What an amazing place of history which dates back to the 1600s. History comes alive with a great…read moredocent staff which will bring the entire scope of the grounds alive. Do not miss out

Paine House Museum has seen a lot of history. The present group of volunteers has done much to…read morereorganize the displays and restore the property. First, the barn has been cleared out and lots of tools found within. A lathe found among the detritus has been restored and the original business sign hung-up on the building. You can also view two old fire-apparatus found in the barn that are now stored in the Mruk fire building next door. This building is on property gifted to the Town of Coventry by the last house owner and was recently sold back to the museum to create a Fire museum. Also found in the barn, and now in the house basement, is a huge, working loom! One of the volunteers, a member of the RI Spinners Guild, demonstrates on the loom and sells items produced in the museum gift shop. She has so much knowledge about spinning and weaving. Tours are offered Friday and Saturday, 10:00am - 2:00pm May through October. Public events are hosted through the year including free movies on the lawn in the summer and market days once a month featuring a variety of vendors. Some events include reenactors including the spinners guild, soldiers and bands. Check their website for details.

Wickford is a cute little village in the North Kingstown section...about 30 min south of Providence…read moredowntown. Wickford Village offers a number of unique shopping and dining options. Shop in any of the locally owned boutiques, home décor stores, personal care/gift shops, or even a bookstore and pet supply store....dine at one of the many locally owned restaurants, many on the water or with water view. Wickford is also home to several art galleries that are open to the public daily...if you are into active life.....you can rent a kayak for a portion of the day and get out in the harbor, or you can rent an electric bike and cruise around the village. If you want to just stroll and take it easy, the town is charming and cute....the shops are great, but the location of the village itself is ideal for picnics and walks. The village has a large parking lot that leads to benches and docks. The views are amazing and the benches offer the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or a snack. No seaside village is complete without a beach. Of course, Wickford doesn't disappoint. Roughly a mile from the main village is the town beach. Now, keep this one quiet because it is small and nestled in the heart of an established Wickford neighborhood. During the season (traditionally Memorial Day to Labor Day), only North Kingstown residents can procure a beach pass at town hall that will cost roughly $10. However, you can still visit if you are not a town resident. If you were to go out of season, near dawn, or after dusk, you can enter the beach for free. The beach is on the small side, but it is perfect for families with children. The beach offers a playground, which was recently renovated, public restrooms, and outdoor showers. Also perfect for young children is the fact that the beach has little or no waves because it is tucked in the harbor. No waves means no undertow. On select Fridays throughout the spring and summer, the harbor is set alight and you can enjoy food, drink, carriage rides, and more. All of the stores remain open later and food trucks from all around the state come and park in town. If you happen to find yourself in Wickford on a Friday night, make sure to check this special event out. Overall, a nice charming town where you can spend a whole day in a beautiful setting.

Lovely village that's walking friendly. Lots of little shops...everything from antiques, home…read moredecor, clothing boutiques and restaurants. Historic area with lots of antique homes and lovely gardens. We spent a couple hours walking around and stopping in shops. All the shops we visited were taking precautions to keep everyone safe from covid, from limiting the amount of people in the stores to providing hand sanitizer. I'm looking forward to visiting again post covid and experiencing the different seasons there.

The Meeting Street Steps are an unusual feature in the College Hill National Historic Landmark…read moreDistrict. These 20 granite steps were constructed in the late 18th-century to connect Meeting Street and Congdon Street and had for centuries provided a shortcut for residents, including Governor William Sprague. Local folklore maintains that Sprague would travel out of his way between his home and the old State House just to ride up and down the steps on horseback. We take these steps a lot when we take our walks along the East Side of Providence, so we have enjoyed the city views from both the top and bottom of the steps. These steps have a strong historical significance to the city. Prior to its 1995 inclusion on the Most Endangered Properties list, the city-owned Meeting Street Steps stood in complete disrepair. Moisture had forced the steps out of alignment; the retaining walls on either side were crumbling; and the handrail had disappeared. Neighboring residents formed the Meeting Street Steps Work Group and petitioned the Preservation Society to include the stairs on its Most Endangered Properties list. Beginning in 1999, in conjunction with the City and the Meeting Street Work Group, the Preservation Society helped to solicit over $100,000 in donations from nearly 350 residents. Soon thereafter, ground was broken to realign the steps, rebuild the retaining wall, install handrails, and beautify the surrounding area. Contributors included the College Hill Neighborhood Association, the North Benefit Street Association, the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, and East Side Marketplace, which pledged 1% of the cash register receipt totals of concerned shoppers. Today, they are in good shape and used by hundreds of pedestrians.

