NEARBY
Fall River, Massachusetts
A mill city with battleships, Portuguese bakeries, and the everyday amenities you need — 20 minutes north of Westport Point.
Summer 2026 — select weeks still available
About Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is not a vacation destination. It's a former textile city built on granite hills above the Taunton River, with a skyline of old smokestacks and church steeples instead of resort towers. But it's the closest real city to Westport Point — 20 minutes up Route 88 — and it has things you won't find anywhere else on the South Coast.
Start with Battleship Cove. Parked at the waterfront beneath the Braga Bridge, the USS Massachusetts is a 680-foot WWII battleship that you can climb through top to bottom — turrets, engine rooms, officer quarters, the bridge. Alongside it sit a destroyer, a submarine, PT boats, and a Cold War-era corvette. For families staying in Westport, MA, it's the single best rainy-day activity within an hour, and kids who aren't old enough to care about mansions or wineries will talk about the submarine for the rest of the summer.
Then there's the food. Fall River has one of the largest Portuguese-American communities in the country, and the restaurants reflect it. You can eat carne de espeto grilled over open flames at T.A. Restaurant, order plates of bacalhau at Sagres, or walk into any of a dozen bakeries for custard tarts and malassadas that rival anything in Lisbon. This isn't tourist food — it's what the city actually eats, and the prices match. A family dinner in Fall River costs a fraction of what you'd pay in Newport or on Cape Cod.
Fall River also handles the practical side of a Westport vacation. It has full-size grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, hardware stores, and big-box retail that you won't find in the smaller towns along the coast. If you need to stock up for a week at 2042 Main Road in Westport Point, Fall River is where you go. It's not glamorous, but it's genuine — a working city with real history, great food, and a WWII battleship parked at the waterfront.
What To Do
The world's largest collection of historic naval vessels. Climb through the USS Massachusetts, explore a submarine and PT boats, and stand on the deck of a WWII destroyer. Hands-on, immersive, and unforgettable for kids and history buffs alike. Twenty minutes from Westport Point.
Fall River's Portuguese-American community has built one of the best food scenes on the South Coast. Flame-grilled meats, salt cod prepared a dozen ways, fresh sweet bread, and custard tarts from bakeries that have been open for generations. Come hungry and eat like a local.
A live music and arts venue in a converted mill building on the waterfront. The Narrows books folk, blues, jazz, and Americana acts in a 300-seat room with excellent sound. Check the schedule — a show here is a great evening out from your rental in Westport, Massachusetts.
Located in a historic mill, the Marine Museum at Fall River tells the story of the Fall River Line steamships that once carried passengers between New York and New England. Scale models, Titanic artifacts, and maritime history in a quirky, uncrowded setting.
Cross the bridge from Fall River into Tiverton, Rhode Island and you're on the east side of Narragansett Bay. Tiverton Four Corners has antique shops, a general store, and farmland. Keep driving south and you reach Little Compton and Sakonnet Point — or head west to Newport. A useful connector from Westport, MA to the Rhode Island coast.
Fall River is where you handle the practical stuff. Full-service grocery stores, Target, Home Depot, pharmacies, and gas stations — everything you need to stock the kitchen at 2042 Main Road or replace a forgotten beach chair. It's not scenic, but it's useful, and it's close.
Local Roots
A Family Connection
The Long family's roots in Fall River go back generations. Senator John F. Kennedy's letters to the family were addressed to 1582 Pleasant Street, Fall River — the house where a grandfather who served thirty years as a Massachusetts State Representative raised his family before the coast at Westport Point became the gathering place for the next generations.
That thread from Fall River to Westport Point runs through 2042 Main Road. The family compound on the harbor, the boathouse, the dock — it all started with roots in the city twenty minutes north. When you stay at 2042 Main Road, you're part of a story that connects these two places.
From the family archive — Senator John F. Kennedy's letter to 1582 Pleasant Street, Fall River
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Fall River from Westport Point?
Fall River, Massachusetts is about 20 minutes north of Westport Point by car. You take Route 88 north to Route 24, and you're in the city. It's the closest urban center to Westport, MA, which makes it useful for groceries, gas, pharmacies, and anything else you might need during a summer stay at 2042 Main Road.
What is Battleship Cove in Fall River?
Battleship Cove is the world's largest collection of historic naval vessels, located on the Taunton River waterfront in Fall River. The centerpiece is the USS Massachusetts, a 35,000-ton WWII battleship you can walk through from bow to stern. The complex also includes a destroyer, a submarine, PT boats, and a corvette. It's a hands-on experience — you climb through engine rooms, stand on the bridge, and peer through torpedo tubes. Easily the best family attraction within 20 minutes of Westport Point.
Is Fall River MA worth visiting?
Fall River won't make any glossy travel magazine covers, but it has genuine appeal. Battleship Cove alone is worth the trip, especially with kids. The Portuguese restaurants serve some of the best food on the South Coast — dishes you won't find anywhere else in the region. The Narrows Center hosts excellent live music in an intimate waterfront venue. And the city's mill-town history gives it a character that's completely different from the coastal villages of Westport, Massachusetts.
What is Fall River known for?
Fall River is known for its textile mill heritage, its large Portuguese-American community, Battleship Cove, and — for better or worse — the Lizzie Borden case. Today, the city is defined by its working-class resilience, its outstanding Portuguese and Cape Verdean food scene, and its position as a gateway between southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For visitors staying in Westport, MA, it's the nearest place with full-service shopping, restaurants, and urban amenities.
Are there good restaurants in Fall River MA?
Fall River has some of the best Portuguese food in the United States. The city's large Portuguese-American population supports dozens of restaurants and bakeries serving dishes like carne de espeto (flame-grilled meat on skewers), caldo verde, bacalhau, and fresh-baked sweet bread. Sagres Restaurant, T.A. Restaurant, and Portuguese Manor are local institutions. The bakeries alone — with their custard tarts, malassadas, and meat pies — are worth the 20-minute drive from Westport Point.
Can you get to Rhode Island from Fall River?
Yes. Fall River sits right on the Rhode Island border. The Braga Bridge and the Tiverton Bridge connect the city to the east bay of Rhode Island, putting you in Tiverton and then on to Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport. It's actually the main route from Westport, Massachusetts to Newport — you pass through Fall River and cross into Rhode Island in minutes.
Stay at 2042 Main Road
Stay at 2042 Main Road — 20 minutes from Fall River. Book on Airbnb.
Book on Airbnb