The Most Beautiful Islands in Rhode Island

Despite its name, Rhode Island is not an island. It is a US state that borders Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the Atlantic Ocean. Rhode Island has islands, though dozens of them. They range from a multi-mile isle with a full-sized city to a private paradise without electricity to a goat pasture turned resort destination. Although such variety makes it hard to pick the prettiest Rhode Island islands, uncover seven of the best. Behold these true ocean pearls in the Ocean State.

Aquidneck Island

Rhode Island's largest island is Aquidneck, which is also called Rhode Island and inspired the state's name. It comprises roughly 38 square miles, three communities, and around 60,000 residents. About 25,000 of them live in Newport, a historic port city with magnificent manors and verdant coastal preserves.

After touring the 11 properties and landscapes organized as Newport Mansions and exploring Fort Adams State Park (perhaps during the Newport Folk Festival or Newport Jazz Festival), amble over to Middletown for more island oases. This town shelters about 17,000 people and several beaches/sanctuaries, including the 242-acre Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. The third scenic Aquidneck settlement is Portsmouth, which provides extraordinary views of the Green Animals Topiary Garden (one of the "Newport Mansions") and Narragansett Bay.

Block Island

Most Rhode Island islands are in Narragansett Bay. An exception is Block Island. This 10-square-mile isle sits about 9 miles south of the mainland. Although quite isolated by American standards, Block Island is a block of luxury, thanks to the town of New Shoreham. On a sunny summer day, there are as many as 20,000 people exploring this island town, many of whom use bikes and mopeds since full-sized vehicles are cumbersome.

In addition to New Shoreham's restaurants, shops, and beaches, islanders peep at rustic wonders like Rodman's Hollow, the Great Salt Pond, Hodge Wildlife Preserve, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Mohegan Bluffs. The last of which are high cliffs topped by the Block Island Southeast Light, which has watched over the Atlantic Ocean for nearly 150 years.

Rose Island

Block Island's Southeast Light is far from the only lighthouse on Rhode Island's islands. A lighthouse is the star attraction of Rose Island, an 18ish-acre speck in Narragansett Bay. The Rose Island Lighthouse has helped sailors navigate around the small island for well over a century. Along with being a navigational aid, the lighthouse serves as a museum and lodge. Rooms can be rented in the museum, the lighthouse keeper's quarters, the foghorn house, and the Fort Hamilton barracks. Only the first two accommodations have electricity.

If you would rather have a day trip, take the ferry from Newport or pilot your own watercraft and leave it on the beach. Day activities include birding, fishing, beachcombing, picnicking, and exploring the Rose Island Wildlife Refuge. However, the refuge is closed from March 1 through August 15 for nesting birds.

Prudence Island

The third-largest island in Narragansett Bay, Prudence Island, is about seven miles long and 1 mile wide. Inhabiting that strip are about 200 people, who share the town of Portsmouth with the northern part of Aquidneck Island. Aquidneck is where Prudence Islanders go for most supplies since their island has no restaurants and only one store: Prudence Variety. But what Prudence lacks in amenities, it makes up for in anemones and the numerous other species that occupy the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

This preserve covers 63 percent of the island and, along with sea life, contains rabbits, foxes, herons, and white-tailed deer. Minus deer ticks, Prudence is a whimsical paradise—so much so that Wes Anderson chose it as a filming location for Moonrise Kingdom.

Hog Island

You will be in hog heaven on Hog Island. Supposedly named for pigs that were once raised there, this 200-acre isle is now a private summer retreat with no year-round residents, no paved roads, no police, and no power grid. Even running water is reserved for the summer months. Hog Island is thus a true untamed wonder mere meters from the mainland. As you can probably imagine, access to the isle is limited. If you know a resident, you are set. But even if you do not, you can take advantage of Rhode Island law that gives universal access to its shoreline. Beach your boat and enjoy a private island as long as you remain fewer than 10 feet above the seaweed line.

Goat Island

After hogging the high water mark of Hog Island, get goated on Goat Island. This sliver of waterlocked land is much more accessible since it connects to Aquidneck Island by a bridge. Newporters are, therefore, a short drive from an upscale enclave of their city. Unlike its underdeveloped sisters, Goat Island has developed from a goat pasture to a military fort to a resort destination, complete with restaurants, bars, cafés, condos, a hotel, a marina, and a wedding venue. One reminder of its rustic past is the Goat Island Light (AKA Newport Harbor Light), which was completed in 1842.

Conanicut Island

Another Moonrise Kingdom filming location, Conanicut Island, is a picturesque protrusion from Narragansett Bay. Spanning close to 10 square miles and sheltering close to 6,000 people, it is the bay's second-largest and second-most populous island. Jamestown is Conanicut's only town. Though not quite as old as the other Jamestown, Jamestown, Rhode Island, has its fair share of historic sites like the Jamestown Windmill in the Windmill Hill Historic District and the ruins of Fort Wetherill in Fort Wetherill State Park. After perusing those preserves, one can refuel with lobster at JB's on the Water and ice cream at The Wicked Whisk.

Conanicut Island consists of two masses connected by a thin strip of land called a tombolo. Resembling a beaver tail, the island's southern section features Beavertail State Park, a scenic sanctuary with an obligatory historic lighthouse.

Rhode Island may not be an island, but it has islands—dozens of beautiful islands that contain everything from wildlife refuges to waterfront restaurants to 19th-century mansions. The prettiest Rhode Island islands are Aquidneck Island, Block Island, Rose Island, Prudence Island, Hog Island, Goat Island, and Conanicut Island. Their natural, commercial, and historic marvels make them among the most picturesque in the state.