flying horse carousel

Perhaps I'm just nostalgic. I've been vacationing in Westerly every summer for my whole life, so the flying horses are a biggie. Even with my own child grown up, my wife and I still check out the horses every summer. If you are visiting with small kids, you must bring them here. ( and get some of the best ice cream on the planet at St. Clare's)

With kids or without no visit to Watch Hill is complete until you see the "flying" horses. Each horse has been beautifully restored and highly cared for. For the younger ones as long as your feet don't touch the ground your in, the outer horses allow you an opportunity to grab the famed golden ring offering a free ride for the lucky winner!

The first time we brought our oldest daughter to ride the flying horses as a child, she was enchanted -- as were my wife and I. Now decades later, our oldest grandchild was ready for her first ride. What a treat to see her choose her favorite steed and fly the night away in scenic Watch Hill.

This treasure was built in 1856 and has survived disasters for over 125 years, including the devastating 1938 hurricane! It's even been in three publications! Learn all the wonderful details by getting a pamphlet at the window and read it while your kids ride it as many times as they want. And don't miss the photo opportunity! Most kids want to ride until they catch the gold ring! It's a great lesson for kids on the importance of treasuring our history. From Labor Day to Columbus Day the hours are weekends only Saturdays 12 - 5 and Sundays 12 -5. For inquiries call (401) 348-6007.

I used to take my daughter here each summer, and now I am taking my Grandchildren. It's so much fun to see the kids ride the flying horses and when they graduate from riding an inside horse to an outside horse where they can try and grab the golden rings. It's either the oldest or one of the oldest carousel's in the country and something that all young kids enjoy!

It is a classic! Always fun. A childhood memory for life. Go for the brass ring for a free ride. Get some ice cream after. Inexpensive fun!

So inexpensive, the kids love to go over and over. Good old fashioned fun and you don't wonder where all your money went.

my grandkids worked there. it is the oldest carousel. the hobby horse have real horse tails. great beach. lots to do around

Been bringing my daughter here since she was little. She's 12 now and still wants to go every year!!

I have such fond memories of this carousel as a child. I've been on it too many times to count and cannot wait to take my kids one day. It's so quintessential and is a MUST if you have kids.

Have been going to the Flying Horses in Watch Hill my whole life, first as a child, then bringing my children, and more recently my grandchildren. Love watching my grandchildren's faces light up as they grab the rings, stack them up on the horse's ears and especially when they grab the brass ring!! It's a special place in my heart :)

Oh, the memories. The look of awe on the faces of young children as the horses fly by and the determination of older children to seize the golden ring! Well worth a stroll down past the Watch Hill shops to take in your childhood memories with a new generation. Stop and buy an ice cream cone and sit and people watch....

You won't ride just once and you can't leave until you have had the brass ring in your hand. If you are good you will be able to stack the rings on the ears of your horse. This is a true American classic and should not be missed.

wonderful to see this historic amusement still in tact and available to visitors. The horses were finely detailed and a great representation of a bygone era.

one of THE things to do in Watch Hill is to see the carousel, one of the oldest in the country (flying horses, on chains, not up and down on poles, is the distinctive difference), and then get ice cream down the street at St. Clairs Annex. it's a small area, so parking is often all full and expensive,too, but it is a classic piece of summer in southern New England, enjoy it while you can!