On Monday, October 12, 2026, five of Jamestown's summer attractions close for the season. The Jamestown Windmill, the Jamestown Historical Society museum, the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum, the Jamestown Newport Ferry's Hop-On Hop-Off route and the Rose Island landing season all end that day. The day before, the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce holds its Narragansett Avenue Block Party. If it rains Sunday, the party moves to Monday, the same day everything else closes.
So the island's biggest village event of the fall falls on the last weekend of the summer season. After it, most of the fall calendar is at Fort Getty, Jamestown Golf Course and the Jamestown Arts Center.
Five Last Days on One Monday
| What closes | Hours in the final stretch | Last day |
|---|---|---|
| Jamestown Windmill | Fri–Sun and holidays, 1–4 p.m., weather permitting | October 12 |
| Jamestown Historical Society museum, Behind the Lines: Life in Jamestown in 1776 | Fri–Sun and holidays, 1–4 p.m. | October 12 |
| Beavertail Lighthouse Museum and Gift Shop | Weekends only after Labor Day, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | Columbus Day |
| Jamestown Newport Ferry, Hop-On Hop-Off | Fall schedule since September 7 | October 12 |
| Rose Island Lighthouse landing season | Began May 16 | October 12 |
The weekly Jamestown Farmers Market at the Recreation Center already closed for the year. It ran Mondays from June 22 through September 7.
If you haven't been to the Windmill this year, there's a reason to go before the 12th. The Historical Society's spring 2026 newsletter says the millwright widened the opening so visitors can see the grindstones more easily. The museum's 2026 exhibit covers Jamestown in 1776, which fits the year of the nation's 250th anniversary. After October 12, you won't be able to see it until next season's schedule is posted.
How the Three Days Overlap
Because everything closes on the same weekend, the hours run into each other. The Windmill and the museum are open 1 to 4 p.m. The Block Party runs noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, with live music until 3. If you want to do all three, here's one way to split the weekend:
- Saturday, October 10. This is the only day of the three with nothing competing. Go to Beavertail between 10:30 and 4:30, then the Windmill or the Historical Society museum in the 1 to 4 p.m. window.
- Sunday, October 11. Spend it in the village for the Block Party. The Windmill and museum are open, but their hours fall right in the middle of the party.
- Monday, October 12. It's the last day for all five, and Columbus Day counts as a holiday under the Historical Society's schedule. If Sunday gets rained out, the Block Party moves here too, and the whole season comes down to one day.
The ferry is the one that needs the most planning. Monday is the final day of the Hop-On Hop-Off fall schedule. If you want one more trip to Rose Island or across to Fort Adams, Ann Street or Perrotti Park, check the posted departure times first.
What's Happening at the Block Party
The center of the party is the Town Municipal Lot across from Narragansett Cafe. The local band Dim Lights plays there, and there's a beer and wine garden and food trucks. Splash Dogz is on the Chamber's food-truck list, and the Chamber says more vendors are coming.
Shops along the street are running their own specials:
- TWC Home is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a cupcake and a swag bag with every purchase.
- Cathryn Jamieson Salon is serving pumpkin-soup shooters and taking 20% off Aveda products.
- Blossom Artisan Boutique is bringing out its Wildflower Cart and handing out cookies while you shop.
- Conanicut Gift Shop has balloon art and kids' crafts from noon to 2 p.m.
- Fuller Gallery is giving out free popcorn.
- Rum Runner Embroidery has cotton candy and a large sample sale.
- The Purple Door is holding a sidewalk sale.
- Nauti Girl Boutique is taking 20% off sale items, not including jewelry and purses.
Music keeps going after the lot wraps up. Narragansett Cafe has the Earl Knightwood Band from 4 to 7 p.m.
After the 12th: The Golf Course, Fort Getty and the Arts Center
Once the summer attractions close, the fall events move to a few places across the island. One water trip is still on the calendar. Cruise RI is running an express ferry from Jamestown to Perrotti Park for the Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival on October 17 and 18.
Jamestown Golf Course has the Chamber's Glow Ball Scramble on Friday, October 16, from 6 to 10 p.m., with after-dark golf, contests, food and raffles. The event was moved to that date.
