6 Quirkiest Rhode Island Towns To Visit In 2025
Boasting over 400 miles of coastline, one of the country’s densest populations, and a rich history as one of the original 13 states, Rhode Island is teeming with a wealth of sights and experiences. Many visitors flock to Providence for its culture and Narragansett for its classic New England beaches. But for travelers seeking out-of-the-ordinary fun, these six quirky Rhode Island towns will reveal a more unique side to the Ocean State. From a museum with a secret location to a town known for its vampire legends, boredom knows no place in these zany destinations.
Bristol
Most know Bristol as a charming waterfront town near Providence, but this New England darling stows a unique secret. After strolling the Narragansett Bay at Colt State Park or touring maritime history at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, a quirkier museum awaits in the shadows. However, you will not find an address online, and you will not stumble upon it strolling downtown—its location remains a mystery.
The Musée Patamécanique museum could be described as Frankensteinian, merging a Cabinet of Curiosities with an Automaton Theater. Museum tours are by appointment only, and the meeting place is ever-changing. Curious guests can reserve a spot online, with tours leading to the secret setting. The indoor exhibition features eccentric and absurd displays, including animatronics, a holographic violin-playing ear, and a machine purportedly designed to record the dreams of bumblebees. But with photos and videos strictly prohibited, you will have to experience the whimsy firsthand.
Portsmouth
Family-friendly oddities are better experienced in the town of Portsmouth, another cute coastal town with a quirky side. Much like Bristol, the town boasts a vibrant maritime heritage with classic coastal attractions like Sandy Point Beach and McCorrie Point. But by delving deeper, visitors can also discover twists beyond Portsmouth’s coastal charms. For instance, part of the town’s eccentricity is linked to its 1638 founders, who were famously religious dissenters banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Accompanying this legacy of nonconformity, Portsmouth embraces a stray from the usual with attractions like the Green Animals Topiary Garden. Dubbing itself the “oldest and most northern topiary garden in the United States,” this 20th-century attraction transports visitors straight to Wonderland. Home to over 80 topiary animals and figures, from a unicorn to a giraffe, the romantic estate invites strollers and picnickers, young and old, to embrace the wonders of their imagination.
Charlestown
Situated in Washington County, Charlestown is another gorgeous beach town with more to it than meets the eye. Much of its uniqueness comes from the beaches themselves, whose beauty and seclusion earn them the reputation of "the best kept secret in Rhode Island." Undeveloped shores like East Beach stand out for their remote and uncrowded barrier island setting. Alternatively, Charlestown Beach shines for its golden sands and panoramic views of the Block Island Sound from the end of Charlestown Beach Road.
Beyond the sand and waves, Charlestown is home to an attraction as quirky as its name. Tucked away in the woods on Old Post Road, The Fantastic Umbrella Factory neither specializes in umbrellas nor produces them. The bazaar is actually a series of bohemian stores and gift shops selling an eclectic range of goods and services, from locally made clothing to hand-cut silhouettes by a local artist. Outside, the shops are surrounded by bamboo forests, gardens, and animal friends, from ducks and chickens to goats and emus.
New Shoreham
A unique setting and quirky animal encounters can also be enjoyed in New Shoreham, “the smallest town in the smallest state.” Just south of mainland Rhode Island, the town is located on Block Island, whose land encompasses less than 10 square miles. But despite its small size, New Shoreham is proof that amazing things can come in small packages. Whether hiking the 200-foot-tall Mohegan Bluffs or venturing down 141 steps to the beach below, the sights here are nothing short of extraordinary.
Similar to Charlestown’s quirky bazaar, New Shoreham offers the chance to meet some unique animals. A scenic farmstay, the 1661 Farm & Garden is a paradise for animal lovers and travelers looking to reconnect with nature. Guests can stroll the hillside meadows and interact with the exotic animals that live here, including alpacas, kangaroos, and camels. The farmstay also specializes in “an eclectic blend of accommodations miles away from the ordinary.”
Newport
Travelers looking to escape the ordinary should also consider the town of Newport, a Rhode Island beauty known for its enchanting historic attractions. Founded in 1639, the Aquidneck Island town was once a significant 18th-century port. Similar to Portsmouth, its founders were religious dissidents fleeing persecution in Massachusetts, but it later found fame as a summer destination for wealthy Americans.
Many of Newport's extravagant and over-the-top Gilded Age mansions can be toured in 2025. Highlights include the iconic Marble House, The Elms, and The Breakers, an opulent neo-Renaissance style palace. Conversely, a humbler side of history is equally worth exploring at the White Horse Tavern, widely recognized as the “oldest still-operating tavern in the United States.” Founded in 1673, if the walls of this historic tavern could talk, they would have incredible stories to tell, including pirate ownership and surviving the Revolutionary War. Today, visitors can enjoy its 17th-century architecture and traditional New England cuisine, supposedly in the company of a tavern ghost.
Exeter
For more historic haunts, we can look to the town of Exeter, a community infamous for its vampire legends. Today, the sleepy village is home to charming attractions like the Tilted Barn Brewery and Indigenous-run Tomaquag Museum. However, in an age when Rhode Island was once known as “The Vampire Capital of America,” Exeter played a haunting role.
The legend goes that local farmer George Brown grew suspicious when his wife and daughters all took sick and died within months and years of each other in the late 1800s. The paranoia extended to villagers, who decided to exhume their buried bodies. To their horror, the most recently deceased Mercy Brown apparently showed few signs of decomposition. Today, we know this was likely due to the cold temperatures preserving Mercy. But back then, superstitions pointed to vampirism, inspiring the legends some still believe to this day. In 2025, believers and non-believers alike can pay respects to Mercy Brown’s headstone in Chestnut Hill Cemetery.
Discover Rhode Island’s Quirky Side In 2025
Rhode Island’s classic New England towns and beaches are without a doubt some of the coziest destinations in the United States. But for travelers looking beyond the usual, these quirky towns invite visitors to embrace all things weird, wonderful, and whimsical. Whether visiting Portsmouth for its enchanting topiary garden, New Shoreham for its exotic animals, or Exeter for its vampire tales, your time in these Rhode Island towns will excite you every step of the way.
