After driving through Ocean Avenue, that's how I discovered Gooseberry beach. Passing by, I was convinced it had to be private. The fact it's small and in the middle of a neighborhood full of mansions made me believe I'd never step foot on this premisses. $20 to park the car, however, there was no additional entrance charge. A small lot, but nowhere near full when we arrived at 11:30 one Thursday morning. I really like this beach and feel it's worth both the drive and price for the following reasons: It has just the right amount of people, neither too crowded nor completely isolated. Rocks not far from the shore were a nice change in scenery, along with the historic Newport mansions off in the near distance. There's a cute snack shack to grab lunch or a little bite to eat as well. A trailer within the lot has a men's and women's bathroom. Two stalls in the ladies room. Clean and just right for this beach. Swimming wise, there weren't many waves. I was also surprised as to how much seaweed floated around. But, I still enjoyed being in the water nonetheless. I also love the fact I'm in Newport. Everyone makes their way to Narragansett Beach or Easton's. The traffic to either place is horrendous, never mind finding a spot to park. Driving in circles for 20 minutes is a given. But not here. It's nice to know there's a 'secret' beach not only in such a high class town, but also close to the heart of downtown Newport as well. The exclusivity Gooseberry beach offers the everyday person is exciting. It's truly a hidden gem, and definitely worth a visit. read more

Stopped on ocean drive. It was a nice day and nice views of the area. Not sure if the water was cold but the sand was nice.

Great little beach that's perfect for swimming and grabbing a light snack at the beach stand! Stopped by on a weekday, $30 per car and then you have access to the beach and concession stand. There's also a place to change, an outdoor shower to rinse off and two bathrooms. Can't wait to go back read more

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Gooseberry is a nice spot to chill out and get your beach on. Nice places to eat and socialize. We went swimming in the water which was 78 degrees. My first time ever coming on here, because my last trips to Rhode Island were in the Winter months. Yeah, it was worth my $30 dollars of parking, because we did take advantage of our whole stay and space at the beach. Place was clean. Nice outdoor showers, and nice people to be around. I will be coming back next summer. read more

While we are visiting out of peak season, we were not seeking the beach to swim or sun. We seek the beach for the breeze and the sounds. Such a rejuvenating experience! This beach was an easy walk with several large rocks to explore around. It was definitely among my favorite locations to stop, breathe and appreciate the blessings of our lives. read more

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Beautiful beach in the water is always very nice. It can sometimes be a little spotty if they allow people there that don't have the pass. Hard to even check in advance, so you kind of just have to go and hope. This is my favorite beach in the Newport area, and it's never very crowded. At least compared to some of the bigger beaches. read more

Amazing views and very clean. My favorite beach in Rhode Island. Great for the family.

Cute little beach! More like goosebump beach cause I decided to come and relax for a bit mid September. Despite the chill,!it was really nice to sit back and relax on a clean and pretty quiet. The sand was soft and powdery and felt like flour when you sink your feet into the inviting sand. Just a really nice escape from the same old same old and conveniently on or near Ocean Drive. Another plus, The restrooms was still available after Labor Day. read more

Gooseberry Beach - Nice even on a cloudy day! - Beaches Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

Rocks waves and really big houses Gooseberry Beach is one of the unknown beaches of Newport. It certainly looks like one of the very private local beaches but if you are willing to drop the 15 or 20 bucks for parking anyone can use it. The sands is nice, the beach clean, the water as warm as can be expected and the views are wonderful. A nice combination of lovely ocean, rocks and very, very large Newport houses. This beach never seems to get as crowded as other RI beaches, probably because most people don't know it exists. I've biked past here for many years and always assumed it was private until a friend told me about it. The beach is rather small so it's not a place for long walks but it is pretty protected so it's a nice place for kids and poor swimmers. On occasion the beach does get some huge, crashing waves but the wind has to be just right. Most of the time the water is very calm for the open ocean. The parking lot isn't that large but it never seems to really fill up. There is a little concession type of place and changing rooms that are convenient if not spectacular. Sure the parking is high but not outrageous considering the area. And you can park somewhere else and do a nice bike ride down Bellevue and Ocean Ave and then stop in for a quick dip in the ocean. A cool little beach that has a friendly, quiet and peaceful feel. Definitely not a place to go to go crazy, make a lot of noise and act like an idiot. One of Newport's lovely spots that few people know about. read more

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We've been coming here for at least 5 years. We like it because it's kid friendly, has bathrooms with sinks, a snack shack (with good food and ice cream). It's not a long walk from The parking lot to the beach. Beach is pretty, kids like finding hermit crabs and other creatures. However after today, i don't think we can come back. The lifeguard told us we couldn't use our umbrella anywhere except at the far end of the beach close the dunes. This is impossible for us to do with small children who only want to play in the ocean. He told us our umbrella was a "cabana" or tent and they aren't allowed. We used it last week no problem . Just because it has 4 canvas sides that we put sand in to keep it from blowing away. It's the same size as all The other umbrellas on the beach. Pretty upset by this and won't be returning. read more

