Easton's Beach (First Beach)

Newport's three-quarter-mile city beach faces the Atlantic along Memorial Boulevard, with a boardwalk, the start of the Cliff Walk, and rolling waves that draw surfers and bodyboarders. On summer Sundays the Sachuest Ocean Swimmers often swim from here to Second Beach. The state has closed the swimming area for high bacteria at times, so check the RIDOH beach status before a swim.

Directions

Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0

Get your personalized SwimScore

Latest reading · SwimScore 68/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 15°C, wind 27 km/h, waves 1.7 m, UV 1. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Getting in: Public city beach at 175 Memorial Boulevard; the Cliff Walk begins here.
Parking & transport: City lots 1 and 3 (credit/debit only): $25 per car weekdays and $35 weekends and holidays from April 1 to November 30, plus 7% sales tax; free December through March. Newport residents with a city parking sticker park free year-round.
Lifeguards: Stationed daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Water quality: Monitored by the RI Department of Health Beach Monitoring Program for Enterococci bacteria; RIDOH recommended closing the swimming area for high bacteria counts on June 16, 2026, for example. Status: health.ri.gov/beaches or the 401-222-2751 hotline.
Season: Lifeguarded Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Who swims here: Sachuest Ocean Swimmers (SOS), based at Second Beach in Middletown, often do a Sunday-morning First Beach to Second Beach group swim in summer.
Watch for: Rolling surf shared with surfers and bodyboarders
Periodic bacteria closures of the swimming area
Facilities: Bath houses · Boardwalk · Wheelchair-accessible public restrooms · Rotunda ballroom (rentals)