Jamestown, Beavertail & Ocean Drive

The whole bay in one ride: from Wickford the route runs down RI-1A past Rome Point, crosses the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge to Conanicut Island, rides out to the Beavertail lighthouse and back through Mackerel Cove and Jamestown village, then crosses the Newport Pell Bridge and finishes along Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue into Newport. It's 32 miles. The Pell charges an all-electronic toll in both directions, with no booths, and in summer Ocean Drive and Newport move slowly with cyclists, trolleys and photo stops.

Beavertail is one of the oldest light stations in the country: the first tower went up in 1749, the third lighthouse in the colonies, and the granite tower standing today dates from 1856. It sits inside Beavertail State Park, at the southern tip of Conanicut Island, with parking right by the light. Beavertail Road is a dead end, so the route rides out to the point and comes back past Mackerel Cove, the town beach, before heading to Jamestown village. On the way down from Wickford, Rome Point on RI-1A is part of the John H. Chafee Nature Preserve, where harbor seals rest on the offshore rocks from fall through spring.

The two bridges are the reason this route exists. The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, opened in 1992, has no toll. The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, opened in 1969 and still the longest suspension bridge in New England, charges a toll in both directions, all electronic since 2021, with no booths: carry E-ZPass or the bill comes by mail to your plate. It's high and exposed to crosswinds, so cross in single file and don't stop. In Newport the route joins Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue; in summer both crawl with cyclists, trolleys and photo stops, and festivals like the Kite Festival at Brenton Point bring detours.