Always a pleasure to come here for a day at the beach. You really can't beat the convenience that they have with the restrooms, showers, food, and beach shop all right there.

I have been going to this beach multiple times during the summer for over a decade. Obviously the only downside are the crowds my advice is to get there no later than 9am. Otherwise you will be stuck in the mile long line for general parking.

Went on a week day in May. Very pretty view. Free parking and not many people around. Fun place to have a picnic or fly a kite. Some fun shells and cool rocks to collect. Definitely not fit for swimming this time of year but if you are in the area for sure worth checking out. Beach was overall clean without litter.

The beach was nice, although there was some seaweed, the water was crystal clear, and there was plenty of parking. If you're not a Rhode Island resident, you pay $30. There's restaurant service, restrooms, and showers.

Fallfest 2024 $12 entrance. Everything inside costs money. We spent $60 on tickets to ride rides. The older kids each got 4 rides. Our little guy- we had to use tickets (for an adult)to accompany him on rides as per their rule. Loaded fries? $16! Highway robbery Poland Spring Water: $3 Slushie: $6 Overall It wasn't worth the drive for us. We didn't get a lot for our money. We did have dinner at a local establishment that was right up against and on the beach so the kids did get to go swimming. Nice beach to swim at but pricey events.

One of the larger public beaches in RI. In season you pay to park. See the RI website for fees. Lifeguards are on duty in-season. There are outdoor showers, food, gift shop to get sunscreen, hats, pails and shovels, etc., facilities, picnic tables, a play ground, and EV parking spots. Off season, the facilities are closed, no life guards and no fee to park. The sand here is not quite as 'sugary' as some beaches, but soft and a long stretch of shoreline that bumps up to Westerly Town Beach. If spending a day at the beach with the family this could be a very good choice.

Beautiful beach! VERY CROWDED, PLAN ACCORDINGLY! You WILL sit in traffic for a long time trying to park on hot days. So, plan! There are cute shops in walking distance though: iced coffee, beach wear and toys (surf shop), etc. We had a good time! But it's not a 5 star stellar beach.

Sandy beaches not covered in seaweed. Situated in a cute coastal town with nice little shops and plenty of opportunities for amazing photos, unfiltered.

Best most cleanest ever. Best Lobster Roll on the beach n I was able to do some shopping as well. Very convenient place with really clean beach.

Best to go as soon as it opens. Love this beach. Clean, water didn't have crazy waves. I spent 4 1/2 hours with the sun shining and enjoying my neighbors too. The seagulls are not afraid of people and I even witnessed one swoop down and take a sandwich out of someone's hand! Yikes. Great beach!!!!

Definitely one of- if not the nicest Beach in Rhode Island! It's large with beautiful sand and the cleanest water/ void of yucky smells and disgusting seaweed clusters. This used to be a bit less crowded of a beach- but these days it's constantly packed. You have great restaurants like Andrea's which is literally located right on the beach! They also have an arcade & used to have water slides, mini golf and a carousel right down the street from the beach to its a great place to bring the kids!

I was looking for a nice beach while staying in New England. I don't know why this was in the list of top beaches. First of all it was incredibly crowded, just to get parking we waited in tons of traffic. Then the parking fee was outrageous. It was $30 at the State lot but that was full. After driving around for 30 minutes we caved in & paid $40 for a spot at a bar. The beach was insanely crowded and very narrow with hardly any shoreline. There was hardly room to walk. And people were smoking cigarettes, weed, and e-cigs so that the air was a stinking haze. Mind you it was only 1 pm. This is not a family friendly beach. People were also blasting music from personal devices at almost every blanket, which I find intrusive. I come to the beach to relax and hear the waves, not to be subjected to someone's personal taste in music. It said on the review that there were changing rooms but by the time we found a spot, after navigating through the crowds, we just changed behind our own towels. The waves were epic and thrilling to body surf in but I was pulled in the undertow. There are a decent amount of lifeguards, but I wouldn't go with my kids- because of the rough current.

