North Kingstown was home to Quonset Point in World War II, then the biggest air base in the world (its where the ubiquitous hump-shaped Quonset hut was invented by the Seabees) and now a sprawling business park with a golf course, public beaches, ferries, museums, and shops. The town draws couples and families to its quaint villages such as Wickford, which in summer bustles with festivals, including the popular arts festival in July.

In the historic district the Haddie Pierce House (146 Boston Neck Road, 401-295-5163, http://www.haddiepierce.com, rates from $145) is a five-room Victorian inn built in 1906 within walking distance of Wickford Village and a town beach.

Five minutes from the new Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Wickford Junction stop is the Hamilton Village Inn (642 Boston Neck Road, 401-295-0700, http://www.hamiltonvillageinn.com, rates from $79), a pet-friendly place with a new second floor featuring bigger rooms and balconies.

A new lodging option is TownePlace Suites (55 Gate Road, 401-667-7500, http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pvdts-towneplace-suites-providence-north-kingstown/, rooms from $94), a LEED-certified hotel with free Wi-Fi, continental breakfast, and indoor pool near a ferry to Marthas Vineyard, museums, and lighthouse cruises.

Start your day at a local favorite, the Breakfast Nook (6130 Post Road, 401-884-6108, breakfast from $2.79, lunch from $3.79), a place so small you have to shuffle sideways to sit at the counter but offering great food, like the whopping omelets.

A local hot spot for lunch is Oatleys Restaurant (1717 Ten Rod Road, 401-295-5126, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oatleys-Restaurant/116616101696516#!/pages/Oatleys-Restaurant/116616101696516, lunch from $7), where they serve comfort food that includes burgers, sandwiches, meat loaf, and fish and chips.

What ocean town would be complete without ice cream? Check out the expanded Nanas Gelato and Ice Cream Factory (6710 Post Road, 401-885-8640, http://www.nanasgelato.com, cones from $3.25) where popular items include Nanas Kiss gelato, a concoction of dark chocolate, Snickers and Twix, and the salted caramel chocolate pretzel. Dieters can go light with fat-free frozen yogurt.

East Asian cuisine representing seven countries can be had at Seven Moons (6900 Post Road, 401-885-8383, http://www.7-moons.com, entrees from $6.99) including Vietnamese bee boong, pad Thai, and Cambodian sour soup, on a menu liberally dotted with hot and spicy designators.

Seafood abounds, including the triple lobster special and clam boils, at Duffys Tavern and Restaurant (235 Tower Hill Road, 401-295-0073, http://www.quahog.com/duffys.html, entrees from $9.95), where in addition to fresh local seafood and a raw bar, you can feast on steaks, ribs, and chicken.

Fittingly located at the former air base are the Quonset Air Museum (488 Eccleston Ave., 401-294-9540, http://www.quonsetairmuseum.com, admission $7), in an original hangar brimming with birds of war, including a Quonset Sky Raider, a Grumman F-14 Tomcat, and a McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier; and the Seabee Museum & Memorial Park (21 Iafrate Way, 401-294-7233, http://www.seabeesmuseum.com, free admission, donations accepted), with vintage Quonset huts, one of which was a chapel during World War II, all of it honoring the naval construction battalion that was made cinematically famous in the 1944 John Wayne movie The Fighting Seabees.

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Beaches, museums, and shops in North Kingstown, R.I.