Fort Getty holds Fright Night VI on Saturday, October 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. The rain date is October 25. The town's listing includes Purple Honey, carnival games, a trick-or-treat route through a haunted RV park, and a bonfire.
Jamestown Arts Center has the busiest fall schedule on the island. The Manhattan Short Film Festival screenings were rescheduled to September 30 and October 1 through 3, all at 7 p.m. Tickets for the original September 25 and 26 dates carry over to the first two new dates. After that:
| Date | At the Arts Center |
|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 16, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Free opening reception for Imprint and Playback, by seven RISD Movement Lab Fellows |
| Sat, Oct 17, 11 a.m. | Free artist walkthrough of the exhibition |
| Sun, Oct 18, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | Autumn Arts Open House, free and for all ages, with art-making and artist demonstrations |
| Wed, Oct 28, 7 p.m. | Free Imprint and Playback performance and artist talk |
| Thu, Oct 29, 7 p.m. | newportFILM screening of Once Upon a Time in Harlem, doors at 6 |
| Wed, Nov 4, 6–7 p.m. | Onne van der Wal presents The Family of Man |
| Sat, Nov 7, 7 p.m. | Italian Wannabe, doors at 6:30, and the last day of Imprint and Playback |
| Fri, Nov 20, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Free Members' Show opening reception, along with a solo show by 2025 Best-in-Show winner Molly Dickinson |
The Jamestown Philomenian Library has two events before the long weekend. Paula Clare and Friends perform Saturday, October 3, at 1:30 p.m., and the Friends of the JPL host an author talk with Debra Curtis on Tuesday, October 6, at 6 p.m.
New Names on Narragansett Avenue
This is the first fall on the island for at least one Narragansett Avenue restaurant. Crudo opened in December 2025 at 14 Narragansett Avenue, the building that was Jamestown Fish until the end of 2018. Its website lists dinner Monday through Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m.
A few doors away, the Jamestown Press reported in May that Sunset Beach Aquaculture and Raw Bar was getting ready to open for the season at 35 Narragansett Avenue, where Tallulah's Taqueria used to be. Its operator, Tony Pinheiro, runs his aquafarm out of Fort Getty, the same park that hosts Fright Night. In May, the Town Council granted him a victualing license and approved acoustic music Fridays through Sundays, noon to 8 p.m. We couldn't find posted fall hours or a closing date, so check before you go late in the fall.
Two more places to keep in mind as the weather turns. Our Table's website lists fall hours of Thursday through Monday, 5 to 10 p.m., closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. At East Ferry, 1 Ferry Wharf took over the old Spinnakers Cafe space. Its website lists Thursday through Sunday service. Neither schedule is dated for 2026, so confirm before you head over in late October.
East Ferry Will Look Different Next Summer
The plans for next season are already underway, starting at East Ferry. At its September 8 meeting, the Town Council directed Town Administrator Ed Mello to move ahead with reclaiming the old ferry landing. The Jamestown Press reported his description:
"It's an aggregate concrete surface with a fence around the perimeter, a seating area, a number of benches and a shade structure. We're working toward accommodating a seasonal bathroom and ticket booth."
The plan also adds a third parking space at the landing. The shared dumpster at the landing will be gone next season. Mello said it isn't a town dumpster, and it won't be allowed on town property next year whether or not the landing project goes forward.
The council also approved work on the Lawn School courts. It voted unanimously to add $192,695 from the Open Space Recreation fund to rebuild the basketball court and two tennis courts. The project is estimated at $467,695, compared with the $300,000 set aside in the 2026–27 capital budget. Mello said the courts will be regraded, resurfaced and repitched, with new nets and posts, and only the fencing will stay. The Press didn't report a construction date. A separate proposal for a retractable net at Eldred Field was tabled.
If one of this fall's walks past East Ferry or down Narragansett Avenue has you wondering what your own place on the island might be worth, Stephanie Baker and the team at Baker 21 Realty are glad to talk it over with you, with no pressure. We'll be watching the Block Party forecast with you, too.
