Cassandra Bey, left, of Providence and Milton Goncalves, right, of Pawtucket cool off in Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods State Park.

The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy

Even though we’re known far and wide as the Ocean State, Rhode Island has its share of great freshwater places to swim.

Here are our Top 10 picks for swimming holes:

1. Watchaug Pond (Burlingame State Park Picnic Area, Route 1 Charlestown). Covering about 1,000 acres, Watchaug is one of Rhode Island’s largest bodies of water, and the sandy beach in Burlingame State Park is the best place to jump in a lake in the state. Surrounded by tall stands of oaks and pines, the beach looks as if it might be someplace in Maine. Another sandy beach is across the lake: It’s part of Burlingame Camping Area, used by campers in the popular state park. Info at www.riparks.com

2. Wallum Lake (Douglas State Forest, 107 Wallum Lake Rd., Douglas, Mass.). Beautiful Wallum Lake sits astride the state border, half in Rhode Island and half in Massachusetts. The only public swimming beach on the lake is in Massachusetts’ Douglas State Forest, and it’s a great one. Info at www.mass.gov/

dcr/parks/central/doug.htm.

3. Olney Pond (Lincoln Woods State Park, Route 146, Lincoln). The most popular freshwater beach in Rhode Island is Moody Beach on Olney Pond. Minutes from Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls, it gets very crowded on hot days, but it’s a lovely place to swim. Don’t like crowds? Find a spot along the shore to take a dip, or kayak to a remote, wooded cove. Info at www.riparks.com.

4. Spring Lake (Town Recreation Area, 46 Pine Crest Lane, Burrillville). This is a great place to know about if you have children. In addition to the beach on the lake, there’s a game arcade full of vintage games. Info at www.burrillville.org/

Public_Documents/

BurrillvilleRI_RecDocs/

Other_Facilities/

Spring_Lake_Beach

5. Georgiaville Pond (Stillwater Road, Smithfield). Small, quiet town beach is a peaceful, out-of-the-way spot. Info at www.smithfieldri.com/recreation.htm

6. Wenscott Reservoir (Governor Notte Park, 1160 Douglas Ave., Route 7, North Providence). Once known as Twin Rivers, this town-run park and beach has two entrances. To get to the beach, take the second entrance as you are heading north on Route 7. Info at www.northprovidenceri.gov.

7. Peck Pond (Pulaski Memorial Recreation Area, Route 44, Glocester/Burrillville). Located inside the 4,000-acre George Washington State Management Area, 13-acre Peck Pond is small but scenic. Ringed with woods, it’s popular for families with young children. Info at www.riparks.com.

8. Sachem Pond (Corn Neck Road, Block Island). The locals pronounce it “Sock-em,” and it’s a large pond at the north end of the island, easily accessible from the north end of Corn Neck Road. The island’s other major freshwater body is Fresh Pond, where some secret spots to jump in are off Lakeside Drive just south of its intersection with Cooneymus Road.

9. Bradford Swimming Hole (Bradford village, Route 91, Westerly). Just south of the intersection where Routes 216 and 91 come together in the mill village of Bradford, this classic swimming hole has been a favorite for generations. You can swing out over the still water of the Pawcatuck River on a rope swing. There’s a small parking area beside the river at a state fishing access point.

10. Tiogue Lake (Briar Point Beach, Briar Point Avenue off Arnold Avenue, Coventry). Most of the perimeter of Tiogue is heavily developed, but there’s a small community-run public beach here, mostly used by locals.

—Katherine Imbrie