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Top Attractions in Rhode Island

Providence

Providence is the capital and most populous city in Rhode Island. Founded in 1636, it is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It is located in Providence County, and is the third-largest city in the New England region after Boston and Worcester. Providence has a city population of 177,994 and is part of the 38th-largest metropolitan population in the country, with an estimated population of 1,604,291, exceeding that of Rhode Island by about 60%, as it extends into southern Massachusetts. This can be considered in turn to be part of the Greater Boston commuting area, which contains 7.6 million people. The city is situated at the mouth of the Providence River, at the head of Narragansett Bay. Providence was founded by Roger Williams, a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "Gods merciful Providence", which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers to settle. After becoming one of the first cities in the country to industrialize, Providence became noted for its jewelry and silverware industry. Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning, which has shifted the citys economy into service industries, though it still retains significant manufacturing activity. Once nicknamed the "Beehive of Industry", Providence began rebranding itself as the "Creative Capital" in 2009 to emphasize its educational resources and arts community.

Newport

Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. It is located 30 miles south of Providence, and 70 miles south of Boston. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and a major United States Navy training center. A major 18th-century port city, Newport now contains among the highest number of surviving colonial buildings of any city in the United States. The city is the county seat of Newport County . Newport was known for being the city of some of the "Summer White Houses" during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. The population was 24,027 as of 2013.

Warwick

Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000. Founded by Samuel Gorton in 1642, Warwick has witnessed major events in American history. The City of Warwick is located approximately 12 miles south of downtown Providence, 63 miles southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, and 171 miles northeast of New York City. Warwick was decimated during King Philips War and was the site of the Gaspee Affair, a significant prelude to the American Revolution. Warwick is also the home of revolutionary war general Nathanael Greene, George Washingtons second-in-command, and the Civil War hero of the battle of Gettysburg, General George S. Greene. Warwick is home to Rhode Islands main airport, T. F. Green Airport, which serves the greater Providence area and also functions as a reliever for Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. It is also the home of the 43rd Military Police Brigade of the Rhode Island Army National Guard.

Wakefield

Wakefield is a village in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and the commercial center of the town. Together with the village of Peace Dale, it is treated by the U.S. Census as a component of the census-designated place identified as Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island. South Kingston was the traditional county seat of Washington County. Since 1991, the Washington County Courthouse has been in Wakefield. The Sheriffs Office which handles corrections is also in Wakefield. The Wakefield village center along Main Street between Belmont Avenue and Columbia Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 as Wakefield Historic District. The district is significant for being an early commercial and industrial center. The district includes 53 properties over an area of 400 acres and also includes Kenyon's Department Store, which is separately listed on the National Register.

Cranston

Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,529 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area. Cranston was named one of the "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States by Money magazine in 2006. It is among the top 25 safest cities in the country, according to CQ Presss research. According to the survey done by 24/7 Wall St website, Cranston ranked 36th on the list of “America’s 50 Best Cities to Live” The Town of Cranston was created in 1754 from a portion of Providence north of the Pawtuxet River. After losing much of its territory to neighboring towns and the city of Providence, Cranston itself became a city on 10 March 1910.

Rumford

Rumford, Rhode Island, is the northern section of the city of East Providence. It borders Seekonk, Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Rhode Island and the Ten Mile River. Roger Williams originally settled near the intersection of Roger Williams and Wilson Avenues and long considered Phillipsdale. In April 1636, after the corn had been planted, the settlement was told that Plymouth Colony claimed all land to the Seekonk River which is just to the west. Thus, Roger Williams paddled down the Ten Mile to the Seekonk and encountered Native Americans who greeted him with the phrase "What Cheer, Neetop" . He named his new settlement Providence. Samuel Newman and his followers migrated to the area and established a huge town common in what was then Rehoboth, Massachusetts and now Rumford. They gave the roundabout a distinctive name: "The Ring of the Green." Newman Congregational Church still stands at the intersections of Pawtucket Avenue, Newman Avenue and Ferris Avenue. Rumford has previously been part of three towns and two states; Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Seekonk, Massachusetts, and East Providence, Rhode Island. It became part of Rhode Island in 1862. Rumford Baking Powder was made in the town at the Rumford Chemical Works and was named after Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. Wannamoisett Country Club was established in Rumford on land rented from Rumford Chemical Works. This country club and golf course, re-designed by Donald Ross, is spread out over 100 acres on Hoyt Avenue, and hosts the Northeast Amateur Invitational Golf Tournament each year. Agawam Hunt Club is also located in Rumford. It was re-designed by Donald Ross in 1920 as an 18 hole course and underwent a reconstruction in the mid-1960s. Narragansett Park was situated in Pawtucket off Newport Ave, but had its barn area across the city line in the Rumford section. Rumford's zip code is 02916, and the area code is 401. Several Native American tribes originally settled in the area and were mostly Wampanoag. About 150 acres of the Rumford area, encompassing the historic heart of old Seekonk and the 19th-century center of East Providence, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

The Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a Marine Protected Area of the United States located on Prudence, Patience, and Hope islands in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. It was established in August 1980 under the Coastal Zone Management Act. The reserve encompasses 2,353 acres of land as well as 1,591 acres of water adjoining the islands out to a depth of 18 feet . During the colonial era, all three islands were used for farming. By the 20th century, farming had declined and Prudence Island began to attract summer residents. During World War II, the U.S. military established a presence on the island and remained until 1972, when the land was turned over to the state of Rhode Island. It encompasses coastal, estuarine, and tidal habitats. The reserve is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management as a federal/state partnership in cooperation with NOAA.

