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Providence Attractions
Boosters are understandably proud of their Waterplace Park & Riverwalk, which encircles a tidal basin and borders the Woonasquatucket River down past where it joins the Moshassuck to become the Providence River. It incorporates an amphitheater, boat landings, landscaped walkways, and vaguely Venetian bridges that cross to the East Side. Summer concerts and other events are held here, among them the enormously popular WaterFire (tel. 401/272-3111; www.waterfire.org), when a hundred bonfires are set ablaze in braziers set around the basin of Waterplace Park and along the river. WaterFire takes place on evenings in late May through October, with the roar and flicker accentuated by amplified music.
Nearby, in Kennedy Plaza, the Fleet Skating Center has an ice rink twice the size of the one in New York's Rockefeller Center, fully utilized almost every winter evening. Skate rentals, lockers, and a snack bar are available.
Strolling the Historic Neighborhoods -- This is a city of manageable size -- the population is about 175,000 -- that can easily occupy 2 or 3 days of a Rhode Island vacation. One leisurely walk passes most of the prominent attractions and provides a sense of the city's evolution from a colony of dissidents to a contemporary center of commerce and government.
Start downtown, charting a route from the 1878 City Hall on Kennedy Plaza along Dorrance Street 1 block to Westminster. Turn left, then right in 1 block, past The Arcade, then left on Weybosset.
Follow Weybosset until it joins Westminster and continue across the Providence River. Turn right on the other side, walking along South Water Street as far as James Street, just before the I-195 overpass. Turn left, cross South Main, and then turn left on Benefit Street. This is the start of the so-called Mile of History. Lined with 18th- and 19th-century houses, it is enhanced by gas streetlamps and sections of brick herringbone sidewalks. Along the way are opportunities to visit, in sequence, the 1786 John Brown House, the First Unitarian Church (1816), the Providence Athenaeum, and the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design.
The Rhode Island Historical Society (tel. 401/438-0463; www.rihs.org) offers 90-minute guided tours of four different neighborhoods of interest.
9 Results
- Library/University
Brown University
The nation's seventh-oldest college was founded in 1764 and has a reputation as the most experimental institution among its Ivy League brethren. The evidence of its pre-Revolutionary origins is seen in University Hall, built in 1771. Tours of the campus are intended primarily for… - Museum
Culinary Arts Museum
Attention foodies: You'll find White House china, kitchen gadgets, rare cookbooks dating back to the 16th century, and thousands of menus from around the world at this tribute to all things culinary at Johnson and Wales University. The Diner Museum is a big hit, with a collection of…Washington Park
- Museum
John Brown House Museum
This is the John Brown who gave most of his family fortune to the founding of Brown University, not the famous 19th century abolitionist (ironically this Joh Brown was an 18th century slave trader). This fine Georgian mansion gives visitors a good introduction to the gracious living… - Museum
Lippitt House Museum
This 1865 mansion is as magnificently true to its grandiose Victorian era as any residence on the Continent. Expanses of stained glass, meticulously detailed stenciling, and inlaid floors make this one of the treasures of College Hill. Visits are by guided tour only. Providence Athenaeum
The Providence Athenaeum commissioned this 1838 Greek Revival building to house its lending library, the fourth-oldest in the United States and an innovative concept at the time. Edgar Allan Poe courted Sarah Whitman, his "Annabel Lee," among these shelves. Glances through the old…- The Performing Arts
Providence Performing Arts Center
Started in 1928 as Loew's Movie Palace, the center hosts now such top touring shows as Kinky Boots , the Lion King, Blue Man Group, and the Alvin Ailey dance troupe. Sightlines are good, though popular shows do sell out, so get tickets early if you're interested in attending a…Downcity - Museum
RISD Museum of Art
As one of the finest art schools in the country, the Rhode Island School of Design has a reputation to uphold here. But far from restricting its scope to, say, modern and contemporary works, the collection encompasses a wide range of fine and decorative arts: an Egyptian mummy,…College Hill - Landmark
Rhode Island State House
Constructed of white Georgian marble that blazes in the sun, the 1900 capitol dominates the city center. This near-flawless example of neoclassical governmental architecture (by McKim, Mead & White; 1891-92) boasts one of the largest self-supported domes in the world. The gilded… - Zoo/Aquarium
Roger Williams Park Zoo
The zoo is divided into three principal habitats: Tropical America, the Farmyard, and the Plains of Africa. A newer exhibit is devoted to Australia, with the zoo's first saltwater aquarium. A walk-through aviary and underwater viewing areas with polar bears, sea lions, and harbor…
Providence Shopping
Thayer Street, the main commercial district for the university, is home to the official Brown Bookstore, at no. 244 (at the corner of Olive St.). Also in the vicinity are Silverberry's, at no. 220, with dressy and casual clothes for college-age women, and Hillhouse, no. 135, long in the business of providing male Brownies with Ivy dress-up clothes for interview weeks and parents' days.
