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Rhode Island
7 Most Scenic Small Towns in Rhode Island
The smallest American State by total area and with a total population of just over 1 million inhabitants, what the “Ocean State” of Rhode Island may lack in size it compensates for with splendid natural beauty and fascinating history. A key component of the New England Region, Rhode Island’s welcoming and charming towns reflect the very best of this historic destination that joined the Union in 1790. From breathtaking Atlantic Ocean vistas to alluring communities dating to the 18th century, the scenic and unique towns in Rhode Island are perfect ways for the entire family to enjoy a holiday. So come see some of the best of New England through an exploration of these beautifully scenic and inviting Rhode Island towns!
Jamestown
One of Rhode Island’s oldest European settlements, Jamestown can trace its foundational history to the mid 1600s! Beautifully located on Conanicut Island (in Narragansett Bay), this historic place is indeed a most fascinating destination to discover where history and natural beauty come together. Including the small islands of Dutch and Gould, visitors to Jamestown will find a most charming community of just under 6,000 residents. Full of stunning ocean views and island breezes, guests will also never be short on historic attractions to experience. These include the Beavertail Lighthouse (1856), the Windmill Hill Historic District, Fort Getty (1901), the Conanicut Battery, and the Jamestown Archeological District, amongst many others. Add in a welcoming assortment of local businesses, restaurants, and shops, and the sights and sounds of Jamestown truly make it one of the most welcoming and scenic places in all of Rhode Island.
New Shoreham/Block Island
The town of New Shoreham can also trace its history to the mid 17th century, where today a modest population of just over 1,400 reside. Located on Block Island, New Shoreham is the State’s southernmost place and offers truly exquisite views of the Atlantic Ocean and loads of beautiful rolling green hills. A visual delight that all ages can marvel and appreciate, make sure not to miss a stop at the Mohegan Bluffs lookout or plan an afternoon at a most welcoming beach area. Full of great opportunities to go sailing, swimming, and sunbathing, New Shoreham and Block Island indeed never offers a dull moment. And with such inviting cultural events like the Fourth of July Parade and unique historic attractions like the Southeast Lighthouse (1875) and the Block Island Historical Society Museum, there is always something charming and fun to waiting to be discovered for the entire family.
Warren
Warren is located on the eastern banks of the same named river, where today just over 11,000 inhabitants reside. Settled by English colonists back in the 1680s, Warren remains a most peaceful and naturally beautiful town where guests can also discover fascinating stories of American history. Spend time at such attractions like the previously mentioned Warren River or the Kickemuit River, where one can even view such wildlife like deer, foxes, and varying bird species. Meanwhile for the historically inclined guest, Warren’s most charming Waterfront Historic District is a wonderful place to feel the sense of stepping back in time. Marvel at an assortment of well preserved landmarks and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of which are included on the National Register of Historic Places. Add in a cute selection of local shops and restaurants, and Warren truly gives off a quintessential portrait of scenic and welcoming small town Americana.
Bristol
The seat of the same named county, the town of Bristol was established in the 1680s and today this charming and fascinating historic centre is the home to just under 23,000 residents. A great place to directly discover American history, Bristol hosts several buildings and landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Mount Hope Farm (1745), the County Jail (1828), the Bristol Ferry Lighthouse (1855), and the inviting Waterfront Historic District, amongst several others. And when not learning about the past, visitors to Bristol will surely never find a shortage of beautiful natural surroundings to admire. From awesome Atlantic Ocean vistas to stunning public park areas like the Blithwold Gardens and Arboretum, there is always a breathtaking view to be had in this Rhode Island community. Add in fun opportunities for sailing, kayaking, swimming, and bike riding, and visiting Bristol will surely be something the entire family will want to repeat.
Narragansett
Narragansett is one of Rhode Island’s most popular summer hot spots, and guests from all across the State descend on the town for great outdoors fun. Indeed whether it is sailing, swimming, or sunbathing, Narragansett’s beautiful beach areas are perfect ways for all ages to enjoy a holiday. Located along a narrow strip of the Pettaquamscutt River, the historic Narragansett is also a great place to see a number of fascinating historic attractions. These include the Point Judith Lighthouse (1857) and the castle gate known as The Towers (1883), amongst others that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Meanwhile an afternoon at the Fishermen’s Memorial State Park is ideal for a calm and relaxing outing, while generally comfortably temperatures year round make Narragansett always in vogue.
Foster
Home to a modest population of just under 4,500 inhabitants, the charming small town of Foster is an ideal place for a scenic and inviting weekend retreat. Formally established in the 17th century, and just some 20 miles from the State capital of Providence, guests can expect to find a pretty natural ambience and alluring historic attractions. Visit the Clayville Historic District and admire such landmarks like the Captain George Dorrance House (1720) and the Mount Vernon Tavern (1761). These and other sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, truly do give one a sense of time travel and to the fledging years of the young United States. Meanwhile do not forget about such natural wonders like Killingly Pond or the very special Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge. Whether one walks or drives across, a very special set of photographic memories will be sure to follow.