We have been coming to Gooseberry Beach for over 20 years. We love to ride our bikes to the beach. We were told today no walk-ons or bikers allowed unless we were members or had season passes. When we asked why, we were told it was for safety reasons. ???? They are nervous about Uber drivers dropping off passengers. This makes no sense. There were several bikes in the bike rack. They are only allowing cars in for $30.00. We were told today we could stay but next time we had to drive our car. This new policy makes no sense and is So disappointing!! read more

Members and daily pass members mostly is the best part of the very special place. It is very serene here. They have a great snack bar shack too. The staff is outstanding and extremely nice to deal with! Thank you gooseberry!! read more

The water at this beach is filled with seaweed because it's in a cove that does not allow for the water to move a lot. We were there when it was low tide, there were rocks that some people went out to, but you had to trudge through grass/ seaweed to get there. It was our first time there (and in Newport) and we were disappointed. read more

I have been coming here for many years but I think this will be my last. There was red tide like all the others now. There are no waves at all but more importantly as a paying guest they make you feel like a second class citizen. This beach is 25, where the others are 15. They now make you park in the back of the lot far away from the amenities. I guess for the price, I feel like I shouldn't have to use different bathrooms/ parking/ etc. I get it , it's part of a private club ;at the same time, if they don't want paying guests they should say so. They also have micromanaging rules. read more

No complaints here about this beach! Sand was so clean and soft. You could walk out to the rocks, the water was so shallow! We saw tons of hermit crabs and jelly fish! Not very windy so that was a bonus. We had seaweed one day but you walk out a bit further and it's all gone. Water is gentle and warm! The food shack is very reasonably priced but nothing really too healthy on the menu. We paid $15 during the week and $20 on the weekend. Well worth the price I think compared to the other public beaches in Newport! read more

Nice quiet Beach on Ocean Drive Newport. Snack shack, good food,nice clean bathroom. Family beach away from crowds. read more

Gooseberry Beach - Beaches Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

Gooseberry Beach in my book definitely tops the list for best public access beach in Newport. Second Beach in Middletown is my favorite on Aquidneck Island, but most days it gets so crowded that both the main parking lots and the overflow lots fill up by noon. If you want just as nice of an experience, come to Gooseberry. Gooseberry is unique in a sense that it is still a private beach: there are members who pay dues every year and have access to private bathhouses, but the general public is still allowed to come in if they wish and pay the daily parking fee. I don't think a whole lot of people know this about Gooseberry, seeing as it is sandwiched between Hazard's and Bailey's Beaches which are both private beaches that are strictly members only so it is refreshing to relax without a whole bunch of people around you. I like being able to swim out to the rocks during low tide and get a nice view of the ocean. There is also a floating raft that's popular with kids that you can dive off of. Besides Hazard's, I don't know of any other beach in the area that has a floating raft you can swim out to. The waves are fairly small, so it's a perfect beach to bring your children too. Kids love all of the hermit crabs at the bottom but just be careful, they do pinch a little bit if you step on them. I thought the food shack had a fairly large and unique menu for a beach. There are your standard foods (burger, fries), and there are other different foods like gazpacho! I bought the gazpacho, which was refreshingly cool, light and slightly spicy: I wish more beaches offered food like that! A nice calm family friendly beach, Gooseberry is worth a beach trip. read more

Got dropped off by an Uber only for a very rude young lady to tell me they aren't taking "walk-ons" today because of a baby shower. I sort of understood that, beyond the strange practice of allowing someone to rent out an entire public beach. We asked her if there was anywhere nearby to walk to, and she told us there were several beaches nearby that were within walking distance. She directed us to a beach down ocean Avenue that was covered in seaweed and rocks. Bad service, bad attitude and THATS the tea read more

One of the best beaches I've been too. I was there in the offseason, so not sure how crowded it gets, but the views, rocks, kayaks surroundings are incredible. read more

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I totally thought forever that this was a private beach club beach given its location on ocean drive. It pays to poke your head in random places folks! well unless there's a guard dog, but that's a Connecticut story for a later time. This is a nice cozy (pocket sized) beach and it has the cleanest softest sand of any beach in Rhode Island I've been to. Don't go expecting huge waves, it's pretty calm water and I love how there are rock islands within wading distance. This will be my new go to in the state for farmer tan eradication. Watch out everyone because i get BAD farmer tans. read more

This is a small but beautiful beach. The water is super clean. The bathroom is very nice. It's not crowded at all.

$20 daily car pass. Clean beach. Small. But beautiful. Some weeds. But I'm ok with that! They have rentals and a cute little food shack.

