Rhode Island’s Second Beach Adding New Pavilion Deck

Summer in New England is never long enough.

Like many, I cling to the "bonus" beach days we get in early fall, trying to sneak in those extra hours of sunlight and riding one last wave before we swap out bathing suits for sweaters.

Changes Coming to Rhode Island Beach

A popular Rhode Island beach is using the off-season as an opportunity to expand and make changes and improvements for the 2026 season.

Middletown's Sachuest Beach, known to many as "Second Beach," will be adding a new, larger pavilion deck. Once completed, the new deck will be about 700 feet larger than the previous one.

Details of the Second Beach Upgrade

“The deck we have now can tend to get crowded and doesn’t have enough space to serve all the needs," Cronin said. "I know it’s something we’re all looking forward to coming together. This idea originated from the Beach Commission and certainly has seen the strong support and backing of the group."

Town of Middletown via Facebook

Building for the Future with Durable Materials

The support is strong, and so are the materials used to complete the expansion. Wood and concrete will be used within the design that will be made to withstand the sand and salt water.

“Every year, we’re working to improve what we offer at Second and Third beaches,” Cronin said. “We feel this will be an important addition and one that will be welcomed next summer.”

When the Project Will Be Completed

The project is expected to be completed before beach season begins on Memorial Day weekend of 2026.

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Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.