Jamestown & Newport Ferry

Best deal for the money. For 20 $ you can go all across from Jamestown to Newport with several stops where you can get off the ferry and spend an hour there. We found this gem during our last visit to Jamestown and took our friends on the ferry. It was beautiful. Cpt very friendly and staff friendly. We will go back there and take the ferry again! Stopped in Newport, walked to the cliff walk, saw mansions and for 2 bucks took the trolley bus back into town.

Make sure you get a smiley face stamp on your hand once you pay and get onto the dock. The kid who was manning the station in Newport was more than happy to take our money but didn’t bother to stamp us, which led to some confusion at our first stop, once we tried to return to the boat after stepping out for a restroom break.
Other than that, it’s a short little ride – you get to see the tall ships and some of the Newport mansions. It’s nice to be on the water, and for $ 10 per person (cash only!), it’s really not that bad. But it’s no spectacular guided tour, either. Overall, I’m happy I did it, because I love being out on the water, but it’s not something I’d be tripping over myself to recommend, either.

Visiting Newport for a week and staying in Jamestown, we picked out a day that would be good for us to take the ferry from Jamestown to Newport. We wanted to not only use the ferry as transportation, but as a fun experience.
We stopped by on a Thursday morning. The temperature was mild and it was incredibly sunny. We noticed a large group of kids waiting to board. The thought of riding over on a small ferry with tens of screaming children filled us with dread, but we figured what the heck. We walked inside and purchased three roundtrip tickets. The clerk gladly sold them to us and then we stood outside near the class.
We followed the class down the dock, waited for them to board, and then went to board ourselves. A woman asked us, «Are you with the school group?» We said no. She told us that the ferry wasn’t sailing today. Only on the weekends. We informed her that we *just* bought tickets inside. She apologized and told us that this was a special charter for the kids and they weren’t going to Newport at all.
We went back inside and informed the sales clerk who sold us the tickets that the ferry was NOT running today. «Really?» he said. No, it wasn’t. Where’d they get this genius? Does he even know his job? And why was there signage everywhere to buy tickets to a ferry that wasn’t even sailing?
FAIL.

A trip
from
the
past
The Jamestown Ferry is a small boat holding less than 50 people. That much smaller than traditional ferries but that’s fine because it just shoots across Narragansett Bay to Newport, only a couple of miles.
The ferry leaves right from the wharf in the center of Jamestown and makes also stops at Rose Island if anyone wants. It’s pretty informal, the crew just asks anyone of they want to stop on the island and if you happen to be on Rose Island you hoist a «Don’t Thread on Me» flag up a pole as a signal for the boat to stop. Pretty cool.
After Rose the ferry proceeds to Fort Adams or Bowen’s Wharf in the center of Newport. A short but very fun ride. It can get choppy in the bay but that makes it even more fun. The crew is just the captain and one deck hand but they both are very friendly and helpful. One Captain is from northern Ireland and he has an endless supply of jokes and stories about Ireland. Did you know that they give Guinness beer to pregnant woman in Ireland?
It’s presently about 16 bucks for a all day pass that allows you to ride as often as you like. Back and forth all day if you want. Of course no cars are carried on the ferry but bikes can be hoisted over the side.
A great alternative to driving over the Newport Bridge, it gives you a different perspective on Narragansett Bay and lets you take in the great scenery while letting someone else do the driving. A interesting way to explore quaint Jamestown Village, the fantastic lighthouse on Rose Island, the craziness of Newport or the history of Fort Adams all in one day.