12 Best Things to Do in Warwick, RI

By VI Staff on June 11, 2020 - Updated

Michael Pellegrini/stock.adobe.com

Known as the “City by the Bay,” the city of Warwick, Rhode Island offers things to do for both visitors and locals alike no matter the season. From state parks and beaches to golf courses and lighthouses to numerous shops and dining options, Warwick has a little bit of everything for people of all ages to enjoy along its streets and nearly forty miles of coastline. The entertaining, romantic, and historic attractions of the city make for both an excellent day trip or a weekend getaway. CDC information for travelers. Hours/availability may have changed.

1.Goddard Memorial State Park

The Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, Rhode Island draws thousands of people to its numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation every year and is perhaps the most popular Metropolitan Park in the state. The state park provides a naturally beautiful environment consisting of fields, spacious lawn, and forests that include an array of trees from numerous places around the globe, including both evergreen and deciduous species. Goddard Memorial State Park also offers a performing arts center, eleven game fields, more than 350 picnic tables, eighteen miles of bridle trails, an equestrian show area, and a 9-hole golf course. including nineteen evergreen species and sixty-two deciduous species.

1095 Ives Road, Warwick, RI 02818, Phone: 401-884-2010

2.Rocky Point State Park

The 120-acre Rocky Point State Park in Warwick opened again in 2014 after almost twenty years of being closed. The park acts as a fond memory for many residents of generations past in Rhode Island. For more than 150 years, Rocky Point served as a place for concerts, games, rides, swimming, restaurants, clambakes, hotels, an observation tower, a ferry pier, and nature trails. The coastal Rocky Point State Park is now a passive use area with much of the former amusement park now being open space. A handful of amusement park structures still remain in the park today.

33 Rocky Point Ave, Warwick, RI 02889, Phone: 401-738-2000

3.Oakland Beach

Oakland Beach is an inlet saltwater beach on the shores of Rhode Island’s Greenwich Bay in Warwick, Rhode Island. The beach features marinas, boat ramps, and restaurants nearby, as well as other facilities. Oakland Beach is a popular spot among locals for swimming, picnicking, playgrounds, sunbathing, simply relaxing and more. Found in the south central part of the city, the historic beach has been around since the late 1800’s when it was used as a campground for training the Rhode Island Militia. Small cottages populated the area after World War I before Oakland Beach reached its heyday during the 1930’s.

Oakland Beach Avenue, Warwick, RI 02889, Phone: 401-738-2019

4.Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum

The Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum is a non-profit organization and house museum that has been noted as one of the hidden treasures of Rhode Island. The Gothic Victorian-style granite mansion is centrally located in Warwick and was a significant part of both the history of Rhode Island and the city itself, boasting ties to three of the state’s prominent textile families. The Clouds Hill Victorian House today still features much of its original furnishings, as well as family collections and displays. A small collection of wagons and carriages can be seen in the circa 1906 carriage house.

4157 Post Rd, East Greenwich, RI 02818, Phone: 401-884-9490

5.Warwick Mall

A premier shopping destination in the state of Rhode Island, the Warwick Mall is home to numerous entertainment, dining, and shopping options, featuring a twelve-screen movie theater, over eighty retail shops, twelve restaurants within the Carousel Food Court, and events hosted throughout the year. The mall is anchored by Off Broadway Shoes, Target, JCPenney, and Macy’s. For families, the Warwick Mall also contains a classic carousel and the Lullaby Lounge, a designated rest area featuring soft lighting and comfortable chairs for mothers to feed babies in peace, as well as a television showing children’s programs and a diaper changing area.

400 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Phone: 401-739-7500

6.Warwick Lighthouse

The Warwick Lighthouse, sometimes also referred to as the Warwick Point or Warwick Neck Lighthouse, was the area’s first lighthouse, constructed in 1826 at the Warwick Neck’s southern tip. For the best views of the historic Warwick Lighthouse, visitors should take to the water, however, partial lighthouse views are possible from the street located near the structure. To see the lighthouse from the road, drivers can travel around 2.5 miles south on Warwick Neck Avenue to the end. Lighthouse cruises can be taken with Save the Bay to get a full view of the Warwick Lighthouse.