Richmond
Richmond is a short 35 mile drive from capital city of Providence, and it is an excellent choice for those in the capital region to enjoy a day trip or two. With a population of just over 8,000 residents, Richmond offers its inhabitants and visitors alike a peaceful natural atmosphere with plenty of American historic attraction. Spend time exploring the historic villages of Tug Hollow, Arcadia, Kenyon, Hillsdale, and Shannock, amongst others that really immerse one in the daily life of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Add in the splendid, forested framing of the area, and a most charming and rustic mood is definitely set. And as with any typical smaller town, a great assortment of local restaurants, businesses, shops, and galleries dot the landscape, making Richmond a truly wholesome place to appreciate small town USA. Indeed whether its strolling though the village historic districts, admiring the scenic woods, or greeting the friendly locals, Richmond is a wonderful Rhode Island experience.
Also known as the “Ocean State”, Rhode Island is a key feature of the America’s New England region. While its geographic and demographic size may be size, Rhode Island is definitely big in natural splendor and fascinating history, that make it an ideal place to vacation in. Through an exploration of some of the State’s small towns, one can discover not only awesome geographic beauty but charming snapshots of old America. From the island allure of New Shoreham to the historic sights of Bristol, these and other Rhode Island towns are truly treasures waiting to be experienced firsthand! So when travelling the American northeast, do not forget about Rhode Island and these wonderfully scenic and inviting small towns, that will definitely enrich any holiday for every age in the family.
New East Bay Bike Path bridges are open and ready for bikes
What’s it like to ride over the new East Bay Bike Path bridges? We sent a reporter to try them out.
I’ve long thought bike paths are among Rhode Island’s premier attractions, up there with the beaches, the mansions and the bay.
We like to knock government, but credit where it’s due, the state has done an amazing job building out an incredible pedaling network.
It’s clearly a priority.
At least I thought it was.
But they’ve just dropped the ball on what should have been a beautiful new stretch.
The plan was to finish a mile-long connector from the East Providence end of the Henderson Bridge all the way to the East Bay Bike Path.
There was even $25 million set aside to get it done.
Except WPRI recently reported that it’s now been canceled.
The main fault lies with the Trump administration, which is no friend of bike paths, and moved to kill that $25 million.
But it gets complicated, as government funding always does.
To try to rescue that money, the state DOT reportedly worked with the administration to refunnel it into a road project. Specifically, the $25 million will now be spent helping upgrade the mile-long highway between the Henderson Bridge and North Broadway in East Providence, turning it into a more pleasant boulevard.
That totally sounds worthy.
But it’s insane to throw away the bike path plan.
Especially for a particular reason in this case.
They’d already put a ton of money into starting it.
When state planners designed the new Henderson Bridge between the East Side and East Providence, they included a bike path.
It’s a beauty – well protected from traffic by a barrier, a great asset for safely riding over the Seekonk River.
The plan was to continue it another mile or so along East Providence’s Waterfront Drive, ultimately connecting with the East Bay Bike Path, which runs all the way to Bristol. Which, by the way, is one of the nicest bike paths you’ll find anywhere.
But alas, that connector plan has been canceled.
So the expensive stretch over the Henderson Bridge to East Providence is now a bike path to nowhere. Once the bridge ends, the path on it continues a few hundred yards or so and then, just … ends.
Too bad.
We were so close.
Most of the stories on the issue have been about the complex negotiation to rescue the $25 million by rerouting it to that nearby highway-to-boulevard project. But I don’t want to get lost in the weeds of that bureaucratic process here because it loses sight of the heart of this story.
Which is that an amazing new addition to one of the nation’s best state bike path systems has just been scrapped.
You can knock the Rhode Island government for blowing a lot of things.
The PawSox.
The Washington Bridge.
But they’ve done great with bike paths.
And especially, linking many of them together.
Example: not too many years ago, Providence bikers had to risk dicey traffic on the East Side to get to the more pleasant paths in India Point Park and on the 195 bridge to the East Bay Path.
But the state fixed that by adding an amazing connector that starts behind the Salvation Army building and beautifully winds along the water of the Seekonk River for a mile or so.
That makes a huge difference – and no doubt has avoided some bike-car accidents.
We were close to a comparable stretch on the other side of the river – that’s what the $25 million would have done.
But it’s now apparently dead.
Online commenters aren’t happy about it.
On a Reddit string, “Toadscoper” accused the state of being “complicit” with the feds in rerouting the money from bikes to cars.
And there was this fascinating post from FineLobster 5322, who apparently is a disappointed planner who worked on the project: “Mind you money has already been spent on phase one so rejecting it at this point is wasting money and also against the public interest … but what do I know? I only worked on the project as an engineer … I didn’t get into this to build more highways. I do it … to give back to communities and give them more access to their environment.”
Wow. One can imagine the state planning team is devastated. That’s not a small consideration. Good people go into government to make life better in Rhode Island, and it’s a bad play to take the spirit out of the job by first assigning a great human-scale project and then, after a ton of work, trashing it.
A poster named Homosapiens simply said, “We just accept this?”
Hopefully not.
The first stretch of the path over the Henderson Bridge is done, money already sunk.
What a shame to leave that as a path to nowhere.
It doesn’t have to happen.
Between Governor McKee and our Washington delegation, there’s got to be a way to get this done.
There’s got to be.
mpatinki@providencejournal.com
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
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