Watch Hill is a place to start a romance, or to pursue one; to read and relax, or swim strenuously all day—to do as you please.

There are no crowds, no neon signs, no plastic "lifestyles."

Children will jump at the chance to ride on the 1883 Carousel at the end of Bay Street (map), one of the oldest merry-go-rounds in the nation.

In the little park across Bay Street from the Olympia Tea Room is a statue (1914) of Ninigret, Great Sachem of the Narragansett Indians, a noble man and friend of the local English colonists.

Watch Hill is a bit of old but living summer glory, which, luckily for those who visit here, the rest of the world has already passed by, heedlessly.