Watch Hill is a very wealthy area of Westerly with old mansions and a beautiful beach that extends into Napatree Point, a mile long, narrow peninsula which at one time, prior to the 1938 hurricane,was the site of hotels and cottages.The hurricane totally destroyed the buildings, which were never replaced. The land is now a nature preserve, open to the public. You can walk, swim, and explore the old World War 1 defense battery.
After a hike and swim, do take a ride on the Flying Horse Carousel at the end of Bay Street. The colorful carved wooden horses with real tails and manes do fly through the air. Local residents claim that this carousel, built by the Dere Company of New York, in 1879, is the nation's oldest.
From journal Westerly-an unknown treasure