Burlingame State Park
Quick Facts
Why Charlestown & South County
Charlestown sits along Rhode Island’s southern coast in South County, home to towering 16-foot troll sculptures at Ninigret Park, the Frosty Drew Observatory’s free Friday stargazing nights, and the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, a whimsical art village and curiosity shop that’s drawn visitors for over 60 years. Charlestown’s beaches and Ninigret Pond, a shallow saltwater lagoon protected by a barrier beach, offer classic South County coastal recreation.
Burlingame State Park is a genuine Rhode Island classic — spacious, well-treed sites with a pond beach and an easy paved trail to a scenic waterfall, popular enough that one reviewer finished tent camping in all 50 states here specifically to mark the occasion.
What Makes It Special
- Location: Charlestown, in South County
- Setting: Spacious, well-treed, a genuine Rhode Island classic
- Site type: State park campground
- Amenities: Pond swimming beach, waterfall with paved trail access, picnic and grilling areas, playground
- Recreation: Water activities and hiking
Pro Tips for Booking
Walk the paved trail to the waterfall. It’s easy and scenic, a genuine highlight of staying here.
Visit the Ninigret Park trolls. Two 16-foot sculptures by Danish artist Thomas Dambo are a short drive away, with marked paths leading to each.
Catch a Frosty Drew stargazing night. Free Friday sessions run at the observatory in Ninigret Park.
What to Do Around Here
- Swimming at the pond beach right in the park
- A paved trail to the park’s scenic waterfall
- The Ninigret Park trolls, a short drive away
- Frosty Drew Observatory’s free Friday stargazing nights
- Kayaking Ninigret Pond, a protected saltwater lagoon