Trustom Pond

Trustom Pond is a closed lagoon in South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. It is one of nine coastal lagoons in southern Rhode Island. It has a surface area of 800 acres, and is the only undeveloped salt pond in the state. The pond averages 1.3 feet deep, and has a salinity level of 5 parts per thousand. It is non-tidal, except when breached by storms. The water directly receives about 219,844,022 US gallons of precipitation per year, with an estimated 796,215 US gallons in daily groundwater flow. No streams flow into the pond, though a nearby stream "captures water that otherwise would have flowed to Trustom Pond". Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge, inhabited by over 300 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, and 20 species of reptiles and amphibians. As such, it is a popular bird-watching destination. In 1987, 365 acres of land were donated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; subsequent donations and purchases raised the protected area to 800 acres, with current plans for expansion. The wildlife refuge receives approximately 50,000 visitors annually. The Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge includes 3 miles of foot trails, surrounded by fields, shrublands, woodlands and small freshwater ponds. Wildlife managers create breachways to the Block Island Sound, lowering water levels and creating mudflats which become feeding areas for waders.

Maschaug Pond

Maschaug Pond is a coastal lagoon in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Located at 41°19′07″N 71°49′51″W, it is one of nine such lagoons in southern Rhode Island. A "small, brackish pond", it is not permanently connected to the Block Island Sound, and is largely bordered by a golf course. Nests of the piping plover, which has been federally designated as a threatened species, have been documented within the watershed. Its watershed covers 392.57 acres; 52.08 acres is occupied by water. Maschaug itself has a surface area of 34.63 acres, while nearby Little Maschaug Pond is 11.69 acres . The pond averages 6.89 ft deep, and has a salinity level of approximately 7 parts per thousand, too low to sustain the growth of eelgrass. The pond is non-tidal, except when breached by storms. The water directly receives about 57,219,222 gallons of precipitation per year, though groundwater flow is unknown. No rivers or streams flow into the pond. Maschaug Pond, like others in the region, was "formed after the recession of the glaciers 12,000 years ago". As a result of certain environmental conditions, including low elevation of surrounding land and dense residential and commercial development, Maschaug Pond is considered particularly susceptible to storm surge. It is projected that during a future hurricane, Winnapaug and Maschaug Ponds will likely be significantly changed.

Big Blue Bug

The Big Blue Bug, also known as Nibbles Woodaway, is the giant termite mascot of Big Blue Bug Solutions, located along I-95 in Providence, Rhode Island. The Bug is claimed to be the worlds largest artificial bug at 928 times the size of an actual termite, standing at 9 feet tall and 58 feet long, and weighing 4,000 pounds . It was constructed over a four-day period from wire mesh and fiberglass in late 1980 at a cost of $20,000. The Bug was originally painted purple, but the paint soon faded to a pale blue and the landmark became so well known in that condition that it was never repainted purple. The Bug has made numerous media appearances, including the films Dumb and Dumber, Dumb and Dumber To, the television programs The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Daily Show, and Family Guy, the comic strips Zippy the Pinhead and Bosquet, and the books Providence by Geoffrey Wolff, Roadside America by Mike Wilkins, Ken Smith and Doug Kirby, and Weird New England by Joseph Citro. The Bug was originally known only as the "Big Blue Bug," a name coined by Providence traffic reporter Mike Sheridan, until it received the name Nibbles Woodaway in a contest in 1990. Geraldine Perry of Tiverton, Rhode Island submitted the winning name. The Big Blue Bug was built by Avenia Sign Company of North Providence, RI. Anthony Pescarino, Tom Grenga and Ronald Levesque assembled the sign over the course of a couple of months. Anthony Pescarino said, "we had to put the wings together and brought them to Valley Street to have them coated in fiberglass.". The bug was fiberglassed by Robert Garafano, Sr. of Olneyville. It was then assembled on site and then raised to the roof. The Big Blue Bug has also been featured on scratch-off lottery tickets, and was officially pardoned by Mayor Buddy Cianci for drinking Dels Lemonade . The Bug left its home on June 20, 2002 for a five-stop tour. It was refurbished and painted a brighter blue before being returned to the roof of New England Pest Control. On April 9, 2012, New England Pest Control announced that they would be changing the companys name to "Big Blue Bug Solutions". The Bug "wore" a necktie for the occasion.

The Breakers

The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport County. The Breakers was built as the Newport summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy United States Vanderbilt family. It is built in an Italian Renaissance style. Designed by renowned architect Richard Morris Hunt, with interior decoration by Jules Allard and Sons and Ogden Codman, Jr., the 70-room mansion has a gross area of 125,339 square feet and 62,482 square feet of living area on five floors. The house was constructed between 1893 and 1895. The Ochre Point Avenue entrance is marked by sculpted iron gates and the 30-foot high walkway gates are part of a 12-foot-high limestone and iron fence that borders the property on all but the ocean side. The footprint of the house covers approximately an acre of the 13-acre estate on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
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