Ocean Drive Walk

The Ocean Drive Walk follows the dramatic rocky Atlantic headland of Brenton Point, the southernmost tip of Aquidneck Island and one of Rhode Island's most spectacular coastal landscapes. The route traces the edge of the point along a network of informal paths across open, windswept headland where glacially deposited boulders meet the pounding surf of Rhode Island Sound. On clear days, Block Island is visible 12 miles to the southwest, and the Newport Bridge spans the harbor entrance to the northeast. The Gilded Age mansions of Bellevue Avenue—Vanderbilt, Astor, and Belmont summer cottages—loom dramatically on the ridge above the park, their extravagant Beaux-Arts and Italianate facades visible from the shoreline path. The coastal headland habitat at Brenton Point supports a distinctive assemblage of salt-tolerant plants including seaside goldenrod, beach rose, and prickly pear cactus growing in the crevices of the exposed schist bedrock. During fall migration, the point is a notable concentration site for raptors, passerines, and shorebirds funneling down the Atlantic coast. Harlequin ducks and purple sandpipers winter along the rocky shoreline, and pelagic species including northern gannets, razorbills, and thick-billed murres are visible offshore during winter months. The park is famous for kite flying on its open lawns, where colorful kites fill the air on nearly every weekend afternoon.