Didn't feel like doing the guided tour, but having never been here as a lifelong RI-er I figured…read moreI'd take the plunge. Nice, historical sight with loads of history and information even without taking the tour. Just on the out squirts of the shady part(s) of the state, but right next to the police station. The water was really bustling on this day. On a day where I have more time I'll definitely have to take a more extended look.

This is a free historic site that has a really great tour. The site is just off the river and there…read moreare a few buildings on site, but not all of them are open. But there are multiple tours during the day, so after perhaps watching the intro video, you can join one. The guide took us into the mill and demonstrated multiple machines used in various stages of cotton to thread production. It was great to see the process in front of us, and it was quite a complex process that required a lot of engineering using waterpower to get completed. I found it very informative, and the guide was able to answer all of our questions, so it's a great experience for kids and adults. No gift shop though, but there is a bathroom on site. The building was described to me as "yellow" when it's peach, but I won't fault that, just saying if you're looking for it, look for peach. There is parking across the street and a small lot next to it.

I can't imagine a time when Providence didn't have this bridge to connect the city like this! It is…read moreso beautiful and I love all the events that they have!

A beautiful addition to the city of Providence! Every time we visit, we would make a stop there…read more This bridge was renamed to the Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Bridge in 2020; it opened in August 2019. It was built on existing piers from the old highway, I-95. The bridge goes over the Providence River and connects two neighborhoods, Fox Point and the Jewelry District. There's a park nearby, called District 195; events are hosted at this location. The bridge was beautiful to walk on day and night. There were railings, benches, tables, and chess tables; at night there were LED lights that brighten the area. A wonderful area for walkers and cyclists. The view of the city skyline was breathtaking. One evening we were there, we saw the star-link satellite flying by, it was awesome. The downfall was, this bridge cost the city $21.9 million when the original budget was supposed to be $2 million. People were opposed with building this bridge because RI had the highest amount of bridges with structural issues. In the end, the bridge was built and it's become a popular attraction and landmark.

Stunning & majestic grandeur at 360 degrees for these historic mansions. Amazed and grateful that…read morethese have been restored for us to view this piece of lavish history. We joined the Historic society for the well worth is discount and toured 3 homes in a day, which is just the right amount. A must in the self guided audio tour via the mansions phone app. It really adds to the history of the mansion and gives great insight to the families and their world. Please explore these fabulous gems when in the area. Can't wait to see the rest!

Visited the Newport Mansions for the first time during the holidays to see all the beautiful lights…read moreand decorations!!! I visited The Breakers and The Marble House (third mansion is The Elms). Each house was lit up with Christmas lights, as well as a Christmas tree in each room. Also bought tickets to see "The Sparkling Lights" outside on the lawn. The mansions are absolutely grand, elegant, and filled with history!! They all cost money to enter, but there is a free audio tour for each one (bring a headset). I loved learning about each one! Short and sweet summaries of each room as you walk through the houses, with the option to listen to extended versions (for you history lovers). Each mansion has parking close-by (although the website claims you can easily walk from one mansion to the next, they are quite far, especially in the winter). I stopped in for a simple day trip, but lots to see and eat in Newport if you have more time! Another tip would be if you're there to see the Sparkling Lights, earliest admission is 4:30 pm, make sure you're in line by 4:15 pm (it gets long FAST)!

I think it's awesome, but my husband's reaction was: "it's not Downton Abbey or anything."…read more LOL. It's still pretty cool. Parking is $3 and there's a lot of great trails. It's not Downton Abbey, but it's worth $3 and an hour of your time!!

This site does a great job showcasing John Brown's house and his historical ties to the slave…read moretrade. The house is from the 18th century, but there are elements from later homeowners that were kept up and add a nice aesthetic touch, but it is important to know more about the Brown benefactor, both good and bad. They have his original carriage which is impressive. There is a beautiful mural in one room with George Washington, added in the 1930s but so impressive it had to stay up. The tour was self-guided, but there were staff members around to ask questions too. Gift shop was small but some good options. The hours are limited, but it's worth a stop as a historically significant site. There is also a parking lot to make your visit easier.

We went for the 250th university of the reduction, the event was free and open for 4 hours. The…read moremuseum was small but very informational. The displays prompted deep thinking about our past, both good and bad. The staff were dressed in period clothing and everyone there was friendly. The museum has stairs to get to the second floor, the building is beautiful and it holds just enough artifacts to be interesting without overwhelming.​