USA Today called it America’s best historic small town — here’s where to find it in Rhode Island

It’s 20 minutes from Newport

Wickford Village sits on the western shore of Narragansett Bay in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, built around one of the most well-protected natural harbors on the eastern seaboard.

Nearly 200 historic buildings still stand on their original foundations here, and the whole district landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

In 2022, USA Today readers voted it the best historic small town in America.

The colonial architecture and the water pull you in, but the village keeps surprising you from there.

The Narragansett people fished these shores first

Long before any European set foot here, the Narragansett people used this land for dwelling, fishing and hunting.

Around 1637, Rhode Island founder Roger Williams bought land from sachem Canonicus and set up a trading post nearby.

Captain Lodowick Updike formally laid out the village in 1709, running a wide main street straight down to the harbor. Wickford grew into a port and shipbuilding center, second only to Newport as a trading hub.

When the British occupied Newport during the Revolution, prominent residents fled here for safety.

Follow 13 markers through four centuries of history

The Wickford Walk is a free, self-guided tour with 13 markers scattered through the village. You start at Updike Park, at the corner of Brown and West Main Streets.

Each marker pairs an original illustration by a Rhode Island artist with text from the town historian. The route covers Indigenous settlements, shipbuilding, influential women and Black heritage.

You’ll wind through Main Street, Fowler Street, Pleasant Street and across Hussey Bridge before ending near the North Kingstown Library.

Browse pottery and antiques in centuries-old buildings

Brown Street is the main stretch for shopping, lined with family-owned jewelry shops, pottery studios, antique dealers and boutiques, all packed into buildings that have stood for hundreds of years.

Walk over to Main Street and you’ll find galleries, home goods stores and nautical-themed gift shops filling out the mix.

Parking is free throughout the village, so you can take your time wandering from one door to the next without watching a meter.

Step inside one of the oldest churches in the Northeast

The Old Narragansett Church went up in 1707, making it what many consider the oldest Episcopal church building in the Northeastern United States.

The congregation started a year earlier through the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Inside, you’ll find original box pews, a balcony and a wine glass pulpit.

The organ dates to 1680, built by Bernard Smith, and the church still uses it during services. Painter Gilbert Stuart was baptized here in 1756.

Tour a plantation house that survived King Philip’s War

Smith’s Castle sits just outside the village on Richard Smith Drive, and it dates to 1678. Many historians call it the oldest surviving plantation house in America.

The original structure burned during King Philip’s War in 1676, and the owners rebuilt it two years later on a National Historic Landmark site called Cocumscussoc.

Costumed docents walk you through four centuries of Rhode Island history inside. The grounds, trails and gardens stay open to the public free of charge from dawn to dusk.

Sailboats and osprey fill the harbor at Main Street’s end

Walk to the end of Main Street and you hit the harbor. Sailboats, fishing vessels and recreational boats crowd the water.

Benches and docks line the edge, giving you a clear view across Narragansett Bay. If you arrive by boat, you can tie up at the town dock while you explore the village on foot.

Coves and small islands dot the harbor, including Rabbit Island and Cornelius Island, where you can spot osprey, blue heron and turtles.

Paddle past harbor seals on a sunset kayak tour

The Kayak Centre on Brown Street has operated in Wickford since 1995, renting kayaks and stand-up paddleboards by reservation through summer and early fall.

Guided harbor tours run about two hours and work for all skill levels. Sunset paddles are the popular pick.

Once you’re on the water, you can explore the harbor, head to Cornelius Island for a swim, or push out into Narragansett Bay to spot harbor seals lounging on the rocks near Fox Island.

Over 200 artists set up at Wilson Park every July

The Wickford Art Festival has filled Wilson Park on West Main Street every July since 1962, produced by the Wickford Art Association. Admission is free.

More than 200 artists show up with work in painting, ceramics, glass, jewelry, photography and sculpture.

The association says the festival has ranked among the top 10 art festivals in the country and number one in New England. Rhode Island charges no sales tax on original fine art, so collectors come here ready to buy.

See the birthplace of the man on the dollar bill

A short drive south to Saunderstown takes you to the 1751 home where portrait painter Gilbert Stuart was born. Stuart painted the George Washington portrait you see on every one-dollar bill.

The 23-acre property holds an operational snuff mill, a working 18th-century gristmill with original 1757 millstones, nature trails, an herb garden and a fish ladder.

The gallery inside displays original paintings by Stuart and his daughter Jane, plus rotating exhibits of Rhode Island artists. The site became a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

Catch a carriage ride, garden tour or holiday tree lighting

Spring kicks off with Daffodil Days, which brings guest artists, crafting activities, horse-drawn carriage tours and the Daffy Dog Parade.

In June, Wickford in Bloom opens private historic homes and gardens for a self-guided tour. The holiday season fills the village with a community tree lighting and decorations on every block.

Year-round, the Wickford Art Association gallery on Beach Street hosts monthly exhibits, lectures and art classes to keep things moving between the big events.

All the colonial charm of Newport without the crowds

You get the same waterfront views and colonial architecture here that draw millions to Newport, but Wickford stays calm. The village is compact and fully walkable, perfect for a day trip or a slow afternoon.

Free parking sits at Wilson Park, behind the Rite Aid, at the end of Main Street and along the streets. Late spring through early fall brings the most energy, but the village stays active all year.

Fill a morning or fill a whole day, either way works.

Explore Wickford Village in North Kingstown, R.I.

You’ll find Wickford Village on the western shore of Narragansett Bay, about 20 minutes from Newport and roughly 30 minutes south of Providence.

The village centers on Brown Street, Main Street and West Main Street, and you can cover all of it on foot.

Start with the Wickford Walk self-guided tour, wander the harbor, duck into the local shops, then drive a few minutes to Smith’s Castle or the Gilbert Stuart Museum to round out the visit.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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