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South County RI |
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Saunderstown to Point Judith RI Stuart (1755-1828), the son of a snuff-maker, was America's most famous portrait painter after the Revolutionary era, and did no fewer than three portraits of George Washington from life, perhaps the most famous of which is the so-called Athenaeum Head, model for the portrait of Washington on the dollar bill. (Look for the original of this in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.) Judging from the house, his father had a comfortable living, and the son was able to go to London to study painting with Benjamin West. Period furnishings, waterwheel-powered snuff mill, and copies of Stuart's portraits adorn the house. Open Saturday to Thursday from 11am to 5pm; closed from November through March. US 1A skirts the southwestern shore of Narragansett Bay passing through Narragansett Pier, a famous Victorian resort town, which is also the main town on the peninsula here. Although not quite so famous now, the town is still popular for the same reasons as in an earlier age: beautiful sea views, a fine waterfront promenade, and gracious old Victorian houses. Passing through Narragansett Pier on Ocean Road, you'll drive right under the last standing remnant of Stanford White's mammoth Narragansett casino, the Towers, built in 1882. The town's chamber of commerce maintains a Tourist Information Office in the base of the seaward tower—park on either side of the underpass arch and walk to the door. Naragansett Beach in Narragansett Pier is north of the Towers. South of Narragansett Pier, US 1A passes by the Scarborough State Beach facilities, very popular on hot summer days although never filled to capacity. Scarborough Beach, like all Rhode Island beaches, works on a system of parking/admission fees, charged per car. Continuing along US 1A south will bring you to the tip of Point Judith and the village of Galilee and the departure dock for ferryboats to Block Island. More... |
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The Narragansett Towers in Narragansett Pier RI.
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