Wilcox Park

I visit my husband’s family in Westerly every other year, and I always look forward to a peaceful stroll in Wilcox Park. Thank you for maintaining such a lovely green space right downtown!

Such a nice park right in the middle of town. It is set back behind the buildings so in all the times I have been to Westerly I have never even noticed it. I was downtown doing some stuff and I noticed it behind the library. Very nice place to walk and good location.

Beautiful
Manageable
Convenient
This is possibly my favorite park… period.
This lush green space is perfectly balanced between having enough variation and areas of interest, and yet being easily navigated in total during a single visit. The pond with fountain on the High Street end, the large open space at its heart, the various elevations of walking path through and around the park, just the right mix of shade and exposure, the beautifully maintained flora, the war memorial, the small plaza with fountain at the south end, the Runaway Bunny mentioned by others — it’s just right.
My family can walk around, lounge, play Frisbee or other games, sit by a fountain, and then go enjoy other parts of Westerly’s wonderful downtown… and still have a desire to come back to Wilcox Park for the same activities later that day. A particular favorite is getting some exercise in, then getting a pretzel and drink at The Malted Barley, only to return and walk it off.
Sometimes simplicity is perfection, and for me, Wilcox Park comes as close to that as I can ask for.
Highest recommendation.

Wilcox park! On vacation with my kids, and wife, just went for the evening walk, took lots of fun pictures, play for a bit with them, and and enjoy the rime and walk with them on this nice park !!! And the cool events !! The bunny you have to love it lol!!!

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.

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.

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.

The big event in the park is usually Summer Pops (this year it is June 20^th) people go and camp out with blankets and upscale picnic baskets while their kids run around the clear areas usually waving glow necklaces and lots of good music plays… ending with the 1812 overture and cannon fire! But WAIT! BIG fireworks display at the end.
When it is not the Summer Pops the park is home to many fun areas to escape too. A huge hill is home to many childhood sledding memories. A pond to feed the fish (sometimes ducks) and look for turtles/​frogs. A gazebo at one end… a mysterious bridge at another (I always wondered if a troll lived under it). LARGE open fields to throw frisbee or fly a kite. Some big trees! Flowers! (And other events and festivals).
There is also a big kid friendly library next door… which is good because there is no playground per se… just some statues that kids like to climb on.

14 acres of beautiful green space a stone’s throw from the historic center of Westerly, RI. Lots of shade, benches, paths, and fountains. Great for a picnic or keep an eye out for one of the many festivals they have here throughout the summer months!