Colt State Park

Colt State Park’s 464 acres of lawns, stone walls, and curving drives along one of the state’s most spectacular shorelines stands in contrast to one of Rhode Island’s charming, compact, historic seaports, the Town of Bristol. On July 4th, every year since 1785, the town of Bristol puts on America’s team colors and hosts a national celebration that’s actually older than the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Fittingly, it was Rhode Island which closed that exercise, and the nation began. Colt State Park is often referred to as the 'Gem' of the State Parks System. The entire western border of the park is an open panorama onto Narragansett Bay. Open year round, the park offers four miles of bicycle trails passing along the Bay and through 464 acres of groomed fruit trees, carefully nurtured flowering bushes, and manicured lawns. Rich in history, it proudly displays ten large playfields, a historical museum, six picnic groves containing 400+ picnic tables, and its popular open air Chapel-By-The-Sea. The ghost of a stable hand is said to play pranks with the lights and doors in the park office. Also there are reports of ghosts of two young girls who drowned in nearby waters haunting the park and scaring people.