Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, Narragansett, RI - Narragansett, Rhode Island - Beach for Family and Children Just Blocks From Block Island Ferry Departure on Mainland at Galilee

Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, Narragansett, RI is located at 100 Sand Hill Cove Road on the Block Island Sound in the southeastern part of this lower New England state.

This white sand beach is formally named the Roger W. Wheeler Memorial State Park. It is named for the man who helped invent the Life Saving System of the State of Rhode Island who passed away in 1969. His name was given to this beach in 1970. Prior to then it was called the Sand Hill Cove Beach ever since the state acquired the property in 1929.

The crescent shaped shoreline of this beach sweeps along the water front. Signs mark its limits on each end where beach cottages stretch into the distance backing the private seaside properties on either immediate side.

This beach has a pavilion with a concession stand selling refreshments and snacks to beachgoers. It has rust proof doors and grates to prevent clogging of the drains by sand.

More than 60 picnic tables are available at this beach. There are trash receptacles and public telephones. Public restrooms here are suited to disabled persons.

The bathhouse has free cold showers and coin operated hot showers as well. It was built by the state with support from the National Parks Service after the 1955 Bath House was demolished in 1996.

There is a playground for children when they are out of the water. This is also a good beach for children as there is an on duty lifeguard here. The surf is generally gentle and the beach sand slopes gradually out to sea with no sudden drop offs. The sand is very fine and is ideal for making sand castles as it hardens well when wet. This also makes it easy to walk or run along the shore.

Just up the street from the Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, Narragansett, RI, is Galilee's ferry dock to the northwest. This is the departure and arrival point for Block Island Ferry, taking passengers, vehicles and freight to the resort island that lies roughly 12 miles south west of this beach, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Several restaurants are also a short walk from the beach for more formal dining than offered by the concession stand. There is also a motel that is near to this state run beach in Galilee.

It is at most a 15 minute walk from this beach to the nearest campgrounds location at the Fishermen's Memorial State Park.

The Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, Narragansett, RI, is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM. There is plenty of available parking for a fee which increases slightly on the weekend. In state run lots parking is cheaper for Rhode Island residents.