Oakland Beach is a neighborhood located in the South Central area of Warwick, Rhode Island, on Greenwich Bay, a tributary of Narragansett Bay. This densely populated community of small cottages was developed after World War I as a summer colony, largely for nearby Providence's middle-class Irish, Greek and Italian communities. Oakland Beach reached its heyday in the 1930s when it boasted a bathing beach, boat docks and restaurants, as well as a Ferris wheel, and rail service to Providence and other nearby summer colonies.
The New England Hurricane of 1938, however, destroyed much of Oakland Beach. The area never quite recovered, and Hurricane Carol in 1954 sent the neighborhood into further decline. By the late 1960s and into the 1970s the area had fallen into decline and became notorious for street fights, drug dealing, and house breaks. Today, Oakland Beach shows many signs of revitalization as several upscale homes have been built near the shore & others have been updated. In the summer, people flock to Oakland Beach's shore and seafood restaurants. The most notable being Gus's Restaurant and Mrs. Gus's Doughboys & Pizza, where patrons enjoyed clam cakes, chowder, doughboys, Narragansett beer and other local favorites since 1924. A popular local attractions included an arcade, carousel (merry go round) movie theater, bowling alley and dodgem cars.
Oakland Beach was once THE beach for Providence residents during sweltering summer weekends. The electric trolley ran south, along Warwick Neck, past Rocky Point amusement park, continuing on to Oakland Beach, where restaurants and cool Narragansett Bay waters awaited. The carousel, with its calliope music and hand-carved wooden horses made cooling off in the bay a magical experience. .It is no longer here at the beach. But there is talk of getting it back.
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