Welcome
to Rhode Island, affectionately known as "The Ocean State." Let's
begin your future Rhode
Island road trip with some travel tips and a heaping
serving of local online
storytelling...
Featured Rhode
Island Travel and Vacation Stories
Rhode Island
Vacation and Day Trip
Blog Posts
More road trip ideas when
visiting Rhode Island
Visiting Rhode Island Offers Big-time
Fun in the USA's Smallest State
A few thoughts on Rhode Island travel from the editor at VisitingNewEngland
Wickford Village.
by Eric Hurwitz
Rhode Island might be the smallest
state in the United States, but I could write on forever about this
amazing New England travel destination that offers so many publicly
accessible beaches, coastal
bike trails, sunsets, fresh seafood and soda fountains, quiet
hidden destinations, unassuming
mill towns and
beautiful cities like Newport
and Providence.
East Bay Bike Path, Bristol. R.I.
Unlike the big corporate
travel web sites, I can only offer you my heart and soul when writing
about visiting Rhode Island and hope that the authenticity helps you
greatly with your Rhode Island trip planning. Remember to enjoy the
Rhode Island journey as much as the destination and write me about your
experiences in this great, little state!
Best regards, Eric
at
VisitingNewEngland.com
Loving Rhode Island Travel is So Easy to Do
Ocean Drive in Newport.
It's hard to believe for the
smallest state in the United States that Rhode Island has so much
accessible coastline. What that means is more beach time for you and
your family.
The Rhode Island South
County coastline features some of the
family-friendly best
beaches in New England, and serves as a terrific alternative to Cape
Cod. In that area, you'll find some of New England's most charming
towns, villages and neighborhoods, including, Watch Hill, Galilee,
Wickford
Village and Charlestown.
From Gallilee, a ferry leads to Block
Island, an instantly appealing island well preserved in nature. If
you
are inclined to pristine ocean and beaches, rolling green fields and
pastoral farms, abundant plant and wildlife, and a slower-paced
lifestyle, then by all means plan a trip to what the Nature Conservancy
has designated as "one of the 12 last great places in the Western
Hemisphere."
It's easy to see why. With the exception of a small downtown, Block
Island's 21 square miles -12 miles south of Rhode Island's main
land--provide a treasure chest of unspoiled terrains -- the perfect
place for a New England summer vacation. Most people walk, ride bikes
or drive motor scooters to trek around the island. What they will find
is their own beach, their own forest, their own special place, their
own discovery. Walking off the beaten path will surely lead you to
nowhere. And nowhere is a beautiful place.
Newport
is a wonderful Rhode Island vacation destination,
famous for
its grand mansions. The fun doesn't end there, however, as visitors
will find a plethora of things to do, including downtown shopping,
great beaches, The Tennis Hall of Fame, summer music festivals, the
wide open Fort Adams State Park (great for kite flying), a wonderful
oceanside
cliff walk, countless bed and breakfasts, inn, hotels and
motels, and some of the best seafood dining that New England has to
offer. It's a colorful town with myriad tourist attractions, sure to
please on every visit.
A few miles from Newport is Bristol,
a quintessential New England town
-- tree-lined and quaint with an incrediible Patriotic nature (flags
waving everywhere you turn). Surrounded by Mount Hope Bay to the east
and Narragansett Bay to the south and west, Bristol is stunning from
every perspective. Colt
State Park is especially impressive with its
sweeping views of the Narragansett Bay and ideally located walking
paths. The downtown features well maintained older homes and an
understated but pleasing array of restaurants, shops and lodging.
Bristol is also offers the oldest (and extremely popular) Fourth of
July celebration in the country. Bristol is a perfect start to your
Rhode Island and New England vacation.
Rhode Island has a great city, too, -- Providence.
From the colorful
Italian streets of Federal Hill to the elegant brownstone, Ivy League
neighborhoods of Brown University, Providence feels like a complete
city. There's the mile of colonial houses on Benefit Street juxtaposed
against a rapidly growing skyline. Providence Place Mall, one of the
biggest malls in New England shines its modern leanings against the
architecturally old world aura of the State House. Providence also
offers some of the best restaurants in New England (Al Forno, Pot Au
Feu) and a plethora of high quality hotels and inns.
The Providence Place Mall is hands-down the best shopping mall in New
England. Although forever controversial and either loved or hated with
no middleground, the Providence Place Mall has steadily gained respect
with its three floors of 165 shops, elegant surroundings with plush
rugs, colorful architecture, shiny walls, and a wonderful view of the
Providence skyline, including the beloved waterfront.
Providence is a world class city for several blocks, with expansion of
that greatness on the way.
We encourage you to "travel Rhode
Island" through our library--at
Visiting New England.com, native New Englanders bring you the best in
New England vacations and travel information with detailed essays,
reviews, tips and resources. We hope you enjoy
browsing our Rhode
Island travel library and hope to see you travel New England soon.
Best regards,
Eric at VisitingNewEngland
More Rhode Island Travel
Articles...
Find great destinations, attractions in RI
at our Best of New England Travel Lists section
Discover
top Ocean State towns and cities in the Best New England towns and
cities
article
Experience
local family fun things to do in the Best New England
Attractions
article
See which apple orchards in the Ocean State
made the
Best of New England list
Visit
a
great Tiverton ice cream stand as mentioned the Best Ice Cream
Stands in New England article
The
Best Seafood Restaurants in New England post reveals some amazing RI
destinations
Discover a
Narragansett beach that made The Best New England Beaches list
Read
about a zoo in Providence recommended in our Best Amusement Parks,
Theme Parks and
Zoos article
Celebrate
Christmas at the Newport mansions as mentioned in our New England
Christmas events article
Riding the
scenic, coastal East Bay Bike Path from Providence to Bristol
Scenic
drive supreme: Ocean Drive in Newport
Why Biff
and Muffy will not like Galilee in Narragansett
Block
Island: One of the last 12 last great places in the western hemisphere
Colt
State Park in Bristol is ideal for a coastal walk, picnic, bike ride,
kite flying
Wickford
Village, a hidden travel gem
Finding
a wonderful dining out spot in the heart of Newport
William's
Grant Inn reflects the historic charm of Bristol
Gray's
Ice Cream Stand in Tiverton: a beloved tradition since 1923
Phantom
Farms, a classic family farm attraction in Cumberland
Pumpkins,
mums, hay rides, Christmas trees and other farm delights at Adams Farm
in Cumberland
The
Beef Barn in North Smithfield offers delicious roast beef, unusual
atmosphere
The FarmCoast and Pawtuxet Village are
featured in 6 Great Hidden Gem New England Travel Destinations
15 free, low-cost things to do in the Ocean
State
Providence
Children's Museum offers fun, affordable family attractions
Newport Creamery's Awful Awful Drink is
really not so awful
How to visit Bristol without spending a dime
Book a hotel in Rhode
Island and get a great rate
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