Great beach for family. Clean and just enough room, not insanely crowded like the other popular tourist beaches. They have a great little good shack that has fresh ingredients and plenty of healthy options. Love this beach. read more

This beach is wonderful, and great for kids! It has hundreds of water hermit crabs crawling around and they are cool to collect and great to watch them crawl back in to their natural habitats. You are very much likely to spot a starfish sitting on his rock or large crabs in a few areas where you'll find other visitors crab fishing! The beach is lovely and active with so much wildlife and not very crowded, this is my favorite beach in Rhode Island! read more

Love this place! We bring our kids every year, perfect for them to splash around and have a little freedom because the waves aren't huge!

The beach is very nice, small waves, great for kids. Unfortunately the staff does not maintain the area and the lifeguards never leave their chairs. Found more than a little trash at the water line and in the shallows. A milk carton was floating not twenty feet from the lifeguard chair and the guards never picked it up, eventually it wash ashore and sat there all day. The rest rooms were filthy and I mean really filthy, disgusting conditions. The management has a responsibility to its customers to perform basic tasks, like cleaning the rest rooms and picking up what uncaring people leave behind. This beach could be a real gem if the staff was a little more motivated. read more

Gooseberry is a small semi private beach on the start of Ocean Drive. It's a very family friendly beach with life guards, some community beach toys (presumably toys left on the beach through the years) and no waves to speak of which makes it safer for small kids. Although being such a family friendly beach when it''s busy, there are TONS of kids. Take that as a plus or minus, whichever you prefer. They are usually collecting crabs and other sea life in their buckets for hours. It's very picturesque with stunning homes on the hills and large rocks to swim to and climb on. Many water birds sunning themselves and flying about is a nice addition. There is also a floating dock to swim out to that is quite fun. The water can be crystal clear a bit off shore and nice for snorkeling. The visibility can be quite far and you can spot some blackfish (Tautog) and an occasional striper if you're lucky. Other than that not much in the way of fish. There is a kayak rack and it's a tremendous spot to kayak whether you paddle around the boats and rocks or go further out and take on the white water crashing the rocks further out. That's a personal favorite myself. There are public bathrooms and showers and if you're a member you can use the dining facility, bathhouses, deck and grills. They also have a snack shack with some quality food, not just the generic salmonella burger or scrap meat hot dog. I often come down here off season and climb the rock to watch the ocean or play in the cool sand with my young son. It's serene when there's no one else there and it's nice the property owners don't seem to have a problem with that. (or so I think). You can buy a season pass for $200, which is what I do, or pay per park. I believe $20 during peak times. Get away from the tourists at 1st and 2nd beach. I love this beach and highly recommend it. read more

I wanted to be able to put in 4 stars, but I'm disappointed after everything I read about gooseberry beach. There is trash everywhere. For a beach on ocean ace surrounded by beautiful homes, I'm sadly surprised by how filthy it is. There are napkins everywhere on the sand and pieces of food here and there. For how much it costs to park on a weekday, they should take better care of the place. read more

You are right. Gooseberry is beautiful! But the photo listed is not Gooseberry. Both the photos are of Bailey's Beach, next door. The one with the fence is the beginning of the Cliff Walk, at Bailey's. Gooseberry beach is actually prettier! read more

Perfectly tucked away so it's not too crowded. The parking is a bit pricey ($20.00) but it's worth it.

Gooseberry beach is a fine beach that is well-maintained. While the lifeguards enforce rules that may seem unfair, it is understandable for the safety and comfort for those around them. Large umbrellas block other people's views, along with lifeguard's views scanning the beach, so it is a reasonable rule to have. Staff is friendly and likes to joke around, food stand is outstanding, and the water is just unbelievable. Love it here and will be returning. read more

We go to this beach many times throughout the summer and its definitely worth the drive from dedham ma. Our 6 year old has loved it since she was 1 and a half. The cafe is the best beach side cafe ive ever been to, having high quality food and many healthy choices. The lobster roll is my favorite! The beach itself is a protected cove, clean and most of the time free of obstusive seaweed. Kids can find hermit crabs, periwinkles and sometimes fish. The staff is pleasant and helpful! read more

Gooseberry was a nice enough beach - it wasn't overcrowded, wasn't too loud or raucous. There was quite a bit of red tide going on but that clearly can't be helped. However, I'm incredibly disappointed that the parking online is listed at $10 and it's actually $20. I get that I should've had more cash (I had $15 and my beach companion didn't have any); at least I found enough loose change in the car! But the inaccurate pricing online, combined with the attendant's "yeah, that sucks that it's wrong, huh?" made me way less inclined to go back when Second Beach is just as nice. read more

WARNING!!!! Beach is NOT! Handicap friendly! They have limited handicap parking and will not accommodate!

My husband were riding our bikes along Ocean Drive last July 2016 (staying at the Ocean Cliff ) and stumbled along Gooseberry Beach. We were so amazed as to how beautiful it was we went back to our resort packed up the car and drove back and stayed for the day. We LOVED the beach, it was immaculate. Even a worker came over to us and put our umbrella up for us. We are currently staying at the Ocean Cliff. Finally we have a sunny day and that is where were are going. Adorable snack bar with great prices and beautiful sand. read more