Sachuest Beach (Second Beach), RI - Middletown, Rhode Island - Water Sports Abound at Natural Beach Adjacent to Protected Area in This Town Just North of Newport

Sachuest Beach (Second Beach), RI, is located at 474 Sachuest Point Road in Middletown of Newport County, some 20 minutes north of Newport on Aquidneck Island.

It is a natural undeveloped beach with long sand dunes. This beach stretches for a length of 1.25 miles of white sand.

There are restrooms and showers at this beach. There is also a picnic area here and concession stand, as well as a lemonade stand in the surf area parking lot. There are seasonal parking passes for residents and non-residents alike, with a lower charge for town residents as this is a town beach. There are daily fees for non pass-holders.

In one of the parking lots here there is a small wildlife center where the beach meets the Norman Bird Sanctuary and Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge which encompasses 242 acres of marshland.

Pets are not allowed on this beach during the busy season and when they are allowed it is required that they be leashed. Since 2005, the leash law has been strictly enforced by local authorities.

There is a good wind for kite flying although in the summer it is limited to the far eastern section of the beach.

The water can be calm but at times there are large waves. There is a small surfing section on the west end of the beach that fills up when the waves are consistent.

In the spring a section of this beach is fenced off in order to protect nesting Piping Plovers a federally protected bird species which inhabits the area.

Sachuest Beach (Second Beach), RI, is accessible for people with disabilities. During the summer there are lifeguards stationed along the length of this beach.

Sachuest Beach (Second Beach), RI, is managed by Middletown's municipal government.

There is a campground just down the road from this beach that has campsites with water and electricity hook ups for families traveling in RVs that wish to stay in the vicinity of Sachuest Beach.

Open water swim races are periodically scheduled in this beach's waters. They require advance registration and skills certification.

Sachuest Point, where the beach is located was threatened by developers in the past. However the local authorities came down on the side of preserving the natural beauty of the area, allowing for rational human enjoyment in relative harmony with the abundant wildlife and clean water found here.

There have been an increasing number of vacation homes going up not far from the beach in recent years.

Less than 16,500 people reside in the town where this beach is located. Around 51% of them are female and 49% male. Estimated household income is higher for people living in the vicinity of this beach than it is on the average in the state of Rhode Island.

Photo ofSecond Beach in the Fall