Rhode Island - The Ocean State

Rhode Island Tourism Division












What’s New
• Aspire Restaurant: Launched Friday night jazz series on the rooftop terrace above the Hotel Providence along with a new menu.
• Harbor Fine Art: Showcases paintings by local artists. Also features other art forms including stained glass. The Gallery also serves as a working studio. In the Historic Hill neighbourhood, Newport.

Attractions
• Providence Place Mall: State-of-the-art shopping extravaganza featuring 150 specialty shops in a 115,000-square-metre mall. Providence.
• Slater Mill Historic Site: First factory in America to produce yarn with water-powered machines. Illustrates the cloth-making process. Pawtucket.
• Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum: A 45-room turn-of-the-20th-century mansion with 13 hectares of beautifully landscaped gardens. Bristol.
• Astors’ Beechwood Mansion: Forty-minute guided tours re-create Newport’s glorious past in this Victorian living history museum.
• Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Museum: Features short order cooks to famous chefs, and celebrates the history of the cooking and hospitality industries. Providence.

Events
• WaterFire Providence (May through October), Providence.
• Annual Music Festivals (July through August), Newport.
• Charlestown Chamber Annual Seafood Festival (August).
• Rhythm & Roots Festival (early September), Charlestown.

Places
• Providence: Fine dining, renowned theatres and thriving arts community in a capital city teeming with colonial, federal, Greek revival and Victorian architecture.
• East Bay: Steeped in British and colonial heritage; East Bay Bike Path offers unparalleled views of Narragansett Bay.
• South County: Historic homes, museums and reminders of a rich Indian heritage. Watch Hill and Narragansett are famous 19th-century seaside resorts.
• Rhode Island Nature Trails: Four self-directed trails that highlight the state’s diverse environment and detail some of the best spots to visit.
• Roger Williams Park Botanical Center: Largest public indoor display gardens in New England.
• Newport: Although yachting and the “summer cottages” of the Gilded Age millionaires made Newport world-famous, the city is also renowned for its delightful mix of Colonial heritage, beautiful beaches, lively waterfront and cultural attractions.

Hidden Gems
• Gilbert Stuart Birthplace: Best known for his George Washington painting, the foremost colonial portrait artist was born here in 1755. Plus, a still-operating 18th-century snuff mill (first in America) with water wheel. Saunderstown.
• Watch Hill: Historic landmark community in the town of Westerly with a picturesque lighthouse and incredible sunsets.
• Museum of Work and Culture: Presents the compelling and poignant story of French Canadians who left the farms of Quebec for the factories of New England. Woonsocket.
• Block Island: Seaside resort 19 kilometres off the Rhode Island coast, with rolling green hills and dramatic bluffs reminiscent of Ireland, and beautifully restored Victorian hotels and inns that preserve the elegance of a bygone era. Public beaches and freshwater ponds are the main attractions. Access is by ferry or airplane.

Did You Know?
State Motto: Hope
State Flower: Violet
State Bird: Rhode Island Red

Fast Facts
Region: NEW ENGLAND
Direct Flights: Air Canada, US Airways
Cruise Lines: American Classic Voyages, American Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Cruise Line, Delta Queen Steamboat Company, Hapag Lloyd, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Regency Cruises, Seabourn Cruises, Silversea Cruises
Sales Tools: Official Rhode Island Travel Guide; online discount packages; Group Package Planner.
Info: Rhode Island Tourism Division
1-800-556-2484
www.VisitRhodeIsland.com