Heads up, beachgoers! Starting Monday, August 19, the parking lot at Scarborough South State Beach in Narragansett will be closed on weekdays, only opening up for weekend visitors for the rest of the summer season. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is keeping things consistent with previous years, as they deal with their seasonal staffing crunch.
While you can still grab some snacks from the food concessions on weekends, don’t expect the usual full-service experience. The swimming area will be scaled back to Scarborough North State Beach’s lifeguard zone, and forget about using the restrooms and showers at Scarborough South—they’ll be locked up. Instead, DEM’s bringing in porta johns to cover the basics.
Worried about missing out? Scarborough North and all other state surf beaches will keep their facilities open through Labor Day. The reason behind the scaled-back operations? DEM’s been dealing with a yearly exodus of lifeguards, park rangers, and attendants heading back to school. To make the best of a tough situation, they’re concentrating the remaining staff at Scarborough North.
So, if Scarborough South is your go-to, plan accordingly—weekday access is off the table after August 19. And remember, all state beach facilities will shut down for the season on the day after Labor Day, Tuesday, September 3.
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