Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Westerly Library and Wilcox Park

    4.6 (16 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Westerly Library and Wilcox Park Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Westerly Library and Wilcox Park

    Recommended Reviews - Westerly Library and Wilcox Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Path to Library
    Alan B.

    If you happen to be in the area, don't miss this gem of a little park. The lovely park can be found in Westerly, RI, adjacent to their beautiful library. We visited this park three times while in the area, and would be delighted to return any time. We enjoyed Koi Restaurant takeout (Koi is excellent) on two occasions, dining on benches across from their perennial garden and fish pond with fountain. Wilcox Park is beautifully landscaped with mature trees, a meadow, a beautiful fish pond with a fountain in the center, and a perennial garden that was still in bloom. It's adjacent to town, with many entrances to the park, and also next to the beautiful Westerly Library building (which also has a memorial on the side). We didn't go into the library, but the building itself is architecturally impressive. We strolled around the park several times, which is not very large, but offers a lovely walk path, which seems to be very popular with joggers, strollers, walkers, etc. If I lived in town, I'd visit this park frequently!

    Don P.

    Wilcox Park is a wonderful and very beautiful Island oasis in the midst of downtown Westerly. Virtually all the walkways are tree lined, providing shaded areas throughout the majority of the park. There are many benches, especially around the pond which provide both open and shaded areas to sit and view the pond and its fountain. Wilcox is not a large park; it's perimeter can be easily walked for exercise in 20 minutes or so, but do linger; spend time to enjoy this treasure with all its natural beauty within the downtown area.

    The Runaway Bunny
    Brian S.

    Music monuments and a Runaway Bunny Wilcox park was created in 1898 when Harriet Wilcox donated the land in the memory of her husband. It has expanded and developed over the years and now dominates the center of historic Westerly. The park is very popular in the warm months and frequently has hordes of people having picnics, throwing around things or just going for a little stroll. It's not especially large but has enough room to spread out from other people and for kids to run around. During the summer it has lots of various festivals and music events and even an Easter egg hunt. The park has lots of rather strange and eccentric monuments including a worker's, woman's, hiker's and war monument. It also has an impressive statue of Christopher Columbus and a a very cool and eye catching piece called The Runaway Bunny. Over the years gardens and trees have sprung up but one of the goals of the original park was to keep spaces open so the people can have a place to enjoy. The perennial gardens were created around 1980 and become a blanket of color during the warm months. Over the years the park has changed and has added monuments, statues, events and other embellishments. However since it inception back in 1898 it remains a place that defines the town of Westerly.

    Kris W.

    Our family's favorite event is the Virtu Art Festival they have every Memorial Day weekend. We look forward to it every year & we usually have no problem finding some great artwork to bring home. They also have Shakespeare in the park during the summer which I have never attended because I have no class. They do such an amazing job keeping the park maintained. There's beautiful flowers & a water fountain to enjoy. Benches are easy to find & it's a great place to relax with a book or to take a walk. The only drawback is that the place can be quite popular with the teenage population in Westerly. Most are polite but sometimes they congregate at the gazebo to smoke cigarettes & use foul language. The park is quite vast though so it's not tough to find a spot of your own.

    Fountain at Wilcox Park
    Suzanne S.

    Wilcox Park is very picturesque, making it perfect for a relaxed stroll. It's a gem in the center of downtown Westerly, populated mostly by locals even on a pretty summer day. There are several varieties of trees in the park, ranging from the everyday to the magnificent, all of which add to the scenery and experience of the place. I enjoy the fact that there is different terrain, including sloping hills and a few staircases. The grounds are very well kept and are pristine. One thing to be aware of: there appears to be no playground at the park, which I find curious. Perhaps they are trying to keep it more historic and serene, but I do feel that a small playground would be an improvement and make the park even more accessible to various people. Definitely worth a visit while in downtown Westerly. It's a gorgeous park.

    See all

    Photo of Sarah A.
    324
    2055
    3021

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 61
    Thanks 0
    Love this 56
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 31
    Thanks 3
    Love this 32
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Brian S.
    255
    1992
    28197

    15 years ago

    Helpful 28
    Thanks 0
    Love this 26
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ben S.
    214
    369
    1205

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Raul P.
    20
    3
    28

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Westerly Library and Wilcox Park

    Review Highlights - Westerly Library and Wilcox Park

    It also has an impressive statue of Christopher Columbus and a a very cool and eye catching piece called The Runaway Bunny.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Parks 441 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Ninigret Park - Disc golf lost and found

    Ninigret Park

    4.5(46 reviews)
    8.7 mi

    A wonderful place to walk around, see giant trolls, an old airfield from WW2, coves/beach…read more Our daughter lives nearby and wildlife conservation biology is her 'thing', so walking around the trails at Ninigret was a fun & informative experience. Rhode Island has 5 giant trolls in various parks, and Ninigret has 2 of them: Greta Granite & Erik Rock. We stayed to the main paths as there are a lot of ticks around. And we saw a couple of fat turkeys who are probably feasting on the ticks. There are tennis courts, picnic area, a playground, observatory & senior center on the grounds. And plenty of parking.