Providence Nightlife
This being a college town, there is no end of music bars, small concert halls, and pool pubs. A good source of information is the free weekly Providence Phoenix (www.providencephoenix.com).
The Performing Arts
The Opera Providence (tel. 401/331-6060; www.operaprovidence.org) stages three or four productions a season at various locations, including the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The Rhode Island Philharmonic (tel. 401/831-3123; www.ri-philharmonic.org) usually appears at the Providence Performing Arts Center or the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Big-ticket touring musicals on the order of Rent, The Producers, and Monty Python's Spamalot, as well as traveling dance companies and other attractions, are showcased at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St. (tel. 401/421-ARTS; www.ppacri.org), while new plays share space with Chekov, Albee, and Shakespeare at the Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington St. (tel. 401/351-4242; www.trinityrep.com). The Dunkin' Doughnuts Center, 1 La Salle Sq. (tel. 401/331-2211; www.dunkindonutscenter.com), between the Convention Center and the Holiday Inn Downtown, hosts stellar performers and acts (Bruce Springsteen, among them), along with up-and-comers.
The Club & Music Scene
A tragic nightclub fire in 2003 at the Station in Warwick killed 100 patrons. Strict and expensive regulations were imposed on nightclubs and other music venues, compelling some places to suspend operations or close permanently.
One prominent survivor is Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St. (tel. 401/272-5876; www.lupos.com). Formerly at 239 Westminster St., it still hosts a variety of live concerts 2 or 3 nights a week. Tickets can be purchased at www.etix.com; they usually cost between $18 and $35.
For jazz and blues 5 to 7 nights a week, head to the Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Sq. (tel. 401/453-6500; www.thehihat.com). Find it near the west end of the Point Street bridge.
If a heavy bar scene isn't appealing, there's always AS220, 115 Empire St. (tel. 401/831-9327; www.as220.org), which describes itself as "a nonprofit community arts center with work studios" for mostly local visual, musical, and performance artists. It hosts 10 to 12 events every week. Similar in mission is Tazza Caffee & Lounge, 250 Westminster St. (tel. 401/421-3300; www.tazzacaffe.com), an espresso bar open daily from early morning to late night that puts on fashion shows, sculpture exhibits, and poetry readings to go with films and jazz and blues combos.
Many restaurants in the city engage musical groups 2 or more nights a week. These include CAV,. At the Trinity Brewhouse, 186 Fountain St. (tel. 401/453-2337; www.trinitybrewhouse.com), live jazz and blues share attention with boutique beers, a pool table, and a deck.
Movies
For art-house films and midnight cult movies, check the Avon Cinema, 260 Thayer St., near Meeting Street (tel. 401/421-3315; www.avoncinema.com), or the Cable Car, 204 South Main St. (tel. 401/272-3970; www.cablecarcinema.com), which has comfy sofas and free popcorn refills.
- Jazz
AS 220
There are plenty of places to get a drink in this town, but for entertainment, this nonprofit towers above its competition, presenting new and vital works in all modes—poetry slams, traditional Irish music, punk rock, and free jazz.Downcity Avon Cinema
This 1938 art deco cinema screens an excellent selection of foreign and independent films, plus lost classics. And the popcorn here is primo.College Hill- Jazz
Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Larger acts, from Wilco to Wu-Tang Clan, appear at this venue because it's one of the biggest in the area. In 2014, the Wonder Years and Bad Rabbit were among the headliners. And while it is a wee bit grungy, and could do better on the acoustics, we have to give it to them on the…Downcity
