Every year for the past nine years folks have flocked to Westerly, RI to view this spectacle, which is billed as the Annual Pawcatuck River Duck Race. It’s a quackin’ good time with prizes, games, face painting and food, and the pièce dé reistance is when a front loader dumps the pile of yellow duckies, all sponsored by businesses or individuals, into the water (westerlychamber.org). This year the ducks get dunked on Saturday, April 26.
Head to Westerly after the spring blooms emerge and you can enjoy the beauty of Wilcox Park, a 14-acre Victorian strolling park with day lilies, dwarf conifers, a library and a display with info about RI’s granite industry. The park will host the 11th Annual “Virtu” Art Festival on May 24-25 with live entertainment, food and children’s activities.
Westerly is a huge draw for tourists in the summer with its seven miles of sandy beaches. There’s a seven-mile strip combining Misquamicut State beach and Westerly Town Beach with many public and private beaches. The State Beach is open year-round, while other beaches are open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Westerly’s population nearly doubles in the summer, so get your accommodations early. The Villa Bed & Breakfast is the prime place to stay and features flower gardens, Italian porticos and verandas overlooking the heated pool and year-round hot tub (401-596-1054). Also try the Shelter Harbor Inn, a historic country inn in a converted 1911 farmhouse (401-322-8883).
National Trust for Historic Preservation named Westerly as one of the 12 Most Distinctive Destinations in the country in 2002 because of the town’s unique, well-preserved architecture downtown, coupled with 55 historic sites, such as the Babcock-Smith House and the Flying Horse Carousel.
Other activities can be found at Westerly’s two golf courses, Weekapaug Golf Club (www.weekapauggolfclub.com) and Winnapaug Golf & Country Club (401-596-9164), both located on Shore Road.
Find great dining at the Shelter Harbor Inn or the Venice Restaurant & Lounge, where, on a clear day, you can see Block Island and parts of Long Island, NY from the fourth floor.
— Karen Beaudoin