Salty Brine State Beach

One of my favorite beaches a Rhode Island.
This is the quintessential New England beach in the quintessential New England Beachtown. Definitely a place to come lay out listen to music drink a beer and eat some delicious seafood. The town of Galilee is beautiful and quaint and you will not stop taking pictures.
From the beach you will be able to see passing boots being chased by hordes of birds, a beautiful sunset and free street parking for four hours! How can you beat that! Also the local is a very friendly and nice andmake everyone feel welcome. Definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to a New England.

I love this beach, but parking and inconvenience just knocked off a star for me. The beach itself has little to no seaweed or rocks which is amazing since I despise both at the beach. The water is very clear, with moderate/​small waves. While the beach is small, it can get super crowded. The people I see here is usually just families with their kids. Last time I came was a Sunday and wow… it was unbelievable. Every single parking lot was full including the backyards that people rent out for parking. It was crazy. We literally waited to see it if anyone would leave and luckily someone did. The beach was the most full I had ever seen it. I definitely recommend coming during the week where there is less people. The facilities & bathrooms were really nice with separate showers to get all the sand and stickiness off of you. The food stand they have –salty’s landing — was so good. The clam strip roll, fries and fish sandwich were so good. Definitely a must have. The chowder and clam cakes were decent but not worth it. The clam cakes especially were fried balls of dough with hardly any clam, not appetizing. All in all this beach is one of my favorites because of the facilities/​food options and cleanliness of the water, but I won’t make the mistake of coming on a weekend again.
Parking:2.5
Food:4.5
Beach:5

I’m a total beach bum and admittedly, I unfortunately have not been to all of the beaches in RI, however; I have been to a fair share. Salty Brine State Beach is definitely not one of my favorites.
I remember coming here as a child when my family from CT would rent a cottage for the week in Point Judith and we’d visit the area beaches, Salty Brine was one of them. Of course, as a child, I was thrilled with any beach. As an adult, this place leaves a lot to be desired.
Let’s start with first things first, this place is a pain in the bum to get to. I personally HATE traffic and I hate tourists; both of which there are plenty of around this area. It’s never an easy feat trying to get here because there are tons of people walking the streets to hop on the Block Island Ferry and are idiots through the entire process.
Also, there are way too many children at Salty Brine. That having been said, it’s a great family beach! If you have young ones, I’d highly recommend going here. The beach is clean, there aren’t a ton of rocks and shells, the waves are minimal and there is a nice pavilion with showers, restrooms and usually a Del’s and/​or ice cream stand.
Until I have children, you won’t catch me here alone or with my other childless friends.

This is a true gem. Beach is clean, bathrooms are constantly being cleaned and the staff are the most hard working young people you will find anywhere. Kudos especially to Molly, Brian, Jack and Mia and their supervisor Mary for making this the place to go for a relaxing true Rhode Island day.

My utmost favorite beach in Rhode Island.
Quiet, entertaining with the ferries and boats coming in and out of the inlet.
Clean Clean bathrooms.
Some days there are waves, and other days there are no waves, but this is ok!
Most of all, it’s family oriented and respectable people visit this beach.

Good family friendly beach but pretty small. The parking lot was full today, weekday and off season so I guess you have to just drive around until you find parking. I prefer more secluded, bigger beaches myself but some people may like the atmosphere here with all the restaurants nearby

I haven’t been to too many RI beaches, but I think this one was easy to get to and not too crowded. There is a cool view of the boats coming in and out of the port. This location is right by the Block Island ferry stop. Nearby you can eat at a few restaurants or buy some fresh seafood and make it yourself! Parking was easy and cheaper if you are an RI resident, with a few, cheaper private parking locations down the street as well. Water was warm (end of august), but not sure how clean it is due to its proximity to the port. I’ve heard you can run down to the next beach easily (which you can see from Salty Brine). The bathrooms are apparently new, but I didn’t find them to be too clean (again, I don’t have to many other RI beaches to compare to). There are no trashcans so you have to take your own litter. Overall easy to access, park, and find a nice spot to lay out. Glad there was food nearby, esp Buster Crab’s!

This lil’ strip of beach is tucked right next to the Pt. Judith waterway. The location provides some great views of the boats coming in and out of Rhody’s largest fishing port. The Block Island ferry runs out of this port as well.
The water seems clean and the sand is superfine (hauled in every season by the state). Since it’s small, a lot of people are jammed into a very small area. It can feel a bit claustrophobic. You also have George’s and Champlain’s serving up food a few yards away. These two food joints also serve up alcohol which can make for some interesting people watching.
The lot is small for the state beach, but there is a ton of free parking on the street within a quarter mile if you don’t mind a short walk.
It has a feel of a boardwalk beach with a recently revamped deck and walkway along the sea wall.
The waves are pretty decent for the young crowd. There tends to be a noticeable drop-​off about five feet into the water which makes it hard for toddlers to chase waves back and forth. There also can be fishing line and glass on the beach so I recommend beach shoes.
Facilities are kept pretty clean. Cold showers only. They do offer a family changing room with a bathroom for folks like me with a gaggle of kids to wrangle at potty time.
For experiencing the fishing port for all it’s worth, this beach has lots to offer. As far as beach-​going pleasure, I do prefer going to spots with a bit more blanket room.

