Things to Do in Scarborough, Jerusalem & Galilee, RI

Scarborough State Beach: Two Sections Built Fifty Years Apart

What is now called Scarborough North was first developed in 1937 with a beachfront pavilion -- a 26-acre facility with roughly 2,325 feet of beach frontage on Ocean Road. The state later acquired two adjoining private beaches to the south: 7-acre Lido's Beach in 1981 and 9-acre Olivo's Beach in 1986. Rather than opening them immediately, the state developed the combined South section through a multiphase restoration and redevelopment project that began in 1987. Today the combined Scarborough North and South complex totals 59.7 acres with 0.85 miles of shoreline, spread across two addresses on Ocean Road, with saltwater bathing, picnicking, an observation tower, and a boardwalk among its amenities.

One honest, current detail worth knowing before a visit: a wastewater treatment plant sits adjacent to the Scarborough complex, and as of recent local reporting the Narragansett Town Manager has described the plant as overwhelmed during peak summer months, with a 20-year facilities plan submitted to RI DEM and residents raising recurring odor complaints at public hearings. That reporting came through secondary/aggregator coverage rather than a single fully verified primary article, so treat it as a real, current planning issue rather than a settled resolution -- and confirm current parking and admission fees directly with RI State Parks or DEM, since this research did not turn up a specific, current fee or visitor-count figure to publish.

The Windswept Mansion Ruins

Between Scarborough Beach and Black Point once stood Windswept, a 21-room mansion built in 1895 by the Davis family on the fortune behind Perry Davis's Vegetable Pain Killer, a patent medicine marketed as a cure for cholera, colic, dysentery, and other ailments. Perry Davis's grandson Edmund built the estate, which included five bedrooms, servants' quarters, and a full kitchen, laundry, and pantry wing. After about 40 years in the Davis family, the property was sold to the Castiglione brothers, who converted it into an upscale restaurant called Cobb's by the Sea. Following a 1952 sale the mansion sat vacant and was struck by three separate arson fires, leading to its demolition; the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management acquired the land in 1974.

Today only the stone ruins of the outer structure remain, reachable by walking the shoreline from Scarborough State Beach toward Black Point -- a real, dated, walkable historic site that most visitors never realize is there.

Fishermen's Memorial State Park and Campground

Land acquisition for what became Fishermen's Memorial State Park and Campground began in 1953 under Governor Dennis Roberts, and the park was formally dedicated in 1970 by Governor Frank Licht. Its name honors all the fishermen of the Narragansett area, commercial and sports alike, and it is tied specifically to a local tuna tournament that began in 1958 and remained popular through the 1960s and 1970s. Current campsite counts, camping fees, and reservation availability should be confirmed directly through ReserveAmerica's own listing or RI State Parks before planning a stay, since this research did not turn up a current, citable figure for any of the three.

Fort Greene: A WWII Coastal-Defense Fort Beneath the Campground

Fishermen's Memorial's land was previously Fort Greene, named for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene -- but the fort itself is a World War II-era coastal-defense installation, not a Revolutionary War structure. Construction began in 1940 as part of a broader modernization of U.S. coast defenses following the Fall of France, with three separate reservations acquired between 1939 and 1942 to protect Narragansett Bay and the eastern approach to Long Island Sound. The east reservation's Battery Hamilton carried two 16-inch guns and survives today at a Fort Greene Army Reserve Center; the fort's guns were scrapped after 1947 along with nearly all other U.S. coast artillery nationwide. The former west and south reservations were folded into what is now Fishermen's Memorial State Park.

The Galilee Bird Sanctuary

At Narragansett's southern end sits the Galilee Bird Sanctuary, a 130-acre tidal salt marsh reached by parking along Galilee Escape Road -- there is no dedicated on-site parking lot. It serves as breeding ground for salt-marsh species including seaside sparrows, clapper rails, and willets, alongside year-round residents such as great and snowy egrets, great blue herons, little blue herons, and glossy ibis. Peak birding activity runs from April through October. Visitors should stay off the marsh itself and avoid disturbing nesting areas near the road, since foot traffic can damage nests and expose birds to predators.

The Block Island Ferry: The Operational Detail Behind the Day Trip

Narragansett's own pages already mention that the Block Island Ferry departs from Galilee -- the operator behind it is Interstate Navigation Company, doing business as The Block Island Ferry, running from Point Judith (Galilee) to Block Island's Old Harbor. The Traditional ferry takes roughly 55 minutes; a High-Speed service cuts that to roughly 30 minutes, making Block Island a genuinely practical day trip either way. Fares, schedules, and vehicle-reservation policies are seasonal and change year to year, so confirm current departure times and pricing directly with the ferry operator before planning a trip around them.