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R.I.'s South County
Beach, birds, and burgers
By Cate McQuaid
TIVERTON, R.I. :
This rustic crossroads is enriched by arts, crafts, and fresh baked savories.
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 f you look for South County, R.I., on a map, you won't find it. There is no such county. It's what the locals have dubbed the south coast of the littlest state, a resort area of pristine beaches and rolling farmland that overlooks Block Island Sound.
Only 90 minutes south of the Hub, it's a part of New England that Bostonians tend to overlook. There's plenty to see there, from stunning ocean vistas to charming towns to quirky shops. Start off in Narragansett, once a thriving casino town, where you can still see The Towers (open weekends as of May 30), the only part of the Narragansett Casino that didn't burn in a turn-of-the-century fire. The Casino was built in 1884 by McKim, Mead and White, who also designed the Boston Public Library. It's at Ocean Road near Route 1A.
Getting there:
From Boston, take Interstate 95 south through Providence to exit 9, Route 4. Follow Route 4 to its end, at Route 1, and take Route 1 south to Narragansett.
Resources:
The South County Tourism Council, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, R.I.; 800-548-4662; www.southcountyri.com. Narragansett tourist information, located at the Towers, is 401-783-7123.
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If it's surf you're looking for, Narragansett Beach is the place to go. It's long and flat, making it great for combers; year-round, this is where Rhode Islanders bring their surfboards to catch a wave. Then stop in for lunch at the Crazy Burger, 144 Boon St., which lives up to its name; just try the osho burger, a veggie pattie with wild rice, sun-dried tomatoes, black beans, and pineapple salsa. For those with more conservative tastebuds, beef burgers are also on the menu.
Also along the coast in Narragansett, find the Point Judith Lighthouse, a beacon to passing ships for nearly 200 years. Visitors can explore the grounds and enjoy the view, but the lighthouse itself is closed to the public. If you want to spend the day biking, you can leave your car in the lighthouse parking lot. Point Judith is the first stop on the Southern Rhode Island Green Trail, a meandering tour of South County's many parks, beaches, ponds, and wildlife refuges.
All of South County is along the Atlantic Flyway, so any time of year is a good time for birdwatching. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, which is free, has trails over fields and around salt marshes bordering Moonstone Beach, the site of a great controversy a few years back when the beach was closed to make room for the piping plover. If you get hungry after your hike, pull in to Daddy's Bread on Moonstone Beach Road near Trustom Pond, where there are loaves of luscious anadama bread as well as pastries. If Daddy is not around but has bread to sell, he leaves the door open and you pay on the honor system. His hours, though, are irregular, and he has no phone.
For one-stop shopping, check out the Fantastic Umbrella Factory (4820 Old Post Road, Charlestown, 401-364-6616), a complex of converted barns filled with shops peddling the wares of local craftspeople as well as imports. The shops surround a spectacular flower garden, and behind the barns, you'll find chickens, turkeys, guinea hens, and sheep.
Next, head south to Westerly, where the tiny resort area of Watch Hill seems stopped in time back in the Victorian era. Napatree Point in Watch Hill is a protected bird sanctuary flanked by small beaches with rolling dunes. There you can explore the ruins of a fort build during the Spanish-American War there. The Flying Horse Carousel on Bay Street in Watch Hill, a National Historic Landmark, has horses that have been restored with real horsehair; it operates June 15 to Labor Day, 1-9 p.m. The Olympia Tea Room, 74 Bay St., (401-348-8211), is the place to dine in Watch Hill, thanks to the spectacular view of the water. The menu offers a range of dishes, from pasta to seafood to sirloin.
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