Napatree Point has some great areas for a walk.

Tucked in in behind the protective arm of Napatree Point, Watch Hill Cove is about as pretty a harbor as you’ll find in the Northeast—or anywhere else for that matter. The scene ashore is pretty cool, too, with small shops and eateries lining the tidy waterfront, plus a throwback carousel that harkens to the Gilded Age.

A popular daytrip or overnight stop for Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Long Island boaters alike is the anchorage behind Napatree Point, the mile-long sand spit extending west from Watch Hill. This protected little cove is part of Little Narragansett Bay, an estuary comprising roughly 320 square miles with an average depth of seven feet.

With your vessel secured behind Napatree, you can frolic in the warm, lake-like waters of the bay or enjoy the surf along the south-facing shore. And there’s plenty of beach to go around, even during the peak summer months.

Napatree has an interesting history. The beach was originally connected to Sandy Point—now an island off Stonington—until the Great Hurricane of 1938 created a breach in the spit. The huge storm reshaped much of the surrounding shore and destroyed numerous coastal homes. Indeed, the bottom of the anchorage remains littered with parts of cast-iron stoves, refrigerators, and metal pipes, giving it the moniker “The Kitchen.”

Watch Hill Light stands sentinel at the base of Napatree, while its western end is home to the ruins of Fort Mansfield, a Spanish-American War gun emplacement now covered with thick vegetation. The point offers a fine view of Fishers Island to the west and, on a clear day, Block Island to the southeast and Montauk Point due south. It also happens to be a great spot for surf fishing.

Watch Hill Light warns mariners of the reef system extending to Fishers Island.

If you’d rather keep your boat in Watch Hill Cove, you may be able to secure a slip at the Watch Hill Docks or the Watch Hill Boat Yard. The latter also sells fuel. Dinghy tie-up is available in the northeast and southeast corners of the harbor, at Watch Hill Docks and the Watch Hill Municipal Dock, respectively.

Once ashore, take a casual stroll down Bay Street, stopping to visit the collection of shops, bistros, and boutiques. If you’re hungry, check out St. Claire’s Annex for traditional diner fare, or the Bay Street Deli for oversized sandwiches bearing names like the “Bay Street Reuben”, “The Mooring” or “Misquamicut Club.” A more formal lunch or dinner option is the Olympia Tea Room, as well as the magnificent Ocean House on Bluff Avenue, on a hill overlooking Watch Hill Cove to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

Meanwhile, kids will love the Watch Hill Merry-Go-Round, the oldest continuously operating carousel in the country. And if you appreciate classic boats, keep an eye out for Aphrodite in Watch Hill Cove or out and about on a cruise. Originally built in 1937, and since refurbished, she’s a glamorous old girl—a sleek 74-foot mahogany yacht that cruises at speeds of up to 38 mph. Her guest list is extensive, and includes the likes of Katharine Hepburn, FDR, Spencer Tracy, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Nelson Rockefeller, and Shirley Temple, to name a few notables. The mighty Aphrodite has outlived them all, and now enjoys herself in the idyllic waters off Watch Hill. Pay the place a visit and you can too!