When Wes Anderson was filming the movie Moonrise Kingdom (2012) around Rhode Island, I was still deeply entrenched in my job as a manager at a high end-ish department that shall not be named, so I missed out on all the hoopla.

Now, if I had to hazard a guess, thinking that one of the reasons Bruce Willis may have ultimately signed on was because that might have been when one of his daughters (Scout?) with ex-wife Demi Moore was attending Brown University in Providence.

Other stars I sadly missed out on? (Hey, I could have run into maybe one or two.)

Ed Norton. Frances McDormand. And Bill Murray. (I found a fantastic photo of Bill at the inlet we visited yesterday, but wasn’t sure if it was a-okay to use without any legal ramifications, so…)

Anywho, you don’t have to be a big Wes Anderson fan (my faves of his are, in no particular order, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Darjeeling Limited) to appreciate the Conanicut Island cove where many of the pivotal scenes in Moonrise Kingdom take place.

The absolutely stunning cove at Fort Wetherill State Park, located at the southeastern tip of Conanicut Island in Jamestown, in these photos is like something out of a dream. 

Or — again — a Wes Anderson movie.

Wes liked it so much that he made it one of the key settings for Moonrise Kingdom, the beach circa 1965 where Sam and Suzy run off is located there. (Pretty sure there is a super quick glimpse of the original Ocean House hotel in Watch Hill in the film too.)

And unlike Easton’s Beach where we paid $25 to park the weekend before last, parking is free of charge.

We were dazzled by the rocky cliffs (there’s a lot of talk online about seeing people diving off the cliffs over the years but there are beaucoup signs now saying NO diving) and the fab views of Newport harbor (we saw the Castle Hill Light off in the distance AND a schooner tour boat).

There were a few folks kayaking as well. 

The cool breeze off the water was nice and refreshing on an 84+ degree day in June.

Also, the grounds around the cove looked neat and clean, no trash whatsoever. (Full disclosure, I’d read some other stuff online about it being not so tidy, but that was not the case yesterday.)

There were a few groups lounging on beach chairs and I bet it’s a swell spot to watch a sunset. (We were there mid afternoon and couldn’t stick around.)

For more about the incredible cove at Fort Wetherill, check this out.

As always, if you are finding out about this local gem here via Patty J and PattyJ.com, let your friends, fam and acquaintances know.

Photo Credits: All Images Are Courtesy Of PattyJ.com And Cannot Be Used Or Reproduced Without The Permission Of PattyJ.com.