Lovely white sand beach with minimal seaweed and facilities. Unfortunately the real bathrooms were closed due to Covid. Watched a nice sunset

A beautiful beach. There is a bunch of seaweed, and a huge amount of people... but I probably just don't know when to come to the beach. There's so much to look at. And they have pretty adequate bathrooms. I did take off one star just because there was so many people that it was a little suffocating. Around the area, there are a bunch of snacks, gift shops, and extra parking. Though, if you're at home, a seasonal pass is clearly your best bet. I haven't been to many beaches in RI yet, but so far this is the nicest one that I've seen! Now, if I could just come on a slow day with a little less people, it would be perfection.

Only $12 to park up near State park entrance vs $10-20 other spots. Nice restroom/shower/changing facilities. Committed to eco friendliness via composting toilets and low water usage in restrooms. Several food & ice cream trucks along with gift shop & eateries. Says lifeguard on duty but where we are haven't seen one. Very crowded but beautiful beach. Beach playground area with swings & climbing structure if you bring kids. $15 to rent umbrella on the beach if you can find an open one. We lucked out and found a nice spot to set up beneath an unclaimed umbrella. HUGE strong waves (today), would make me nervous if had kids or unskilled swimmers along. We have stayed relatively close in as the waves are so powerful today. Rocks/pebbles so water shoes would be good, some sand once you trek out a bit into the water. Beautiful beach, glad we stopped here to spend a few hours! Just heard beach announcements: no skim boards, no kites, no digging, etc. I had thought we might bring our teens next visit it they love skim boarding so this beach is out for a family trip.

Sam, the Lifeguard on duty today, was AMAZING. I am endlessly thankful she helped us get my 8 year old out of an extremely dangerous and unpredictable situation. Afterwards she continued to reassure and helped my son feel safe and comfortable as she checked his vitals and continued to provide quality support. I can honestly say that I don't know what would've happened had it not been for her quick thinking and immediate responsiveness.

Beach day in Rhode Island was great!!! It was a quick stop on our ride back to MD. It was not overly crowded, we arrived pretty early and were able to pick a pretty decent spot. My only complaint would be the $20 parking but everyone has to make little cash for the maintenance ‍

My daughter took me here for my birthday ., what an enjoyable day. The sun is out and we are so relaxed. I would come back here again and again. Definitely nice day for the beach.

Awesome Beach. Easy access, close parking lots, just wish more garbage cabs at entrances.

Lovely beach & town! Must go, especially with the family. Amazing clean ocean and nice sand.

My family and I visited Misquamicut state beach and had a wonderful time. Parking was $12 for out of staters so I'm not sure why I'd pay $20 for the lots further away, it was very clean and people seemed to respect social distancing. We went during the week so I'm not sure how it is in the weekend, but we had a great time. My kids could have stayed all day if it hadn't rained. Will definitely go back.

This is one of my go to RI beaches. It's affordable and there is a huge parking lot. Even with the covid restrictions there is still lots of parking. Honestly I've never gone on a weekend during the summer to avoid an over crowded beach but any weekday has always been perfect. Get there before 11am to be sure you'll totally get in. There's facilities but I've never used them, the portable toilets have always been clean and we pack our own food. Short walk from car to sand which I love.

I love coming to this beach. It was pretty crowded during COVID Labor Day, but I didn't care. It's a great beach with a bathroom and outdoor showers (and indoor, but they were closed for COVID which doesn't even make sense- wouldn't you want to promote good hygiene?). I dont swim in this, but the waster was nice to walk in.

This is my favorite go to beach in New England! Its always clean and has plenty of room to spread out and relax. The waves are usually pretty incredible as well! Parking isn't too bad.. This year it was around $12 but after 3 pm parking is free. Out of all the public beaches in New England, none of the others even come close. There are rides for the kids, several area places to eat and even late when all the lifeguards leave, Windjammers makes the best drinks and Lobster nachos.

I love this place. They have decent waves for the area, plenty of beach and the sand is soft. Nearby there are several fun bars and restaurants where you can grab food and live music at certain times. The place does get super packed so you either need to arrive super early to claim a close parking spot or go past afternoon rush when people are heading home from a long hot beach day. There are showers and bathrooms as well but can be a long walk depending on where your spot is. For years this has been a favorite of my family to enjoy New England summer.

Gorgeous beach with a short walk to the ocean . Parking on the weekends was anywhere from $20-40. It was very crowded with people basically on top of you but nonetheless it was an enjoyable day!

