South Shore Beach

South Shore Beach on the coast of Little Compton, Rhode Island I so have loved visiting beaches new to me this summer and this is my first on the Rhode Island coast. The ocean 🌊 is the ocean, but there is something unique about the view to the horizon from each shore I have been in presence at. Special here is the space to drive right up to the ocean 🌊 for parking…I could have driven right into the water if I wanted to, I was so close. And so, this was an easy beach to get to and lovely to wander along. Oh my, the whole drive by the bay to get here was beautiful too. 😀

Nice little beach. You park right next to the water and it has a long stretch of beach you can walk all the way down to the Massachusetts/Rhode Island line even though there is nothing there to highlight the boundary line. The water is cold, really cold but it has nice waves and lovely views. The sun in the summer also runs along the sky to the right of you when looking at the water so it’s never right in your face unless you’re there early in the morning.

Great relaxing beach day today although more windy than I would have liked but knew it would be. I have to say we tried out the Lepages On The Go food truck on the beach and it was great! The Lobster Roll was stuffed with 2 claws added on the side. The Fish Sandwich great too. The owner goes out of her way. We scoffed down the food before I thought of taking pics of the food. 😋

Parking close to beach. Nicely kept beach. Clean sand. Lifeguards. Waves that are not crazy. Aggressive seagulls though

Honestly one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to. Alongside the amazing coast is a pond on the inland side. You can go crabbing, swimming, and playing in this pond and it is situated perfectly for younger kids to play in as it is very calm. The only downside is it is not handicap friendly due to the landscape and necessary walking to the beach area, but I am not sure if they have anything to accommodate that I hadn’t seen whilst there. 20$ to park if not a resident

Really love this beach, went with my friend to catch the sunrise (i think it's one of the best spots in Rhody to do this). Its a nice peaceful drive as well. Doesnt get too packed. Love the clarity of this beach. Beware of the seagulls they will try to steal your food. Not much red sea weed here compared to Newport. There are restrooms (outdoor porter pottys). During high tide its a little more rocky.

Gorgeous small beach! We come here a lot since it's not too crowded, it's nice and quiet, and there's tons of lovely smooth rocks to appreciate ❤️ The water can be great for swimming and wave jumping too, I've seen lots of people with boards out too since the waves are so nice. Definitely the beach for anyone looking for quiet and relaxation 🏖️🐚

Nice beach. Rocky area near the parking lot, but if you walk a little further, it's nice and sandy, with good sand for building sand castles and sand sculptures. The water is clean and shallow quite a ways out with next to zero rocks underfoot in the water. This is a hidden gem of a beach, but its fairly small so get there early. Parking is $25/car with in & out privileges. There are portapotties, and there was a coffee/iced coffee/cappuccino truck there when we visited in 2022/07.

The Secret Beach. That's what we call it. My mother grew up going to South Shore beach. Her aunt had a beach house that was washed away many years ago by a hurricane. Now, its a camp site. I would LOVE to camp here! It's a beach thats nestled away. Off the beaten path. This beach attracts people who want a peaceful beach experience. At night, it's a beach that allows fires in the sand. People are basically tail gaiting at the beach. It's not over populated but space in between each vehicle for people to not be bothered by other groups, and people aren't rowdy. They are just enjoying a night at the beach. Tips: - You have to make it through rocks at the parking to get down to the water - There is a little brewery airstream in the parking lot (hours unknown) - Public bathrooms (open even after lifeguards leave) - Strict rules about parking on premises at night but there is a very small lot down the street

Amazing! We went over today after looking for a beach, and it was awesome. It's a little rocky, but the kids loved it. There was no life guard though, which was weird.

BE ADVISED!! We drove 45 min out of the way to get here at sunset and have a nice romantic dinner and walk on the beach. It would've been our first visit. There were kids manning the entrance at 8pm telling us that we had to be town residents after 4pm. It does not say this on the town website!! Very disappointing.

The town website does not specify that you need to bring cash. If you arrive with a debit card they will direct you to the nearest bank which is a 5 to 10 minute drive. The beach has a ton of rocks and seaweed. The seaweed is in the water as well and gets all over your bathing suit. I did take a nice stroll, but overall I do not recommend this beach. It was $25 to park on a Saturday as a non-resident.

I am not much of a beach goer, but I do love feeling the sand and surf with the warm summer air. Of all the beaches in RI, South Shore is by far my favorite. It is far enough off from the city to keep out of state people from making it a mess so it always looks nice. It is the perfect place to go to cook out for dinner, enjoy a sunset, or relax and watch the waves crash on the shore. It is a very peaceful setting unlike the crazy beaches in Newport or Narragansett.

Beach is beautiful don't get me wrong but I have never seen a Beach with more signs and rules it's quite overwhelming We drove an hour away to come to watch sunset to be turned away because no kids were allowed ?! Huh??

Really this is a cute beach. Yes it's rocky- wear water shoes. Get there early and get a space along the water. The water was warm with really fun waves. Great little tidal pool area for the kids to explore. Hot dog stand and snow cone truck- a thousand times better than the local state beaches .

Still one of the best beaches in RI. Great place to come cook out and hang with friends! Always a great time! I have noticed many people down here are going against the fire pit rental and doing it on their own and sadly, this is going to ruin it for the rest of the people that actually get the permit for the fire. There aren't many beaches left that allow a fire and soon I bet the same will happen here!

Little far and require a drive, but I think it worth it. Rocky and sandy beach, beautiful beautiful view, and I can say that we had a magical morning on our trip. I didn't see many people here, but I can see it getting packed on the hot weekend days. I love beaches, from east to south to west I have seen many of them. And this is one of the nicest ones. I think worth the drive. I can't see someone get disappointed by it.

