For such a small state, Rhode Island offers some unique possibilities. Highlights from our visit include the coolest dog park I’ve ever seen, a dog-friendly hike with incredible views, and a travel-day stop the whole family will love.
Rhode Island was just one stop on a much longer trip. Click the appropriate link to read posts about our previous stops in New York, Canada, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
The majority of our time in Rhode Island was rainy, misty, or cloudy. We wouldn’t have known it was ever any different if the sun hadn’t come out on the day we left. However, the rain was actually a benefit for several of our adventures.
Table of Contents
Where We Stayed
Newport RV Park
Newport RV Park is a quiet campground on Aquidneck Island in Portsmouth, RI. It’s close to shopping, beaches, and more.
The campground has just over 100 RV sites and 13 tent sites. If you don’t have an RV or you have family traveling with you, they also have a 3-bedroom house and three Airstream RVs for rent.
For a small campground, I’m pretty impressed with their website. They have an entire page dedicated to all of the different things that are available in the area. It’s broken down into categories like beaches, breweries, golf, ice cream, pizza, RV service & supplies, vineyards, and more.
Newport RV Park Directions Tip
The campground is on Bradford Avenue. The turn off RI-114 onto Bradford Avenue is a little confusing. The road is also the entrance for an elementary school. After you make that turn, if you feel like you made a mistake and you’re pulling into a school, don’t panic. Just follow the road to the right and keep going. The photo isn’t great, but hopefully it’s better than nothing. The elementary school, parking lot, and playground are on the left, but the road continues to the right.
The campground doesn’t have a pool, but it does have a playground. There’s a very tiny laundry room with just two washers and two dryers. It’s worth noting the laundry room does have a change machine!
There is no dog park, but it’s walking distance to the Portsmouth Dog Park, which is nothing short of amazing. See more about that later in this post.
| Campground Name | Newport RV Park |
| Location | Portsmouth, RI |
| Dates | June 9-11, 2025 |
| Site Number | Site 408 |
| Site Surface | gravel, didn’t need red levelers |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Cost | $70 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 30 psi |
| Voltage | ~120 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 168 Mbps down; 10 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 71 Mbps down; 8 Mbps up |
This was a pretty quiet campground. I’d say about a third of the sites were full.
Our campsite wasn’t super roomy, but it wasn’t bad. There weren’t any trees, but there was very little sun during our stay. If you had sunny weather, you might notice a lack of shade.
What We Did
Portsmouth Dog Park: Best Dog Park Ever!
While reading through the campground paperwork, we saw the sentence “Feel free to use the Portsmouth Dog Park right next to our RV park during your stay.” It’s within walking distance of the campground, so one day during a break in the rain, we walked over to check it out.
We generally stay away from dog parks. For one thing, Corona assumes the role of Play Police when she’s with a group of dogs (or even just with Aiken), and many dogs do not appreciate the enforcement. For another, Aiken is leash reactive and we haven’t had the opportunity to have him interact with too many dogs. However, this particular dog park had a few things going for it that made it the perfect opportunity.
*Because of the rain, the place was almost empty.
*Unlike most dog parks, where the areas for small dogs and big dogs share a fenceline, this one had a 4-ft space between them (with the exception of one spot).
There was only one dog in the small dog area, and thanks to the space between the place areas, Aiken was only slightly interested in her and soon lost interest.
Aiken chased his first soccer ball and caught his first frisbee.
Jesse noticed a gate along the back fence and went to investigate. Turns out, there’s a fenced, wooded trail area behind the open dog park. Dogs can be off-leash and run around while their human(s) walks the trail. There are a few areas with benches. The bushes were pretty thick, so there were times we lost sight of Aiken. Fortunately, he’s people-oriented (and I had training treats) so he always came back.
There are maps in a few locations to help you find your way.
Overall, I think this was the best dog park I’ve ever seen.
Roger Williams Park Zoo
The Roger Williams Park Zoo is the third oldest zoo in the country and the first zoo in New England to be accredited by the AZA. It’s a 32-mile drive from the campground. The fun part is that the route takes you out of Rhode Island to I-95 in Massachusetts and later back into Rhode Island.
Overall, it was set up the way most zoos are, with exhibit location based on where an animal lives (Faces of the Rainforest, Himalayan Trek, Upper Savanna, etc.). The exception was a building called A World of Adaptations. The animals inside all had unique adaptations.
The Faces of the Rainforest exhibit was interesting. The sign outside says there are free-roaming animals inside and has special doors. Also, that building closes a little earlier than the rest of the zoo.
Once you get through the doors, there are a few enclosed exhibits around the outside, but the inside has birds and golden lion tamarins all loose together.
The tamarins can cross on ropes above visitors’ heads, which was kind of fun to see.
I was bummed that the giant river otters weren’t out when we visited. I would have loved to see one in person.
One thing that stood out was the location of the gift shop. The main gift shop was actually at the back of the zoo. I don’t think I’ve seen that before. I usually assume we’ll visit the gift shop on our way out of the zoo, so I’m glad I realized what was going on before we got all the way back to the entrance/exit.