As far as beaches go in New England, this one is pretty good. Big, clean, plenty of rest rooms and a concession stand. Just go early so you're not stuck in traffic to get there. Not much else to say...it's a beach.

My ten year old self would give this beach a 5: big waves, sand, other little kids around to jump around in the water with: Me now: no thank you. Way too packed. On a particularly warm day, my husband and I were stuck in beach traffic (early in the morning!) for over an hour (just to get to a parking space). Yikes. And then once we got on the beach, it was so packed that we couldn't even put our stuff down and had to leave soon after. Extremely high parking prices so you're best off parking at one of the cheaper parking lots nearby (although I have noticed over the years those prices have gone from about $5 to over $20 in some spots). It's a true destination for the college crowd. So be ready to listen to drunk people yelling all day. And the cigarettes! Ah! This has made me the angriest. I'm not sure about the policy on smoking on the beach, but if there is one it is certainly not enforced. When I am just laying there on my blanket trying to relax, I am constantly hit with the smell of cigarettes. And for nonsmokers, this is a huge problem. Those that do smoke: okay, fine...just go elsewhere! Also, the water has become dirtier and dirtier. Seaweed so thick that you cannot step in the water, bandaids floating around, plastic bags wrapping around your ankles. This beach is not a good representation of Rhode Island. However, kids may enjoy it as I once did.

RI's largest state beach, Connecticut residents flock to Misquamicut. You'll be hard-pressed to find many Westerly area locals hanging out though. And during the summer, you best believe that this beach fills to capacity during sunny summer weekends. There's about a half-mile stretch of smooth, sandy beach front with many local attractions. In and around the pavilion there are outside showers, changing facilities, a gift shop, shade gazebos, lifeguard towers and a few concession areas. Tourists and families love this stuff. Nearby is Atlantic Avenue. It's buzzing with motels, cottages, restaurants, gift shops, amusements, water slides, miniature golf courses and a concert hall. There is always a daily fee for parking, everywhere (and it can be pricey!)

I grew up in this area and spent many summers here, so it as a joy for me to return the other day. Going on a weekday is obviously the best if you can manage it. It was exactly like I remembered. Only 12$ for two people, plenty of parking available. Great waves and good facilities as well!

I've been going here for years. It's great provided you are smart enough to not even try weekends or holidays, as it is insanely crowded with parking and traffic nightmares. Weekdays? Perfect. I can park close, spend day in sun, have a decent bathroom if needed and can take a shower for 50 cents so I don't drive home feeling disgusting. I don't understand anyone whining. It's a STATE BEACH not the Riveria. Be smart and it's great. Price complaint? Buy a season pass for your car, even at inflated out of state price it works out cheap over course of season and you don't have to walk a mile carrying gear to save a couple bucks.

One of the best beaches in New England due to the fact that it's clean the waves are awesome it really feels like you're a real beach compared to the ones in Connecticut or southern Cape Cod. And it's only $12 for out of state vehicles during the week.

its ok, i am sure some of you will consider it the bees knees, lots of cigarette butts and trash and the sand is pretty coarse but then again, the people are also a bit coarse too! Atlantic avenue is quite the fubar at the right time of day/week, so that scares me too. There are more beach type things going on, ice cream stands, the arcade, water slides batting cages, typical boardwalk stuff despite not being a boardwalk nor in new jersey. its not one of the private beaches in the area, so you do have to fight the crowds, with any luck you wont be fighting the crowds, actual fighting (see coarse people!) watch those rays.

Misquamicut State Beach is a great place to go anytime except for the summer months. If you go in March (like I just did) it's quaint, quiet, beautiful & peaceful. There's a nice big pavilion to enjoy a meal & watch the ocean. I prefer to take my son there to play on their small playground. From Memorial Day until the end of summer I would try to avoid it at all cost. There is a huge parking lot & prices to park are reasonable but the line to get in the place starts about an hour before it actually opens. It gets crowded & it doesn't attract a very classy crowd but I suppose it's tolerable if you're younger & without children. They have had to shut it down some weekends in the summer because it gets too crowded.

I'm a big fan of this beach, with a short walking distance from parking lot which cost 20 for out of state vehicles, love the waves, clean smooth sand and there's food with in walking distance, but expensive.

