Hidden Gem...

At least it was to us.  We decided to take advantage of the week between when preschool ends and most other schools get out for the summer - figuring less traffic, crowds and all around hassle.  I always love trying out new places and thought perhaps South County, RI.  Pre-twins, Kurt & I spent a lovely day on an ocean view bike path down there and I've always wondered what else there was to see.  Turns out quite a bit really!

Day one we decided to stop & take a RI Bay Cruise on our way down to our hotel.  The dock was in the middle of an industrial shipping area that was unlike anything I'd seen before.  Aidan was THRILLED to find out that the just-one-year-old catamaran was named the Ava Pearl since his favorite friend from preschool is named Ava.  We saw 10 lighthouses, Newport Harbor, a house built into a rock and lots of other cool RI landmarks.  A very enjoyable trip indeed.  And as Aidan kept saying, "WOW, the Ava Pearl goes really fast!".

Killing time waiting in line for the potty.

M braving the high speed winds experienced on the front deck.

HOT HOT day and the sun and wind took a lot out of them!

We checked in at an adorable little motel in Charlestown, RI.  Lots of excellent reviews on tripadvisor.com and a reasonable price to boot.  Room was small, but very clean and had a kitchen and spacious bathroom.  The owner was super friendly and gave gifts to M&A.  She clearly takes pride in her motel and you could tell by the little touches. 

Somewhat overpriced dinner (I think we are spoiled by the 99 kids' meals) and it was still almost 90 degrees, so we decided to check out the local beach.  It was gorgeous with soft sand and good size waves.   Aidan almost didn't wear a swimsuit, but that would have been a big mistake.  The kids spent almost 2 hours splashing in the waves.  As per usual, Aidan was making friends and even gave out our home address in the event they ever wanted to visit us (we did discuss the appropriateness of that at a later time).

We'll only briefly mention the Aidan's urgent #2 at a beach where the bathrooms closes at 5pm incident.  Luckily Kurt had a very creative solution!

Braving the cold water while Mom rested on the beach.

Sleeping in a room with 2 double beds, 2 adults and 2 wiggly kids is never ideal; but I'd say it went better than expected.  Quick takeout breakfast from Dunkin' Donuts (another plus for the motel location) and we decided to try another local beach called Blue Shutters.  80 plus degrees at 9am and another gorgeous beach with soft sand, minimal rocks and even bigger waves.

Merman Aidan

 

After a little nudge from me, Daddy & Maddie spent lots of time together braving the waves.

Proud of their castle

 

Just a quick trip, but well worth it!  South County, RI beaches were beautiful and it is a much less crowded and commercial area than the cape.  As Kurt said, "there's nothing like the cape", but this is a close second for me (tropical destinations excluded).

A great start to our summer!!!!