Access: At the end of Stillwater Road just beyond Homestead Avenue; turn off Route 104 across from St. Michael’s Catholic Church.

• Google Map - Georgiaville Town Beach, Dam and Gorge

Features: Boat ramp, beach, fishing, high dam, spillway, gorge, huge old trees, picnic tables, benches, restroom facilities (open in summer).

Renovated in 1991 with help from Open Space and Recreation Bond funds, the Town Beach has been a fixture in Smithfield for decades. In addition to the swimming, fishing and boating activities, and the picnicking and sitting facilities, the park offers good views of picturesque pine-covered islands in the 92 acre pond and an inviting walk along a high earthen dam that ends at a spillway and a scenic gorge.

The pond and beach have long been the chief attractions, and rightly so, but the dam and gorge also should not be missed. The original dam was built about 1850 and while renovations over the years have kept it solid, it remains an open lane ideal for strolling. Walk the length of the dam; the gorge is just below the spillway. After heavy rains or spring thaws, water roars through the narrow but deep gorge, which feeds a small stream that curves back toward the beach area. Even in more tranquil times, the gorge is lively with water splashing over the rocks.

It is possible to return on a narrow path that follows the stream, then cuts through former picnic area left over from an earlier era. There are still a few old stone fireplaces standing beneath large, venerable trees, mostly beeches, many carrying the initials carved by the youths of another generation. A walk from the end of the beach to the spillway and then along the gorge and stream back through the former picnic area would be about a half mile.

No dogs, please.