This is the state beach area. It gets quiet busy here on a sunny summer day and it gets filled to capacity quickly. If you want a spot at the state beach you should definitely plan to get here early. Parking can be a bit pricey here. They have a playground & bathing facilities. The beach is Sandy and not rocky. It's a clean beach. There are plenty of amenities, other activities, and restaurants all within walking distance so it makes for a great home base for your beach day. If you get down to Misquamicut and find that the parking lot for the state beach is full there are lots of other lots where you can park and gain beach access.

This beach is perty, it's one of the nicest beaches in RI in my opinions. All kinds of cool places to sit on rocks and take pictures and do cool beach things. In the summer there are all sorts of attractions and vendors around the beach, but if you go in the spring or fall, all you'll find is a biker bar that's open. They're pretty nice though and the food is OK.

Lovely, big, clean beach on the Atlantic Ocean. No frills here. There is a pavilion with bathrooms, showers, and a snack stand. There's a jungle gym style playground nearby also. There are no garbage pails at this beach at all, so bring a plastic bag to collect your garbage to to throw away when you get home. Beach was packed with families during the day, there was not a lot of empty spot left by 11am. I also came here for a long walk in the early morning, and it felt very safe. There were a few other people out walking, and some folks fishing.

Simply my favorite RI beach for a whole host of reasons not least of which, it is very close, easy to get to with minimal traffic and is a short 1hr. 45min car ride from the Greater Springfield MA area. I rent a beach house in Westerly every summer; it comes with several private beach passes obviating the necessity of using the public beach and the large crowds and issues that are prevalent at the height of the summer season. The beach is always clean, well maintained and parking in the assigned private lot is a hugh bonus when you have guests making it very very convenient. There are many good restaurants in the area and you are only a short ride to Watch Hill or Narragansett. In the off season on January 1st every year is the Penguin Plunge which I try not to miss as it is always fun to watch as a whole host of humanity take a quick dip in the ocean. There is a good reason Taylor Swift chose this area for her summer home and quite a home it is!!!

For being a New England beach it's nice. Although once you've experienced warm turquoise waters with white sandy beaches... no other beach ever stands up quite the same again. So this place is a state beach, so it has large facilities (regular bathrooms also has regular port-o-potties), snack bar, lifeguards, etc. They do have a carry in & carry out policy.. (everything [specifically garbage/recycling] you bring in...you need to bring out, no exceptions) as a result, place is fairly clean.. which makes this place stand out!!! You're not on any bay/cove etc... you're further out on the actual ocean, which allows the water to have REAL movement, resulting in clearer water than you'd see on a bay/cove etc. So this is another huge plus!!! The water was freezing when we went (earlyJuly). Again once you've experienced warm turquoise waters with white sandy beaches... it's hard to call anything else real beach... but in a pinch this place could do. Enjoy!

My fiancée and I were spending the weekend in Mystic, CT and wanted to head to the beach for a few hours. We stumbled upon Misquamicut and it's really not that bad. One of the glaring problems is how much parking is for out of staters. $28 bucks is just a bit too much. The beach is very, very crowded, but people were nice, so it wasn't that big of a deal. The water was a bit cool, but that's to be expected around Labor Day. All in all, it's an okay beach, but still fun. One last thing, don't expect to find a lot of shells here, we only found one really tiny one!

We went here yesterday it wasn't very busy but from what I could tell this would be a great beach to spend the day at. There is ample paid parking, tons of things to do-go karts, mini golf, bumper boats, ice cream, beach side bars, it was very nice! We will definitely be back again

Beautiful beach! Easy to park, lots of friendly people around, and they even had a Del's stand on the boardwalk. Highly recommend!

This beach has so much potential but is pricey for a community type of place not much to do but drink and go to the beach but what else could you ask for?

I'm bumping my review up a notch after visiting yesterday. The rocks we encountered 2 years ago were mostly gone so it must have been a storm thing? Anyhoo...the place was hopping as expected on a sunny summer weekend but we had no problems (trick is - get there around 9:20-9:30am or so, the lines have cleared out from the opening rush and the later rush isn't on yet). We had a great time! Low key (well...as low key as you're going to get on a crowded beach in the summer!) and fun. No bothers with anyone, fun waves, drinks and lunch at Paddy's and we left before the mass exodus.

