Narragansett will always bring me back to my younger days. As a young teen, biking down to the beach. Later, in a car with a group of the guys. Stopping to see buddies who went to URI but rented beach houses in the off season.
It was really always about the beach. Mid-80s air awash with the smell of Hawaiian Tropic and Aqua Net. Those were some great days, and I remember them fondly.
I think I love it because it has a little bit of everything. Want sand? Town Beach. A lot of rocks? Newton or Hazard Avenue. Rocky beaches and wooded trails? Black Point. A lighthouse? Point Judith. A fishing village? Galilee.
This is what I think of when I think of Rhode Island — coastal, coastal, coastal, every type and style.
Narragansett Town Beach & Whale Rock
This is the classic version of Narragansett — sand under your feet, Whale Rock sitting out past the break. It’s the Narragansett of the Hawaiian Tropic and Aqua Net summers, and it’s still the first place I go when I want that feeling back.
The first photo below, Soft Sunrise at Whale Rock, belonged to my mother-in-law. It was her favorite.
→ Read more: Behind the Print: Soft Sunrise at Narragansett Town Beach
Newton Avenue & Hazard Avenue
If Town Beach is the sand side of Narragansett, Newton Avenue is the rocks. This is where I go when I want texture — long exposures over wet stone, water moving through the frame instead of just sitting still in it.
Hazard Avenue is right there too, a similar stretch I haven’t fully worked yet, but it’s on the list.
Hazard Avenue: coming soon.
→ Read more: Behind the Print: The One That Almost Got Away at Newton Avenue
Black Point
Black Point is the part of Narragansett most people drive past without knowing it’s there. Forty-some acres off Ocean Road, a trail that starts in the woods and opens up onto rock and ocean, with the old Windswept mansion ruins along the way. It faces east, so sunrise here means the whole sky is working for you.
It’s rockier, quieter, a little more work to get to than the beach. That’s exactly why I keep going back.
Point Judith
Point Judith is the lighthouse version of Narragansett — the postcard shot, but earned. It sits at the mouth of the bay, and if you’ve hiked down from Black Point, it’s the view waiting for you at the end. Print coming soon.
Galilee
Galilee is Narragansett’s working side — the fishing village, the boats, the smell of the harbor. I haven’t photographed it properly yet, but it belongs on this page, because it’s as much a part of what Narragansett is as any beach or lighthouse.
Local Institutions
You can’t really talk about Narragansett without talking about the places that have been feeding people here for decades. Aunt Carrie’s. Iggy’s — the Narragansett location, not the Warwick one. The Coast Guard House, sitting right on the water at Town Beach. George’s of Galilee, which is as much a part of that fishing village as the boats are.
These aren’t landmarks I’ve photographed yet. But they’re part of the place, the same way Iggy’s is part of Warwick — not scenery, just what’s actually there.
My Narragansett
Sand, rocks, cliffs, a lighthouse, a fishing village — Narragansett has all of it, inside one town. That’s what keeps bringing me back, camera in hand, decades after the first bike ride down to the beach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy fine art prints of Narragansett, Rhode Island?
Every Narragansett print shown on this page is available as a museum-quality paper or metal print in sizes from 9×12 to 40×60. Browse the full Seascape Collection or reach out directly for a custom size or framing request.
What’s the best beach in Narragansett for sunrise photography?
Narragansett Town Beach for the classic sand-and-Whale-Rock shot, Black Point for rockier terrain and wooded trails, and Newton Avenue for long-exposure work over the rocks.
Where is Whale Rock?
Just offshore from Narragansett Town Beach — one of the defining features of the classic Narragansett sunrise shot.
Is Point Judith Lighthouse open to the public?
It’s sometimes accessible and sometimes not — access depends on the Coast Guard facility that operates the site. I’ve brought workshop students down to the grounds before and the staff were very accommodating, though that can change, so it’s worth checking ahead of a visit.
Explore More of Rhode Island
Narragansett is one stop on the map — here’s where else the camera has been.