1350 Warwick Neck Ave, Warwick, RI 02889, Phone: 401-738-2000

7.George B. Salter Memorial Grove

The George B. Salter Memorial Grove is a small park along Narragansett Parkway overlooking the Bay. It’s also the site of several of the events that take place during the Gaspee Days in Warwick, Rhode Island. Salter Grove, which is protected by an extensive breakwater, has been renovated by the city and is a pleasant area to spend a few hours or a day, and visitors can even bring the four-legged family members, as long as they remain leased. While there aren’t any boat ramps at the George B. Salter Memorial Grove, the shoreline is well suited for launching most hand-carried boats.

Narragansett Parkway, Warwick, RI 02888, Phone: 401-667-6200

8.Warwick Museum of Art

The Warwick Museum of Art, housed in what was formerly the Kentish Artillery Armory building, is located in the city’s historic Apponaug Village. The art museum showcases a wide array of artwork and offers a variety of different cultural experiences, such as comedy, poetry, music, and theater performances. The Warwick Museum of Art also hosts monthly exhibitions that highlight works by national, regional, and locally known contemporary artists in the visual arts. The Main Gallery is an inviting and warm space for displaying the work of unique and talented artists, with exhibits changing every four to six weeks.

3259 Post Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Phone: 401-737-0010

9.The Gamm Theatre

The Gamm Theatre in the city of Warwick is one of the premier professional theaters in the region and has been a cultural asset ever since it was founded in 1984. The theater is a destination for many critically acclaimed productions, which include numerous regional and world premieres, and has been a recipient of a number of Elliot Norton Awards by the Boston Theater Critics Association, in addition to several other professional recognitions. With talent of both visiting and local artists, The Gamm Theatre presents an eclectic theater season of classics and new works, ranging from naturalistic productions to epics.

1245 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick, RI 02886, Phone: 401-723-4266

10.Apponaug Village

Apponaug Village is one of the most important villages in Warwick, Rhode Island. Located at one of the city’s key points along the Old Pequot Path, which is now known as Post Road, the village has been a central fixture in quite a bit of activity in the area, dating back from Native American times up to present day. Apponaug Village is also considered to be downtown Warwick, since it is home to the fire headquarters, police headquarters, and the Warwick City Hall. Apponaug boasts a location on the Apponaug Cove, which holds one of the country’s richest shellfish beds.

11.The Shanty

The Shanty is a contemporary American restaurant in Warwick that pairs unsurpassed service with locally-sourced, farm-fresh ingredients within a comfortable “local” atmosphere. The restaurant serves delicious food designed to let the local, fresh ingredients shine and offers a good array of craft beers, as well as a variety of classic cocktails with just a touch of more eclectic ones. The Shanty is open for weekend brunch from 10:00am until 3:00pm, in addition to dinner Sunday to Thursday from 4:00pm until 10:00pm and from 4:00pm until 11:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

3854 Post Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Phone: 401-884-7008

12.Aroogas

Aroogas is a Warwick, Rhode Island destination for award-winning wings and is a certified Green Restaurant. The wings served at the sustainability-focused dining establishment are 5X Buffalo Wing Festival winners, but there are sauces available at Aroogas for all tastes. In addition to the chicken wings and other meat options, the restaurant also offers a great plant-based menu that includes faux wings and the Impossible Burger among other vegetarian-friendly options, and ingredients are carefully sourced for cleaner eating and sustainable practices. Aroogas is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, from 11:00am until 1:00am.

615 Greenwich Ave, Warwick, RI 02886, Phone: 401-732-1230

13.Brewed Awakenings Coffee House

Opening the doors of its first location in 1996, the Brewed Awakenings Coffee House was founded with a vision of a coffee shop that served the best coffee in town, as well as a community gathering place for local residents. The 8,000-square-foot Warwick location of Brewed Awakenings is the fifth coffeehouse to open for the company and the largest one, too. In addition to a great cup of coffee, customers at the Brewed Awakenings Coffee House can also find a variety of other menu options, such as pastries, cheese boards, antipasto, pizzas, and paninis, along with alcoholic beverages options.

1316 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Phone: 401-826-2233