I have lived in Rhode Island for about 2 years now and had no idea about this place. It is one of the smallest beaches in this state right by Gailee.
Since the beach is small, parking can be a little rough in the state lots, however, there is a ton of FREE, yes FREE, four hour parking around. If you feel like you are going to be later, I saw signs for parking between $ 7 and $ 15. Which is not bad if you are comparing it to other beaches.
One of the best parts of this beach is the lack of rocks and the proximity to the water. I love Horseneck in Mass, but sometimes I feel like I need river shoes to walk on the beach. You are really close to the water too, which is nice for quick dips.
The other added bonus is the eateries in the area. Most restaurants have walk up windows so if you forgot beach snacks, never fear, they have you covered. Georges is right beside this beach and Buster Krabs is right across the street. Not bad I must say. Two ice cream shops are close by too.
The bathroom and showers are also well maintained. It smells very clean too, which is a plus and a half in my book. The beach is maintained well and there is hardly any trash tumbleweeds floating around.

Honestly I can’t really add much to the two previous reviews, I will say it’s great along with a trip to nearby Buster Krabs for lunch or afternoon drinks. There are also a few places to grab an ice cream cone nearby. You’ll have a nice day here, the folks are friendly. [photos]

I found this beach a few weeks ago and am a serious convert. Nice, real people. Mutual respect with regard to noisiness and personal space. And best of all, you can walk away from your stuff without worry that someone is going to go through your bag when you are gone.
The bathroom facilities are new and a clean no-​touch system. They even provide a HOT shower for a few quarters… I think it’s a dollar.
It’s a carry-​in carry-​out beach, so you don’t have any garbage cans on the premises and nobody litters. It’s unbelievable.
And finally the water is swimmable!!! You can see your feet if the waves dont kick up too much sand, and sometimes there are little guppies here and there. No real seaweed issues either. It’s amazing to think it’s right near the the point Judith ferries. There are several jetties protecting the shore as well, which might keep the undesirable things away.
NEXT… FOOD:
I love Salty’s Landing. I had gone to George’s and Champlin’s, and they were ok (not a fan of the chowder or the service), but one day I decided to visit the little concession stand to see if perhaps they had something that wasn’t fried beyond recognition. Their fish sandwich came fried but they grilled it for me and it was incredibly good. Fresh fish, veggies, etc. They also serve Baby Elliot’s Lemonade, which rivals Dell’s and is so much tastier. And FRESH BREWED REAL Iced Tea. And sweet potato fries!!! All this was under 10 bucks. The sandwich was about 5 and the fries about 3 and the drink was about 2 as well. I am a convert!
If you are feeling ready for classic beach food, try the chowder and clam cakes. Neither will make you feel weighed down. I think Salty’s Landing makes everything fresh and it keeps our bellies happy. The tastiest, fluffiest, crunchiest clamcakes I have ever had. And i have had my share.
And when you are ready for some ice cream, i recommend the one right under Champlins… get the Mud Pie: Espresso Coffee ice cream with OREOS. Frankly, UNBELIEVABLE and totally homemade!!!
So there you have it people, fresh, tasty (and dare I say, healthy?) beach food awaits you at an adorable and relaxing beach in RI.
So how to get there? Not sure I should tell you. It might stop being a well known secret ;)
Just kidding. Just take 95 to route 4 — 1 and follow signs for Galilee and the Point Judith Ferry. Enjoy!

So as I’ve been telling people I went to the beach yesterday they ask where, and I say Salty Brine, and their response is «where?»
Their response is justified because this is the smallest beach I’ve ever been to. Still, I’m going to give it a good review because even though it is small, it still has everything you need in a beach. Of course I mean sand and water…
No, really, I like this beach a lot… for a weekday. Everything is clean (beach, water, bathrooms, and shower). Also, the water is warmer than the water at the Westerly beaches. Salty Brine is one bookend to a span of beaches, the other end being Roger Wheeler State beach with a bunch of private beaches in between. This composition actually makes for a great running beach. I would say the distance between the 2 state beaches is about ½ mile; I ran it back and forth twice and it felt like a nice short run. What makes this a great running beach is that the private beaches take away from the crowds so it is easy to run unobstructed. At low tide the sand is firm and there were few to no shells, rocks, or seaweed.
On top of it being a good running beach, there are actually a fair amount of food options. On the beach itself is Salty’s Landing — a basic food stand with picnic tables on a deck. Next to the beach are George’s and Champlin’s seafood restaurants. Both have outdoor deck seating. I can’t tell you the quality of the food at any of the places because I brought my own food, but it’s definitely nice to have options.
In addition to looking out on the beautiful water, Salty Brine also has the Block Island ferry and other boats coming in and out of the channel for your viewing pleasure. You can climb upon the large rock wall and take in the boating sites.
The one draw back to this place is the noise of the turbine. While it’s a pretty cool site, it also is a little noisy — though I feel like in the end it’s easy to tune out.
In conclusion, a great weekday beach. Check it out.