Rhode Island is known for its popular white sand beaches that draw crowds from all over the country. One beach that is less known, and thus not as busy, is Oakland Beach! It is quite small and the actual beach isn’t particularly special. However, this beach is home to Iggy’s Doughboys & Chowder House with an amazing outdoor picnic area that makes it my favorite place.
Why is it my favorite place in Rhode Island? You can legally drink beer in this picnic area, it is dog friendly and there are palm trees growing right out of the sandy area! Palm trees are not exactly native to RI and hey remind me of a tropical beach vacation. It is possible to sneak a drink onto any beach in the country. But being free to drink delicious draught beer under the shade of a palm tree without worry is unbeatable.
Although Oakland beach isn’t high on anyone’s bucket list, Iggy’s definitely is. It is probably one of Warwick’s biggest tourist attractions. The lines for the ice-cream stand or even to enter the restaurant are long. But there is usually a spot at the bar or in the picnic area. The only setback is that you can’t order food if you are sitting there in the picnic area. However, you can bring your own food and bring over a drink from the bar.
My only complaint is the plastic cups that always put a damper on my mood. America is obsessed with not allowing glass near beaches or on boats. Yes, glass can break and be dangerous. However, plastic kills way more living beings and pollutes the world. They won’t pour beer into anything but one of their plastic cups. But they will let you re-use the same one for multiple pours. Maybe one day, they will make positive changes for the environment. If they do, I might never leave!
What is Good at Iggy’s?
We don’t eat out much and we follow a mostly plant-based diet. However we have sampled their clam chowder which is amazing! They also have great salads and French fries. We’ve seen people devouring other meals so I assume that most things at Iggy’s are good. Even now, while they are only serving take-out, they have long lines and it’s impossible to call ahead because there are too many customers. They also have draught beers and delicious flights.
Yes, we actually went yesterday and got some clam chowders to go for a cold beach picnic! It was amazing and there was no one on the beach. We even did some questionable droning and got some great shots. I also finally got my long-burning question answered. They do take the palm trees away during colder months! Where they go? Hopefully on a holiday to Hawaii 😉
In case it isn’t already clear, we go here a LOT. Enjoy all these photos of us living our best lives on Oakland Beach in Warwick, Rhode Island! Oh I almost forgot to tell you, somehow there is ALWAYS a spectacular sunset here. Follow The Travel Bug Bite for more reviews of cool places near and far!
Great post 😁
Thank you!
I love the pictures of Oakland Beach in all seasons! Need to go back in the winter for some snowy beach photos.
Yesss! Snowy beaches are the best!