Food

A pint-sized diner car in the center of town, Wickford Diner (64 Brown St., Wickford, 401/295-5477, www.quahog.com/diner.html [1], 7 a.m.–2 p.m. daily, $2–15) has a cheery staff and nautical decor. In the mornings, it serves cheap but good breakfasts; afternoons, it adds quahog chowder, fish-and-chips, and lobster rolls to the menu.

Diners breathe in the smell of the sea with every bite at Tavern By the Sea (16 W. Main St., Wickford, 401/294-5771, www.tavernbytheseari.com [2], 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.; 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Tue.–Thu.; 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m. Sun., $15–19), which has an outdoor patio overlooking Wickford Creek and a comprehensive, if uninspired, menu of burgers, steaks, pizza, and seafood.