On the waterfront

This peaceful bay town is a lure for sea sport enthusiasts

The Vienna Bakery sells a variety of baked goods, including tiramisu, bismarcks, and napoleons. (Mark Wilson/ Globe Staff)

Local teenagers have a disparaging name for this waterfront bedroom community on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay: Borrington. While it may be the sleepy sister to nearby Bristol, Warren, and East Providence, Barrington offers a plethora of recreational opportunities, a handful of fine restaurants, and a cluster of boutiques in its compact downtown. Bordered on three sides by water, the town is on the Massachusetts line near Swansea and Seekonk and is replete with coves, harbors, and peninsulas that make it a prime spot for sailing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, waterskiing, and windsurfing. For land lubbers, the East Bay Bike Path is a year-round setting for cycling, walking, running, and in-line skating. Once a summer resort for the well-to-do, and a manufacturing center for lace and brick, Barrington is now populated by many professionals and academics who commute to Providence. Thanks to its strong schools, outdoor amenities, and leisurely small-town feel, it was ranked sixth three years ago on Money magazine's list of the 100 best places to live in the nation. And, hey, kids: borrington.org is an online guide to local events and activities.

Located amid the marinas at the Barrington Yacht Club, Tyler Point Grille (32 Barton Ave., 401-247-0017, tylerpoint grille.com, entrees $13-$26) is the place to go in town for fine dining. Its open kitchen specializes in seafood and contemporary Italian fare, such as sweet potato ravioli with shrimp, spinach, walnuts, fresh mozzarella, and amaretto/sage butter, as well as sea scallops with artichoke-mushroom- asparagus ragout and roasted pepper sauce. The restaurant also has a nice wine list and outdoor patio. Chiazza Trattoria (308 County Road, 401-247-0303, chiazzabarrington.com, entrees $10-$29) has a slightly more casual feel, but also serves excellent Italian-American cuisine, including delicious wood-fired brick-oven pizzas, grilled meats and seafood, and nearly a dozen salads. A few doors away is Newport Creamery (296 County Road, 401-245-2212, newportcreamery.com, under $10), a family-friendly Rhode Island chain that also has a couple of stores in Massachusetts. Its inexpensive menu is heavy on burgers, soups, salads, sandwiches, fried seafood, and lots of ice cream desserts. For even cheaper eats, try Kozy Kitchen (312 County Road, 401-245-1616), Casual Catering & Deli (230 Waseca Ave., 401-247-1660), Prince's Hill Deli (325 County Road, 401-245-1900, princeshilldeli.com), and Miz Fibz Deli & Cafe (191 Washington Road, 401-246-3315). Around since 1935, Vienna Bakery (110 Maple Ave., 401-245-2355, viennabak eryri.com) should sate your sweet tooth. Its Italian and other European baked goods include calzones, pizza, focaccia, rum cake, tiramisu, bismarcks, napoleons, sfogliatelle, red wine biscuits, and ricotta cookies. Come warmer weather, the Daily Scoop (230 County Road, 401-245-0100, dailyscoop icecream.com), a seasonal ice cream parlor, will reopen for business. And Wallis Seafood (136 Maple Ave., 401-245-6666) has been selling take-out fresh fish since 1962.

For recreation lovers, Barrington's crown jewel is the East Bay Bike Path (riparks.com/eastbay.htm), a 14.5-mile trail that stretches from East Providence to Bristol, passing by woods, parks, marshes, tidal ponds, harbors, and even over former railroad trestles. Open year-round, the paved path is part of the rails-to-trails program that has converted train tracks to bikeways nationwide. Bike rentals are available in neighboring Warren at Your Bike Shop (51 Cole St., 401-245-9755). As you pedal through town, you'll come upon Haines Memorial State Park (off Narragansett Avenue, riparks.com/haines.htm), a waterfront site ideal for boating, fishing, picnicking, and ball-playing. Its picnic facilities include stone grills and its boat ramp offers access to Bullock Cove. To get schooled in the town's history, visit the Barrington Preservation Society Museum (lower floor of the Barrington Public Library, 281 County Road, 401-247-3770), which has a collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the town's rural and industrial past. Its hours are limited - Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - but visits can also be made by appointment.

