Island Park, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Island Park, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
You wont find this weathered little seaside community in any tourist guides. Not since about 1938 that is. That is when a hurricane sent a gargantuan tidal wave over this thin wisp of land and carried away most of its main attraction, a rambling beachside Amusement Park, commonly referred to as the Coney Island of New England.
Island Park today is more a curiousity of what it once was. An open space parking lot and an old flea market stand where the amusement park once pleased the summertime crowds. Old photos show a fantastic wooden rollercoaster built on a pier at the foot of the Sakonnet River, along with penny arcades, shooting galleries, and rides. Located on a peninusla off Aquidneck Island, home to Portsmouth and its more famous neighbor, Newport, it was a popular stop for travellers who rode the popular steam ships out of Boston and New York to Fall River, and then travelled to Newport by rail. Travellers could take in an afternoon at the beach, strolling the boardwalk and eating seafood from the local fishermen, and then set off on their way.
Island Park attracted a certain type who liked the nightlife offered by the popular nightclubs and restaurants. Dancing Girls, stage revues, and poker. Prohibition was never a problem as the inner bay side of Island Park hides several small islands where speakeasys flourished. Today, along a stretch of Park Avenue, the main waterfront street, clubs like Arts Tavern, Tremblays, and Island Tap have live bands and a lively weekend business, but they have clearly seen better days. It is interesting to walk the area, and imagine what once stood.
Now, the nature is the attraction. One stretch of sandy beach remains off Park Avenue, but further up the coast the once sandy shores are full of rocks and pebbles, the sand having been carried away in 1938 and then again in 1956 hurricanes. But the waterviews are spectacular everywhere one looks.
Look Island Park up on a map when you are in the Ocean State. It is located off Route 138 coming out of Newport, or accessible from Route 24 coming out of Boston or Fall River.
Island Park is one of the more interesting places to bike tour, along Park Avenue, past the marinas, down to Cliff Avenue, and then through Common Fence Point. There are hotels and golf courses along the way for refreshements.
Fresh fish, lobster, and shell fish can be bought nearby or in Tiverton, just over the Sakonnet River Bridge. Very scenic. Very beautiful. In summer, check out Flo's Clam Shack. It is famous for seafood since 1938.
You wont find this weathered little seaside community in any tourist guides. Not since about 1938 that is. That is when a hurricane sent a gargantuan tidal wave over this thin wisp of land and carried away most of its main attraction, a rambling beachside Amusement Park, commonly referred to as the Coney Island of New England.
Island Park today is more a curiousity of what it once was. An open space parking lot and an old flea market stand where the amusement park once pleased the summertime crowds. Old photos show a fantastic wooden rollercoaster built on a pier at the foot of the Sakonnet River, along with penny arcades, shooting galleries, and rides. Located on a peninusla off Aquidneck Island, home to Portsmouth and its more famous neighbor, Newport, it was a popular stop for travellers who rode the popular steam ships out of Boston and New York to Fall River, and then travelled to Newport by rail. Travellers could take in an afternoon at the beach, strolling the boardwalk and eating seafood from the local fishermen, and then set off on their way.
Island Park attracted a certain type who liked the nightlife offered by the popular nightclubs and restaurants. Dancing Girls, stage revues, and poker. Prohibition was never a problem as the inner bay side of Island Park hides several small islands where speakeasys flourished. Today, along a stretch of Park Avenue, the main waterfront street, clubs like Arts Tavern, Tremblays, and Island Tap have live bands and a lively weekend business, but they have clearly seen better days. It is interesting to walk the area, and imagine what once stood.
Now, the nature is the attraction. One stretch of sandy beach remains off Park Avenue, but further up the coast the once sandy shores are full of rocks and pebbles, the sand having been carried away in 1938 and then again in 1956 hurricanes. But the waterviews are spectacular everywhere one looks.
Look Island Park up on a map when you are in the Ocean State. It is located off Route 138 coming out of Newport, or accessible from Route 24 coming out of Boston or Fall River.
Island Park is one of the more interesting places to bike tour, along Park Avenue, past the marinas, down to Cliff Avenue, and then through Common Fence Point. There are hotels and golf courses along the way for refreshements.
Fresh fish, lobster, and shell fish can be bought nearby or in Tiverton, just over the Sakonnet River Bridge. Very scenic. Very beautiful. In summer, check out Flo's Clam Shack. It is famous for seafood since 1938.