Takin are one of my favorites.
The also have red pandas and bat-eared foxes.
I always enjoy getting to see new behaviors when we’re at a zoo. On this trip, we got to listen to the male gibbon.
Cliff Walk
The Cliff Walk is a 3.5-mile-long public right-of-way over private property along the Rhode Island coastline. The brochure describes it as a place “where the majesty of the Atlantic Ocean meets with the awe of Gilded Age architecture.” Basically, on one side you have the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the rocks, and on the other you have some truly incredible waterfront houses.
We parked on Narragansett Avenue at Forty Steps. Unless you visit during off-peak hours, you do have to pay for parking. It’s probably worth noting that our truck was a little bit wider than the shoulder/parking lane. So…anyone taking their tow vehicle, be aware.
The view from the bottom of Forty Steps is pretty impressive.
There are restrooms at that parking area, but be aware there are no lights. It was rainy and getting dark when we got back to the truck and tried to use them. During the day would have been much easier.
The views are stunning. On one side, you have these incredible houses, and on the other is the Atlantic Ocean. It was very misty/rainy when we were there. I can only imagine what the views are like on a clear day.
For most of the section we walked, the path was a regular sidewalk. There are a few spots where it switches to large rocks.
The path is pretty narrow in some spots. There are parts with grassy areas on either side, but there are also spots with a railing on one side and a fence on the other, which makes passing anyone a little tricky. Aiken was great with all of the people we came across, but those narrow spots made it tricky to get passed some other dogs.
Most of the time, the water is inaccessible, but we did find one spot where you can get to the ocean. Aiken thoroughly enjoyed having a few minutes to chase waves.
From the parking area by Forty Steps, we walked to a spot after the Chinese Tea House. We turned around when the terrain switched from moderate to difficult. This is a photo of one of several maps along the Cliff Walk. I added a bright green line to the route we walked. There is one section (#4 on this map) that is closed. The detour takes you down a few streets around the closed section to a spot where you can pick up the Cliff Walk again.
There are a couple of fun tunnels. There’s one right by the Chinese Tea House and this one a little further along.
While you’re walking, look out for the 16 trail markers. Each marker has a QR code that when scanned, takes you to a page with information about the point of interest. If you’re not in a rush for your walk, they definitely make for a more informative trip.
Ninigret Park: The Ultimate Stop for a Travel Day
If you’re passing through southern Rhode Island (specifically Charlestown) and need a place to stop, Ninigret Park is sure to be a hit for adults, kids, and dogs.
- For the kids: Playground, picnic areas, and trolls!
- For the dogs: Walking trails, dog park, and pond
- For the adults: Plenty of parking in a large, open lot…perfect for turning around with a large rig
We had a short drive from one campground to the next…so short that we’d arrive at the new campground before check-in time. We stopped at Ninigret Park for lunch in the RV and a hike with the dogs.
If you need to break up a long drive day, Ninigret Park has all the essentials for the perfect stop. Between the large parking lot, the playground, the pond, and the walking trails, it seems like a great choice.
The site of Ninigret Park was once a naval air training base, so they needed runways and plenty of space for planes, making it perfect for anyone towing a large rig.
Look at all of that space for maneuvering a big rig!
We took advantage of the walking trails to give everyone a chance to stretch their legs.
Corona and Aiken highly recommend a stop at the pond and swim beach.
We also visited one of Thomas Dambo’s trolls. I believe there are two in Ninigret Park. There is also a playground if that suits your situation more than the walking trail.
List for Next Time
There’s never enough time to see everything. These places made our list of things we want to see/do the next time we’re in the area.
- Newport Car Museum is less than a 5-minute drive from the campground. It has an incredible 4.9 stars on Google out of more than 1,900 reviews!
- Newport Creamery–We passed Newport Creamery on our way home from dinner. Unfortunately, we had already stopped at Kilwin’s for ice cream since that was just down the street from where we ate. We try to visit local places when we can, so next time we’ll stop here instead.
- Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center and Aquarium–While looking at Google Maps to verify some details for this post, I came across ASRI Nature Center. The name caught my attention, so I checked out their website. I stopped scrolling as soon as I saw “Birthday Parties.” According to their website, you can hold a party there to “discover, learn, and explore on an adventure through our 28-acre outdoor classroom that reaches the shores of the Narragansett Bay.” How cool is that!? There’s also a Nature Shop.
Where We Ate
Brick Alley Pub and Restaurant
This place was packed! When we arrived at 5:15 on a Tuesday, the wait for a table was already 35-45 minutes. The bar was crowded too, but we got lucky and found two seats at the far end of the bar.
We got the mozzarella wedges, two burgers, and two sodas. It wasn’t hard to figure out why this place was so popular–the food was delicious! Our total was $53.87 before tip. We would definitely come again.
Wildlife
There are two swans in a pond near the campground. I love seeing wild swans! These two were not interested in posing for a photo.
These wild turkeys were so unexpected!
We saw a few rabbits in yards along the Cliff Walk
We also saw an osprey, but I couldn’t get photos it.
More Photos
Happy travels!