    It's been on my bucket list to check out these wonderful giant trolls out myself. Spent the…read moreafternoon in Rhode Island as an excuse to go exploring for the troll hunt which is gaining popularity, there is five giant trolls hidden across the RI state. Created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these massive sculptures are made from recycled materials and aim to promote conservation. The trolls can be found in various locations. I got to see only 2 of them that I can cross off my mapping for troll's list. * Charlestown's Ninigret Park is home to the Erik Rock and Greta Granite. It's accessible via trails and wooded paths. * Erik Rock lounges beside Little Ninigret Pond. * Greta Granite is located further along a wooded path marked by clues. It's a lot of fun to get on the mapping of the trolls and hunt them out all over the world when you're visiting the areas. It's amazing to experience these pieces of art created and designed by Thomas Dambo.

    Photos
    Ninigret Park - Salt water marsh in the refuge.

    Salt water marsh in the refuge.

    Ninigret Park - Erik

    Erik

    Ninigret Park - Foster Cove

    See all

    Foster Cove

    Barn Island Launch Site

    Barn Island Launch Site

    4.5(2 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    Our favorite salt water launch site. Plenty of parking spaces and the dock is nice, clean, and…read moresecure. Plenty of cleats to tie on. Deep ocean is just a few minutes away with no - no wake zones. The drive to the launch has an interesting castle to look at. The owner has dozens of statues, gargoyles, and perfectly trimmed topiaries. Lots of people kayak from here. Some bring their dogs for a stroll. I've done some fishing and crabbing here. But honestly there are sooooo many mosquitoes and horse flies here and they're relentless! We mostly just use this place to launch our boat- away from the vicious bugs!!

    A great place to…read morestart Barn Island in Stonington is one of the best places to launch a boat in Eastern Ct. It has a huge parking lot but since it is so popular it frequently fills up so people park on the side on the road. No one seems to mind but it does make for a long walk back to your vehicle. The ramp is steep but the water usually deep so it's easy for even a relatively large boat to get under way. Once you are in the water you have several great options. If you are in a kayak you can go north up the Wequetequock river, or south out to Stonington, Long Island Sound, Sandy Pt. or Napatree Point. This whole area was absolutely hammered by the 1938 hurricane and a beach in the area used to be called Kitchen Beach because appliances ripped from cottages were found buried in the sand for decades after the hurricane. Fortunately no hurricanes have hit in a while and the area around Barn Island is called Little Narragansett Bay and is usually quite calm. If you want more excitement in your yaking you can paddle out to Napatree Pt and old Fort Mansfield where rocks, old fishing piers and heavy wind and waves can conspire to give you a near death experience if you desire. Pretty good surfing out by Napatree also. For something less exciting you can go over to Watch Hill and get ice cream and some good seafood or just land on a isolated beach on Sandy Point Island. This was actually a part of Napatree but the hurricane literally tore the spit of land away and is now a rolling island. If you go east you can explore the very cool town of Stonington. Barn Island is a great place to launch no matter what your intentions are or abilities are. Just make sure you get there early during the summer weekends or you just might be in for a long walk to get back to your vehicle.

    Photos
    Barn Island Launch Site - Launch site. Port a potties. Bulletin board. Fishing line recycling bin.

    Launch site. Port a potties. Bulletin board. Fishing line recycling bin.

    Barn Island Launch Site - Launch site.

    Launch site.

    Barn Island Launch Site

    See all

    Long Pond Nature Area - Long Pond

    Long Pond Nature Area

    4.9(9 reviews)
    8.1 mi

    So if you've ever seen the Wes Anderson movie "Moonrise Kingdom" - and you've hiked this trail to…read moreLong Pond - you'll recognize the scenery around the pond from the top of a massive glacial boulder. Regardless of its Hollywood connections (and my hats off to the camera crew and actors for getting up there!), this is quite the hiking area, though not for the faint-hearted. It does involve a bit of clambering up and down boulders, so be sure to bring a stout set of hiking boots or shoes ... and I'd recommend long pants to deal with the rocks and branches as you're more than likely to be finding yourself scooching down them on your butt at some points. (Yours truly wore only cross-trainers and boy did I regret it: I could not get any traction to summit that huge glacial formation and had to settle vicariously for the distant oohs and ahhs of wonderment from my wife and daughter). We started at the North Road trailhead for the main Narragansett Trail which is marked by yellow blazes but be aware (or beware?) that the turn-off to this spectacular view of the pond - while marked by a big red arrow on a rock - is an unmarked trail, so be sure to take mental pictures of the turns and forks so you don't get lost on the way back. But it sure is worth making this deviation! The main trial can be quite the hike and the opposite direction will take you into Connecticut if you so wish. There is supposed to be another unmarked trail opposite the one going to Long Pond which will take you to Ell Pond, but we weren't able to find the entrance to that trail from the main one - we're guessing probably because it's less traveled and maintained. In addition to Long pond, we were impressed by the large amount of rhododendrons in the forest - we promised ourselves to visit in the spring when they'd be blossoming as that must be a sight to see. This Narragansett Trail area is definitely worth repeat visits! Please note that there are no privys or running water at the trailhead - and parking areas are sparse.

