Joseph & Renée
Local Attractions
Misquamicut State Beach
This is a state beach and is open to all. Out of state plates are charged a slightly higher price for parking than in-state plates but it's not bad for a day trip.
Devil's Hopyard State Park
This is one of my favorite parks. It was renamed "The Devil's Hopyard" by Christian settlers, but it is a sacred Mohegan site known as Moshup's Footprint. Moshup is the name of a giant who presides over southeastern Connecticut, along with his wife Granny Squanit, who presides over the Makiawisug (beings similar to Scandinavian elves and Irish aos si - which is interesting because coastal New England and western Europe share a geological history.)
Fort Wetherill State Park
This is an abandoned military fort in Jamestown, RI. The fort itself has been turned into a work of art by years and years of graffiti, and on the other side of the fort are beautiful cliffs to explore overlooking Narragansett Bay.
Manfredi Farms
Manfredi Farms is a great place to take kids! Besides having fresh farm fruits and vegetables for sale, they have donkeys, goats, ducks, and other animals that you can feed and pet. Sometimes in the fall they also have a corn maze.
Newport Tower
This tower, which is supposedly a 17th century windmill, has been speculated to be evidence of Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact and its construction has been attributed to both Vikings and the Knights Templar. Radiocarbon dating suggests the mortar was mixed during the 1600s, but maybe that's only what they want you to believe...
Ell Pond Preserve Trailhead
This is a beautiful but short trail that culminates in a huge glacial boulder overlooking Ell Pond. Wes Anderson shot part of Moonrise Kingdom here, and I will never forgive him for it (that was MY secret filming location, god damn it!). While the trail is short, the incline can be steep and the dirt road to get there can be a little treacherous.
Chestnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
This cemetery is the final resting place of Mercy Brown, a Rhode Island vampire who cursed her community with tuberculosis. Fortunately, the curse was broken when Mercy was exhumed, her heart removed and burned, and the ashes consumed by her brother Edwin (who then died). These brave actions by vampire hunters saved the small and noble community of Exeter, Rhode Island from tuberculosis and we thank Edwin for his sacrifice.
Frosty Drew Observatory & Sky Theater
This observatory is usually only open on clear Friday nights, beginning at sundown. Frosty Drew is home to a Meade LX200 16" SCT telescope as well as 10" and 8" Dobsonian telescopes and is staffed by real astronomers!