I've been to this beach a couple times since I was a kid. Great beach especially for people who are from CT and are looking for a nice beach out of state. I find beaches in RI are much nicer. Maybe we got there later in the day, but we only paid 14 dollars for admissions/parking. I know other people said they paid around 20. Couple of tips, they don't have a trash bin (which was a little strange so all the trash has to be brought out with you--they give you a plastic bag upon parking). They also close the shower/restroom/changing room at 6--but there's portapotties. I haven't been there in awhile, so I didn't remember how much admissions were.

Hmmm, let's see. You can't: Dig holes in the sand, play any kind of sport (or even toss a ball), fly a kite or any other beach activity that people would normally do while at a beach. If you have out of state plates, you will pay $28 to park, after waiting an hour in the 3 miles of traffic, only to find out that you are in Russia, at a Nazi Beach.

I heard good things about this beach so I decided to try it out. Big mistake. There is nothing remarkable about this beach. My boyfriend and I were three, THREE minutes away from this beach and it took us OVER an HOUR to get in the parking lot. That. Is. Ridiculous. Don't even say 'wElL wat do U eXpeCT'. I've been to plenty of other state beaches before and it has NEVER taken that long to get in. Once we were in it was so packed that we barely had enough room to put up our dinky cabana. The teens in front of us were annoying as heck and were drinking alcohol. Oh yeah that reminds me-- you're not allowed to have fun on this beach. No digging holes, no playing with balls or frisbees, no flying kites, no goggles or snorkels, etc. Fun suckers. My boyfriend and I are currently trying to leave the parking lot right now and have been at a stop for over one hour already. I'm guessing it'll take another hour before we get to leave. It's only 3 PM. Don't come here unless you can pass the extremely unreasonable long waits by smoking or something. Update: it took us two hours to get out of the lot. Nice.

CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES HUMANS... I come to this beach often, all year round, because it is beautiful, has ample parking, and it is quite large for a decent run or walk at the end of the day. What saddens me is the amount of trash I see at the end of a beautiful beach day left behind... Bring a trash bag and be responsible for your trash. There are bathrooms and they are beach bathrooms at that. There are restaurants and bars, but bringing your own food is a good idea.. just remember to take your trash with you when you leave. I can't say that enough, ugh.

A beach lover I am picky about my beaches. I love this beach. It is only $10.00 to park and they were moving the line along quickly. There is plenty of parking so no fighting for a space. The sand is clean. There's no trash laying around. The bathrooms are reasonably clean and stocked. Seems to be adequately staffed with plenty of life guards. They have a snack stand that has all the usual beach fare or you can skip down to paddys for a bigger meal and drinks. The crowd was not a bunch of little kids running around unsupervised. Nor loud blasting music. There were people playing football and using bogey boards which is awesome since some beaches don't allow them. I really enjoyed my day there and will go to this beach again for sure.

I remember coming down here as a kid, and I even took my older son, who is 16 now, back in the early 2000s, and had a good time. But I was not prepared for the incredible crowds we saw on a Monday! We arrived early and faced no traffic, and the beach was relative quiet at 9:45. By noon, though, it was quite busy and there were beach rules that played over a loudspeaker every hour or so: no throwing balls, no skim boards, no kite flying. These activities were monitored closely, yet the "no smoking" and "no alcohol" rules were not AT ALL. the shower facilities were like something out of a bad horror movie, and I will never go there again. (We went to East Beach on Sunday and it was lovely, so that is the place to go in the area!) I remember this beach being fun as a kid...too bad it's gone so downhill

First thing you should know if you are from out of state is the parking fee is $28, $14 for the weekday. What do you get for that price? You get yelled at for running, digging a hole deeper than your ankle, throwing anything, no trash cans, and employees that cannot give you information about anything. With all the other beaches in the area that offer none of the hassle with better prices to park. I would avoid this place on the weekend.

This is one of the worst beaches I have ever been to. Every time that I have been, is it so crowded and everyone is on top of each other. Another negative side effect of the crowds is the high concentration of seagulls that lurk and come right onto your blanket. The sand is also pretty rough. The bathrooms at misquamicut are very disgusting. They are not kept clean at all and are basically a series of porter potties. The food that you can buy at the concession stand is overpriced and mediocre at best. I will never return to this beach.