South Kingston, RIOff Route 1
I've featured a lot of different places on this blog, but I have yet to do a beach post. RI has a lot of great beaches, from Scarborough to Narragansett, from Matunuck to Misquamicut, but my favorite beach is not even one you can go to. From April to the beginning of September, Moonstone Beach is not accessible to anyone except the endangered species which it protects.
Admittedly, I've only been to this beach a couple of times because beach-goers are not actually allowed during the summer months. But the few times I did visit, it left a wonderful impression on me and this was the only beach I saw fit to feature on this blog. I'm not sure if it was the absence of people, parking lots, or public bathrooms that lured me in, but it is a truly beautiful and scenic spot.
The pale, smooth pebbles along the water give the beach its name, and the water seems to be clearer here than at other beaches. Moonstone used to be famous for being a nudist beach, but ownership of the beach has switched hands several times and the nudist portion steadily shrunk, until the late 80's when the whole thing was devoted to protecting the wildlife (it is actually technically part of the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, featured in an earlier post).
Nevertheless, Moonstone rarely has visitors, and if you can find a place to park you are free to walk the beach (as long as you keep your clothes on and mind the wildlife). It is slightly unfortunate to have the beach off limits to beach-going, but at the same time it is refreshing to have one that isn't swamped with people.
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