On any given summer day, especially a mid-August steamer, Aquidneck Island’s beaches are smothered with beachgoers, each staking out a space the width of their personal belongings. Chairs, umbrellas, and towels are cast wide to discourage encroachers. The white noise is a cacophony of chatter, radios, screeching kids, gulls, and loudspeaker hails of illegally parked cars.

Yet elsewhere along the island’s rocky perimeter, somewhere far from the crowds, there’s a secluded swimming hole to be found as the changing tide exposes a shallow pool or a patch of sand with room for one. It’s here – anywhere really – where you can take a dip, stretch out on the smoothest rock you can find, one that conforms to your body, and soak up its warmth like some lazy amphibian. Adjust the backpack, shirt, or towel that has become a makeshift pillow, forget about sand in your sun block, and slip into a light nap, embraced by the hiss of the wind and the gurgle of seawater swirling through rockweed. This is your spot, and your spot alone. The rise and fall of the tide present an unimaginable variety of such places, and discovering one is as much exploration as serendipity. At the risk of revealing a few sacred holes of our own, we present a few island favorites to get you started. But for pure personal satisfaction – take a walk and find your own.

Tuckie’s Throne
Tucked out of sight below an eroding hillside at the southern tip of Middletown’s most populated seaside headland is a place known to many locals but enjoyed by few others because of its hidden accessibility. Here you’ll find curved, velvety smooth black rocks at the water’s edge. Their contours make for ideal mid-tide lounge seats. Sit or stretch out on one of them and let the rising tide swirl around you – the contrast of warm rock and cool water is spa-like bliss. This place is best enjoyed from early to midsummer, before the nearby reef sheds its red carpet of seaweed. There’s a shoreline access adjacent to the Clambake Club on Easton’s Point, and a short westward ramble over the rocks gets you here in less than 10 minutes.

Elephant Rock
If there’s one place on this island that defines a summer swimming hole, it’s Elephant Rock.
A deep, lagoon-like bay is flanked on one side by a high, steep rock face, and by a low, craggy rock formation on the other. On the far side there are smaller tide pools, ideal for snorkeling when the tide is high, and a high ledge for adventurous jumpers. The water is always cool and seaweed free most of the summer, and the east-facing wall, with many flat spots on which to recline, makes it an ideal place for a morning swim.
For many generations of nearby residents, Elephant Rock has been a private retreat for swimming and socializing because one adjacent neighbor’s land includes most of the lounge-able rock. A few select neighbors are “invited,” and with the invitation comes direct walking access, as well as a few rules, one of which discourages picnicking. But from the high-tide mark on down, as well as along the southern portion, it’s fair game for everyone else. Getting here requires a rugged half-mile or so hike from the Easton’s Point shoreline access, but the reward is worth every step. Be mindful of the many superb tide pools along the way.

The Wall
One fascinating aspect of Newport’s Cliff Walk is the volume of pedestrians that saunter its pavement all summer long without ever stepping off the path to enjoy its true riches. From the walk’s northern end at Memorial Boulevard to its southern extremity at Bailey’s Beach, there are literally hundreds of places to escape into isolation. One place in particular, found at the base of a towering man-made wall near Ochre Court on the Salve Regina University campus, is a short expanse of golden, grainy sand, exposed only at low tide. The water is typically crystal clear and seaweed free, and because it faces east, it’s well protected when a southerly sea breeze is honking. The pedestrians from far above will gaze on with jealousy, wondering how you got there. A long chain of rocks just off the beach provides excellent snorkeling, where blackfish mingle among schools of baitfish. There are a number of ways to access the beach, but the safest and easiest way is descending the boulders just south of it. Use common sense; if climbing is not your thing, join the crowds at Forty Steps, another excellent spot just down the path.