Southern Rhode Island

WATCH HILL, R.I. - The way it was is essentially the way it is in this snug Victorian resort on Rhode Island's southern coast, a beach- blessed part of the state that locals call South County.

On any given summer day, swimmers and sun seekers scatter along the miles of sandy beach facing Little Narragansett Bay, and dozens of boats bob at anchor in the harbor. Keeping an eye on the scene from the vest-pocket waterfront park at the heart of the village, as it has since the turn of the 20th century, is the bronze statue of Ninigret, the Narragansett Indian sachem known as "the Guardian of Watch Hill."

Along Bay Street, the village boardwalk, diners linger over sinful desserts in the Olympia Tea Room, a local institution since 1916. Farther down the street bibliophiles blissfully browse the book- packed shelves of the venerable Book & Tackle Shop. Books pushed out the fishing tackle decades ago, but the shop also carries paintings, prints, and photos of Watch Hill in its 19th-century heyday.

Most evocative are the shrieks of delight coming from children on the carousel at the end of Bay Street, a summer sound in Watch Hill for about 120 years. Built in 1879, the Flying Horse Carousel here is the oldest in America and the last of its kind.

The carousel's hand-carved wooden horses have leather saddles, genuine horsehair manes and tails, and agate eyes. They also really do fly. Unlike modern carousels, the horses are not attached to the floor but are instead suspended from a center frame from which they swing out or "fly" when the carousel is in motion.

It's a thrilling ride but a safe one, restricted only to children. And, yes, there is a brass ring you can try to grab and win a free ride.

The superb beaches and the recreational opportunities they offer are what draw most people to the South County coast. A chain of beaches, roughly 25 miles long, runs northeast from Westerly at the southwestern corner of the state to Narragansett on Narragansett Bay, another old resort town. In between are the very pleasant beach communities of Charlestown and South Kingston.

A village of the town of Westerly, Watch Hill in the Gilded Age was second only to Newport as Rhode Island's fashionable ocean resort. While imposing, the so-called "cottages" built in Watch Hill are generally not as palatial (or pretentious) as those in Newport.

Most of Watch Hill's old summer homes - typically rambling, shingled, and behind high hedges - remain private and often still belong to the same families that built them a century or more ago. This may explain the cozy village slogan "You Can Go Home Again," which sounds more like an invitation to a family reunion than a bid for tourists.

"Watch Hill is not like Newport," is the way local residents put it. Visitors are welcome, but hordes are not encouraged.

Several homey old summer hotels have managed to survive time and hurricanes with their original ambience pretty much intact. The Grand Dame is the 59-room Ocean House (401-348-8161) a yellow ark built in 1868 that stands on a mansion-lined bluff overlooking the bay. The Inn at Watch Hill (401-596-0665) on Bay Street is a 16-room wooden hotel built in the 1930s. Facing Little Narragansett Bay, it's near the beach, the carousel, and boardwalk shops and restaurants.

Also full of old-fashioned charm is the 101-year-old Weekapaug Inn (401-322-0301, www.weekapaug inn.com) in the neighboring village of Weekapaug. The sprawling 62-room inn, located on Quonochontaug Pond, boasts a 1.5-mile private beach on Block Island Sound a short walk away.

Another Westerly village, Misquamicut, is particularly popular with families and is said to attract more out-of-staters than any other South County resort. The 7-mile-long state beach is Rhode Island's longest and has a handsome new pavilion with food concessions and changing facilities. Ideal for swimming, the beach has moderate surf and is protected by lifeguards.

Misquamicut has an old-time funky but fun boardwalk with arcades, a carousel, waterslide, and miniature golf, among other lures. In the evening family movies are often screened on the beach.