Warwick City Park & Buttonwoods Beach

Warwick City Park is a City of Warwick beach park in the Buttonwoods area with three miles of paved bicycle paths, ball fields, picnic areas and shelters, a playground and a saltwater beach (Buttonwoods Beach). Admission is free, but the city charges for parking at the beach in season. Warwick's parks are open dawn to dusk, and alcohol is prohibited.

What Is at City Park

The City of Warwick's listing describes City Park as a beach park with:

• Three miles of paved bicycle paths, plus bike, jogging, hiking and bird-watching trails.
• Ball fields — the park listing says three baseball fields, and the city's parks overview says four softball fields — plus basketball.
• Picnic areas and shelters.
• A playground.
• An outdoor hockey rink, listed on the city's parks overview.
• Toilet facilities, and the city marks the park as having complete wheelchair access.
• A saltwater beach for swimming.

The Paved Paths

For walkers, runners, strollers and young cyclists, City Park's three miles of paved bicycle paths are the main draw — a contrast with Goddard Park, where the 18 miles of trails are unpaved bridle trails shared with horses. If you want a paved loop near the water in Warwick, City Park is the place. Goddard's trails page covers the other kind of walk.

Buttonwoods Beach and Parking

The beach at City Park is often searched as Buttonwoods Beach. The city lists saltwater swimming and says parking admission is charged at the beach during the season; entry to the park is free. The city does not post the rate on the park page, so call Warwick Parks & Recreation at (401) 738-2019.

Before swimming, check RIDOH's Beach Viewer map (health.ri.gov/beaches). RIDOH tests licensed beaches in summer and recommends closing swimming areas when bacteria counts are high; the city points visitors to the Department of Health for beach status. When we checked in October 2026, the city's parks page said no lifeguards were on duty at that time.

Rules

• Hours: all Warwick parks are open dawn to dusk unless posted otherwise.
• Alcohol: prohibited (city listing).
• Dogs: city rules apply; RIDOH notes that town beach rules vary and are posted at the beach.

History in Brief

Buttonwoods was on the trolley route that RI DEM's centennial history describes running along the Warwick shore to Rocky Point and through Oakland Beach to Buttonwoods. DEM credits those transport lines with playing an enormous role in popularizing Narragansett Bay and its beaches.

City Park or Goddard Park?

• For paved paths and a playground: City Park.
• For a free beach with seasonal lifeguards, golf, horseback riding and big old trees: Goddard Memorial State Park.
• For a quick swim with restaurants nearby: Oakland Beach.

The Warwick beaches guide puts them side by side.