Narragansett Bay. Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound.
It is often portrayed in art emphasizing its natural beauty and coastal landscapes. Artists like Winslow Homer and Childe Hassam have depicted the bay's serene waters, boats, and vibrant skies, capturing its maritime character.
The Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Small parts of it extend into Massachusetts.
There are more than 30 islands in the Bay; the three largest ones are Aquidneck Island, Conanicut Island, and Prudence Island. Bodies of water that are part of Narragansett Bay include the Sakonnet River, Mount Hope Bay, and the southern, tidal part of the Taunton River.
The bay opens on Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean; Block Island lies less than 20 miles southwest of its opening. Narragansett Bay can be seen on NOAA Chart 13221. Narragansett is derived from the southern New England Algonquian word Naiaganset meaning of the small point of land. Narragansett Bay comprises an area of about 147 miles. The watershed has seven river sub-drainage basins, including the Taunton, Pawtuxet, and Blackstone Rivers, and they provide freshwater input at approximately 2.1 billion gallons per day. River water inflow has a seasonal variability, with the highest flow in the spring and the minimum flow in early fall