It a very nice beach to hang out. You can park rite on the Beach very nice Sands. My wife love it

Nice beach, during the off-season, parking isn't too bad; but otherwise, I hear it's miserable. Clean. Red-tide moves around so there really isn't a bad spot to be.

Aside from the inexplicably large amount of trailers and mobile homes, the skanky port-o-potties that seriously hadn't been emptied, cleaned or replenished with paper or sanitizer in eons, and the fact that the parking lot abuts most of the beach, this is quite a pretty spot. I just wish all that other yuckiness wasn't in the way, clouding an otherwise perfect beach. The actual stretch of beach is so pretty - super-fine sand, clean water and a pristine view... Until you turn around. The solution is to keep walking past the potties, past the trailers, past the end of the parking lot until you do hit beach grass, and then walk a little more. Then, voila - unspoiled beach and serene, fresh-aired peace. Lovely. The other thing I find mildly irritating is that is costs a whopping $15 to park here. I mean, for $15 I would hope at the very least for clean facilities with some toilet paper, but no. Sadly, I probably won't frequent this beach again. I've had a much better experience elsewhere (with running water, even!) for a lot less money.

Of all the beaches in Little Rhody, this remains my all time favorite. Nicknamed "South Shore Beach" for the road it's on, it has very few amenities, just a few port-a-potties and changing huts. But when you step out onto the beach, with the dunes behind you and the open Atlantic stretching out in front, you feel like you're on Cape Cod. On vacation. There's always a nice breeze. And, for the "Littles": tide pools and a marsh to splash in, safely away from the surf. TIP: get there early! The parking lot does fill up, and we have been turned away before. After the beach: stop at Sakonnet Vineyards for a wine tasting and late afternoon snack.

This is an awful beach! After reading the good reviews we decided to visit. I have grown up in southern Rhode Island and I've always gone to green hill, Charlestown and Narragansett beaches which are pretty nice. This beach was terrible! 15 dollars to park- outrageous- there's no beach! It's a tiny strip of sand next to a parking lot that extends down to a slightly larger "beach" that is nothing but huge rocks. There's no place to spread a blanket down and the day that we went, it was so windy you couldn't lay down at all because you'd be whipped with sand. We stayed about 20 Minutes and decided to leave. I had sand in my mouth, ears and nose. I would never go back to this beach when there are plenty nice ones within the state.

Best public beach in New England. Great waves, a nice breeze, and lots of sand. Beach space is limited at high-tide so check your tide chart. Get there early to get a parking spot. Spaces fill up fast in the summer.

Great beach aside from the fact that there wasn't much room, to lay on the beach due to the tide. $12 to get in, but worth it as the money is used mainly towards making sure the beach is clean and every is maintained properly. The downside is the fact that the potter potties are just gross! They should have someone clean them hourly because so many people walk in and quickly walk out due to it being gross and they would rather not use them.

Great beach, but COVID has really turned this upside down. They've installed gates and during the week EVERYONE is locked out (locals included). Weekends they say the gates now lock at 6. I haven't been there for that but one of the appeals of this beach is sitting and watching the sun set and grilling out the back of your car after a great beach day. Looks like that's over too.

I have been coming to South Shore for my entire life so I love it. Soft sand, big waves, usually quiet with mostly families. Come early to get a parking spot, stop for gas/snacks before you get to the area because it's in the middle of nowhere, and walk far past the parking lot so you have space to lay out when it's high tide. You can also get a fire ring from the lifeguard shack during the day and stay to have a fire at night. Only downside is the port-a-pottys and desolated changing stalls are a little gross. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing, simple beach then this is it. If you are looking for a real bathroom, showers, snack bar, and paved parking lot then you should probably go to Horseneck instead lol.

I am not a beach person, but I will say this beach is actually awesome. I don't like how we have to pay to get in, for an example, I went this past Sunday, arrived to the beach and it was sunny ...and all of a sudden it got foggy, I was at the beach for about 1 hour and left because there was a storm coming, so 15 dollars for an hour ...unchill. But other than that I do like the water there are no rocks, love the sand, the view is nice! Its the only beach I consider going unless if I'm going to Newport, but I hardly ever. It's about 50 mins from where I live but it's worth it.

This beach is always covered in seaweed and rocks. There's barely any sand to lay a towel, and the water is merky. I wouldn't swim here!

I moaned and complained the whole trip to this beach (the first time). Got there, and had a superb day! Beautiful beach, kids had a blast, great waves, clean water, nice sand, marshes, tide pools. $15 to park, but $14 at SHC and more in Newport, so I'll deal with it. No concession stands, so kids can't ask for a ton of junk food. Port-a-Potties were clean and not stinky! Shocking! And we were there on a hot day. If you go at low tide, there's TONS of beach area. So worth the drive from Cranston. Kids don't stop talking about it, so we're going again.

this beach is great! a little rocky but the waves are sweet! people are friendly and nice. plus those little endangered birds are just adorable to watch!

I have no idea what the appeal is to this beach. I would never go back. Small, cramped, crowded, very little beach area, rocky. I really cannot find anything good to say about it (had ok waves). I gave it a try because there were lines to get onto second beach in middletown and decided to try something different. Do yourself a favor and go to Narragansett, or the Cape. Well worth the drive. Little Compton is a cute town but the beach is not worth the trip.

One of the best places on earth. Take the walk to the second creek and you will see what I mean. You must get here early "parking runs out before ten am "and plan to stay the whole day till sunset. Best places to lay out are a little of a hike but if you bring a cart with wheels it's easy.