In the Know

Get the insider 411 on informal tours, quiet beaches and off-menu cocktails.

1. The nice folks at Charlestown’s Behan Family Farm are always happy to give informal (and delicious) tours to those curious to learn how an aquaculture farm operates. behanfamilyfarms.com

2. Don’t get stuck in Newport-bound traffic: Take the lesser-used Route 24 instead of 95.

3. For a unique experience that most tourists miss, visit Block Island’s Sacred Labyrinth, which lies behind a stone wall toward the north end of Corn Neck Road.

4. While Matunuck’s Ocean Mist is widely known for serving up a mean bloody mary, those in the know order the off-menu Marianne. This tall concoction of iced coffee and liquor is sure to cure whatever ails you. Ocean Mist, 895 Matunuck Beach Rd., Wakefield, 782-3740, oceanmist.net.

5. Matunuck Oyster Bar offers one off-menu dish: frutti de mare, which features calamari, shrimp, scallops and mussels over linguine.

6. Reject’s Beach is a little known slice of paradise that sits adjacent to the uber-exclusive Bailey’s Beach on Ocean Avenue in Newport.

7. Roger Williams Park Zoo can be, well, a zoo in summer months. To avoid the crowds, visit after 3 p.m. when most patrons have already headed home. rwpzoo.org

8. Three o’clock is also a great time to hit up Misquamicut Beach. Parking prices are slashed midday at several lots.

9. Moonrise Kingdom fans enjoy exploring the bay below Fort Wetherill in Jamestown where the memorable beach dance scene was filmed.