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    Independence Park

    4.5 (11 reviews)

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    Brian S.

    The beginning and the end Independence Park is a small park located at the southern end of the East Bay Bike Path. Some people call this the start of the 14.5 mile bike path others refer to it as the end. I guess it all depends on your point of view. If you do start from the northern end up in Providence, Independence Park is a great place to stop for a rest before heading back north. It's not a huge park but it has some nice benches with great views of Bristol Harbor, a little boardwalk, a couple of monuments and even an old cannon. Usually clean bathrooms and a drinking fountain are across the street and several ice cream places and restaurants are close by. Definitely a nice place to inhale some ice cream and rest before biking back the last 14 miles. A friendly woman walking around in the park told me that this was once a railroad yard. I'm not sure if that is true but it wouldn't surprise me since the old tracks did start (or end) here. The tracks are long since gone and the old rail line now serve as the bike path. Even thought he park isn't large it has a lot going on in it. Arts and crafts shows and the summer concert series take place here in the summer and on the 4th of July the famous Bristol celebration is centered in the park. The town of Bristol has the oldest 4th of July celebration in the country, first started way back in 1785, the parade and festivities have been going on ever since. Quite an event, it seems to get larger every year. Even though this is a rather small park it serves many functions. Great views, history, parades, music, ice cream, bathrooms, drinking fountains and arts and crafts. A great place to start, end, or take a rest during a cool bike ride.

    Dominik D.

    Very cute little park on the water. Great views of the marina and a huge lawn for all purpose park activities.

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    Review Highlights - Independence Park

    Seriously, if you live in Rhode Island, make it your mission to come here in the weeks leading up to July 4th.

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    Veterans Memorial Park

    Veterans Memorial Park

    (3 reviews)

    The trails were a little too muddy and overgrown for me to fully explore them, but what I did do…read moreoffered some views and a quiet escape. Even had a couple deer dart in front of me on the trail.

    Veterans Memorial Park is a picturesque, hidden gem, surprisingly located... in the middle of…read moreBarrington (funny for such a seemingly secluded locale). You can access the park via a dirt road, just off of West Street, next to the YMCA. Park at the YMCA or drive down the dirt road a bit to park inside. It is an easy jump skip from the East Bay Bike Path as well for those using a bipedal method of transportation. The trails are not extensive, only about 2.5 miles in total if you traverse all of the loops, but the views of Brickyard Pond are worth it. The 84-acre body of water sits on 230 acres of land, named for its history as a site of the brick-making industry in the area up until the 1940's. Due to hazardous structures in the water, swimming is not allowed. Fishing is allowed only certain times of the year since the pond is home to some herring spawning grounds. There is a boat launch as well as several points of access to the water for kayaking. Two trails, the Red and Green, make their way along the shore of the pond and into the forested acreage of the park. Summersweet plants flower everywhere along the trails, filling the air with their pleasant aroma. For the most part I stayed on trail but there were a number of unmarked routes leading who-knows-where. I explored some of these but didn't stray too far. The trails were well-marked with their colored blazes and arrow signs but with so many trails breaking off from the main loops, it was easy to get turned around. Well-kept, there were several bridges and walkways built into the path to skip over lazy moving streams and marshy areas. From their maps, it appears that several more trails looping around the pond are in the works, connecting the park to the bike patch directly. It will be wonderful once development is complete. Near the boat launch is a peaceful clearing with tables and park benches. A great place for a picnic or to simply kick back and soak up the outdoors. A nice find in downtown Barrington. As a side note: there was a surprising amount of litter in the parking lot inside the grounds... the trails were clean but some of the areas with grills and benches were visited by litter bugs and party animals. Trash, broken glass... dropped it down to 4-stars for me despite my enjoyable experience in the rest of the park.

    Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum

    Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum

    (66 reviews)

    This was my first time at Blithewold. It was a misty rainy day but we still had a great time. I…read morecame to see their gardens which had an abundance of daffodils now. It did not disappoint and they had the most diverse amount of different varieties of daffodils I had ever seen which was amazing. We walked the lovely grounds and were happy the outdoor sculptures were still here. Then we went into the house. They have a wonderful audio tour you get with your phone which we enjoyed. I loved how the majority of the furniture in the house is original. They have plenty of parking a cute gift shop. It was just a great day. I do want to come back to have tea here. So glad I finally visited.

    8/2/25: While visiting Rhode Island, we decided to take a side trip to Blithewold in the town of…read moreBristol. Since it had been ages since last visiting, I only had a faint recollection of the estate having incredibly beautiful gardens. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum was established by Augustus and Bessie Van Wickle in the 1890s as their summer estate. Mr. Van Wickle made his fortune in the coal mining industry. The estate overlooks beautiful Narragansett Bay. Due to our schedule, our main focus was to just visit the special bamboo bird exhibit and gardens. We went to the admission desk. Luckily, since my friend was a Met member, we got in free. We casually mentioned, we were here to see the special bird exhibit. The staff was very friendly, but didn't make any mention of the bird exhibit. As we walked through the gardens, we saw so many beautiful flowers and lush trees. In one section, there's a large growth of stunning bamboo. As mentioned earlier, the estate had a special exhibit of six bamboo birds ranging from 15 to 30 feet in height. August 11th is the exhibit's last day. All the birds were absolutely striking in appearance. It's incredible, how these birds can be designed from bamboo. Taking one star off for the following: It was quite tiring walking the extensive grounds, due to the heat. In fact, it was difficult to make it close enough to see the sixth bird (Owl). Wish the visitor's section would've offered some type of mini tram to take you through the gardens. Even at an extra cost, it would've been worth it, due to the length of the gardens. However, Blithewold is definite must see when visiting Rhode Island.

    Burr's Hill Park - Water views

    Burr's Hill Park

    (2 reviews)

    Sea breeze in the late afternoon was much needed relief from the sun bearing down…read more Parking lot is tiny. Has a beach that is very spacious and offers play set for children. Best advice I followed - use the grounds facility instead of portable toilets.

    Music and mounds…read more Burr's Hill Park is a seven and a half acre park that sits right across from the town beach. A very pleasant place with nice views of the water but this park also holds a bit of a mystery. The park has baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, and a bandshell where a summer concert series is held. Other events and gatherings are also frequently conducted at the park. It's also right next to the East Bay Bike Path so it's a convenient place to use the bathrooms or get some water while biking by. One of the things that first struck me when viewing the park are the strange mounds that rise up on the perimeter of the park. If you look closely it becomes obvious that these are not natural but created by people a long time ago. These enigmatic mounds are actually the remains of a Revolutionary Fort that was built here centuries ago and long forgotten. No signs or historical plaques are around to mark the site but it's still pretty cool. I couldn't find any signs of recent archaeological activity nor any reference to any digs that have been conducted in the park so who knows what treasures lurk below the surface. Burr's Hill is a nice place that serves many of the recreational and artistic needs of the people of Warren. Interesting to realize that several centuries ago the value and function of the park served a far more martial and less pleasant purpose.

    Independence Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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