Two-Wheeled Adventures in Narragansett

Ocean views, the sound of the waves, the saltiness of the air; these are the things that are hardwired to my New England DNA as signifiers of home, but sitting on the beach has never been for me. I get restless, and even in a full hazmat suit I still manage to get a radioactive sunburn. Everything I like about the beach can be enjoyed from the road. Not from inside a car, obviously. But from a scooter? Now we’re talking my kind of beach day.

I rented a 50cc, candy apple red beauty – a Genuine Scooters Buddy – from Gansett Rides, which owner Paul Litwin has been running for four seasons now, renting out adventures on both land (scooters and bicycles) and sea (jet skis and kayaks). Paul – who with his sister Jaime Dowdell were getting ready to open their new shop, Gifts of Gansett – was nice enough to take the time out of a hectic schedule to get me out on the road before he was officially up and running for the season. First up was a thorough tutorial since this was my first time on a scooter. “Can you ride a bike?” Paul asked. When I told him yes he handed me a helmet and proceeded to show me all I needed to know to operate the bike responsibly.

Admittedly I was a little nervous, but after the first mile I found myself confidently leaning into curves and opening the throttle all the way up, which on a scooter is about 35-40 mph. I hopped onto Ocean Road, cruising under the iconic Towers towards Point Judith Lighthouse to take in the scenery on what turned out to be a perfect spring Saturday. Afterwards I swung by Aunt Carrie’s for a quick ice cream before shooting back up Ocean Road to soak in the sights and salty breeze coming off of Scarborough Beach. From there it was back under the Towers and onward to Route 1A to explore the backroads, adding a lovely bit of rural scenery to my coastal coastings as I rode up and down Middlebridge Road.

After a few hours of aimless cruising I made my way back, giving myself one last pass down Ocean Road before returning my Buddy to Paul and topping off the afternoon with a late lunch at Crazy Burger. “What means the most to me is when somebody has an absolute blast with what they rented,” Paul tells me as I hand him the keys. To be honest I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun. For a beach bum looking to break up their days on the sand, or even someone looking for a new way to see a familiar part of South County, you can’t really beat the open air, wind in your face fun of zipping around on a scooter. 145 Boon Street #7, Narragansett. 363-9550, www.GansettRides.com