Water is everywhere in Barrington, so opportunities for water sports are plentiful. Several boat launches offer access to Narragansett Bay; the Barrington, Providence, and Warren rivers; and cozier spots like Bullock and Hundred Acre coves. Local launches can be found at the following spots: Haines Memorial Park off Narragansett Avenue, Striper Marina on Tyler Point Road, and Walker Farm off County Road. For information about boat sales, boat slips, moorings, charters, and other boating services, contact Brewer Cove Haven Marina (101 Narragansett Ave., 401-246-1600, byy.com/ Barrington), Stanley's Boat Yard (17 Barton Ave., 401-245-5090), or Striper Marina (26 Tyler Point Road, 401-245-6121, striper marina.com). If you don't have your own boat, you can rent one in Warren at Steve's Boat Rentals (294 Market St., 401-245-0453). Indoor children's activities are offered by East Bay Music Together (401-289-0455, musictogethereastbay.com), which runs music classes for newborns to preschoolers, or Barrington Books (184 County Road, 401-245-7925, barringtonbooks.com), an independent bookstore that hosts kids' events on some Sunday afternoons.

Night life is scarce in Barrington, which gets quiet by early evening; there's not even a movie theater in town. But Chiazza Trattoria (308 County Road, 401-247-0303, chiazzabarrington.com), besides serving great food, has a lively bar and live music on Friday and Saturday nights from 8 to 11. Sometimes bands perform, sometimes solo performers, and the music spans genres. If you cross the line to Warren, just a mile or so away, you'll find several bars, as well as the 2nd Story Theatre (28 Market St., 401-247-4200, 2ndstorytheatre.com), which hosts performances of comedies and dramas.

Barrington's shopping district encompasses just a few blocks, but in that brief stretch it has several small, classy boutique stores. Hollies on the Avenue (60 Maple Ave., 401-245-0090, holliesontheavenue.com) feels like a mini art gallery, with its enticing selection of photo frames, teacups, cake plates, candlesticks, wine racks, cheese boards, and other specialty gifts. Jam-packed Teapots & Tassels (71 Maple Ave., 401-247-0980) has a wide range of elegant stationery and invitations, as well as some specialty foods. Cute Madre Bella (1 Waseca Ave., 401-247-0122, madrebellamaternity.com), a "modern maternity and baby boutique," specializes in stylish maternity wear, nursing gear, fashionable diaper bags, and children's accessories, from sheepskin booties to sock monkeys. Although it's mainly a florist, Daisy Dig'ins (123 Maple Ave., 401-245-0580, daisy digins.com) also stocks a variety of cute gifts, including linens, note cards, and jewelry. Kitchen gear is the theme at Cookworks (211 Waseca Ave., 401-289-0593), and antiquers will like the Stock Exchange (57 Maple Ave., 401-247-5400), which sells antiques, collectibles, and vintage jewelry. Colorful DK Fabrics and Handbags (70 Maple Ave., 401-245-2300, dkhandbags.com) is a full-service fabric store that, besides selling handbags custom-designed by owner Diane Kelly, also specializes in home decorating projects such as slipcovers and window treatments. Upper-end home furnishings, including lighting and upholstery, are on display in the spacious showroom at The Nest (236 County Road, 401-247-9057, thenestfurnishings.com). For clothes horses with generous budgets, Carol Cole Nantucket (47 Maple Ave., 401-245-5897, carolcolenantucket.com) is a pricey women's clothing boutique that also has a store on Nantucket.

There are no hotels or B&Bs in Barrington, but if you need a place to spend the night you can hop over the border to neighboring Warren, which is home to a few bed-and-breakfasts, including the Candlewick Inn (775 Main St., 401-247-2425, candlewickinn.net, $125-$135/night), where the fabulous breakfasts include roasted pears, chocolate pancakes, and homemade sticky buns; the Thomas Cole House (81 Union St., 401-245-9768, $150 for two people/$175 for three), whose second-floor apartment has two bedrooms and a library; and the Wren & Thistle (19 Market St., 401-247-0631, wrenandthistle.com, $120/night), which has one private suite overlooking an enclosed courtyard garden. There are also about a dozen inns and B&Bs in Bristol, two towns over. For some restful pampering in Barrington, schedule an appointment at Avessa (47 Maple Ave., 401-247-1110, avessa-salon.com), a salon and day spa offering treatments for hair, skin, nails, and body, or Fountain (121 Maple Ave., 401-534-2000, fountain-spa-boutique.com), a spa/ boutique whose services include Swedish massages, hot stone therapies, and men's facials.