    The Long Pond-Ell Pond Nature Area is a spectacular location to stretch your legs and take in some…read morefantastic views of rural Rhode Island. As an avid hiker in the White Mountains of New Hampshire... it was wonderful to find beauty in one's own backyard. It was a crisp Saturday afternoon that I found myself driving down a dirt road in Hopkinton to the Long Pond trailhead. The drive down North Road (aka Old Rockville Road) itself was even enjoyable. The narrow dirt road meandered through branches, heavy with yellowed leaves until the obvious intersection of a couple of cars with several pull offs. There is room for 2 cars at this trailhead, with a pull off for another 2 just before the small parking area. The trail is well-marked with yellow blazes on the trees. Be mindful of who is participating in this hike... it isn't quite simply a leisurely walk in the woods. There are many rock scrambles, some elevation gain, and quite a bit of maneuvering to go to and fro. As you head down the trail from the parking area I mentioned, you reach a crossroads of sorts. If you turn left you hike a short ways until you reach a very large rock formation. At the top is wonderful outlook onto Long Pond. It is a great place to lunch. If you turn right you head toward views of Ell Pond (I didn't go this way on my trip). If you head "straight" which is actually kind of towards the right as well you descend into a forested valley and towards other adventures in the area. The hike to this crossroads is quite manageable and a quick trip. The beauty of this area is that you can make your hike as long or as short as you'd like. It is not a loop so you can decide to turn back at any point and be quite aware of how far and long it will take you. Great in any season I am sure... Fall was perfect. Wish I had gone when there was a bit more foliage to look at but stunning none-the-less. Quiet, serene, a joy to visit. I will most certainly visit this area again and traverse more of its trails. Be sure to wear your blaze orange during hunting season, September to February generally. I'm not sure how much hunting is allowed in this area but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

    Photos
    Long Pond Nature Area - Perfect lunch spot with a view!

    Perfect lunch spot with a view!

    Long Pond Nature Area
    Long Pond Nature Area - Long Pond

    See all

    Long Pond

    Stonington Point

    Stonington Point

    4.4(9 reviews)
    5.2 mi

    Stonington Point is one of those rare places that reminds you just how lucky we are to live in New…read moreEngland. Approaching it by boat is hands‑down the best way to experience it--the harbor opens up into a postcard‑perfect view, with calm water, historic homes, and that unmistakable coastal charm that feels both timeless and effortless. The natural beauty here is stunning. On a clear day, the water glows, the sky stretches wide, and the shoreline looks like something out of a painting. Whether you're cruising in, dropping anchor nearby, or just drifting past, it's the kind of spot that instantly slows you down and makes you appreciate where you are. There's a peacefulness to Stonington Point that's hard to describe until you've seen it from the water. It's serene, scenic, and uniquely New England in all the best ways. For locals, it's a reminder of how spoiled we truly are. For visitors, it's a must‑see glimpse into the coastal beauty we get to enjoy every day. A 5‑star destination for anyone who loves the ocean, the shoreline, and those perfect quiet moments that make this corner of the world so special. Enjoy

    This little peninsula juts out into the ocean: If you look to your left (SSE) you may be able to…read moresee the tip of Watch Hill, RI (or due east, all the way right, Sandy Point Island, CT) and if you look kind of straight out (SSW), slightly right, you'll see the tip of Fisher Island, NY. Big, open, lovely views of the water. It is often windy here. Basically, Stonington Point is a sandy lot where you can park your car. There is a sea wall around the point to prevent further erosion (light house used to be closer to this location), a flag pole with memorial and a cute little beach area with stone jetties on either side to the west side of the point. This is where we park when visiting the Stonington Light house which is just past the beach on the right hand side (walking north). Water Street is the only access to Stonington Point, and although a two-way thoroughfare, cars are allowed to park along the curb, making it one-car wide in many places. Be prepared to 'pull over' temporarily where possible to allow cars to pass. There is not too much traffic this far away from the main town areas but enough to use caution. If you are a walker, Cannon Square is a five minute walk north (0.3miles). There you will find two cannons and memorials to the soldiers who defended Stonington from the British in 1814. This area is mostly homes, no little shops or cafes and the sidewalks are not shaded. Enjoy!

    Photos
    Stonington Point
    Stonington Point
    Stonington Point

    See all

    Westerly Library and Wilcox Park - parks - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...