Vacation Hub to New England
August 20, 2021
Category: Guide
Providence Flea Market
August 8, 2021
Don’t miss Providence outdoor community market. Held every Sunday, June through September, 10am-3pm. Held in a beautiful location across from 345 South Water St, Providence. The lineup of 50+ local vendors includes vintage shops, artisans, food trucks, bakeshops, live music and community nonprofits. FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING
Best beaches in Rhode Island
July 18, 2021
Rhode Island has some of the best beaches in the USA. The smallest state has 40 miles of coastline — which is why we call it the Ocean State.
The best beaches are in South Country, about 45 minutes from Providence — see list at: https://www.southcountyri.com/beaches-and-towns/beaches/
RI State beaches are free to the public, however you’ll have to pay for parking — see list here: https://www.visitrhodeisland.com/things-to-do/beaches-water-sports/beaches/state-beaches/
Our favorite best is Misquamicut Beach in Westerly
Misquamicut State Beach is perfect for families. A beautiful wide sandy beach stretching for seven miles. You’ll find here bathrooms, changing areas, food stands, a big beach pavilion and many shaded areas.
Check out details at: https://riparks.com/beach/misquamicut.php
Best beach for adventurers: Mohegan Bluffs, Block Island
“Any ocean lovers with a wild side, those who may appreciate a bit more of a rugged vibe, this one’s for you. Mohegan Bluffs is a patch of sea cliffs that sits on the southern tip of Block Island, which is only accessible by ferry (visitors depart from either Point Judith, RI or New London, CT). At about 150 feet tall, the tall clay cliffs are just past the Southeast Lighthouse and are reminiscent of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. The view from the top is stunning — you can even see Long Island (specifically, Montauk in the Hamptons) across the Atlantic.” (source: Lonely Planet)
Looking for beaches closer to Providence? (not on the ocean)
Goddard memorial state park (my favorite)
Cole Farmhouse – Vacation Gateway of New England
July 18, 2021
Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, is one of the oldest cities in the United States with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1636 by Roger Williams — see our post: Providence
The historic Cole Farmhouse in Providence is a perfect location to explore southern New England awesome travel destinations — only one hour drive to: Newport, Mystic CT, Cape Cod, Boston, Westerly, Block Island, and many attractions in between.
Here are some tips for making the most of your stay at the Farmhouse
– Explore the Surrounding Nature: Take the time to go for long walks, hikes, or bike rides to appreciate the scenery and breathe in the fresh air.
– Try Local Delicacies: Don’t miss the opportunity to try the delicious local cuisine. Visit nearby restaurants, coffee shops, farms, or markets to savor fresh produce, delicious pastries,
top-of-the-catch seafood, and rustic dishes made with traditional recipes.
– Relax and Unwind: The Farmhouse provides a serene environment for relaxation. Embrace the peacefulness of the surroundings and reconnect with the natural world.
– Connect with Nature: Immerse yourself in nature by spotting the bunnies around, feeding our chickens, and harvesting fresh eggs.
– Explore the city: If you’re interested in city life, Providence has a lot to offer! Cool music, public art, great museums, award-winning theater, local events, and festivals. Providence is easy to get to and still affordable.
– Disconnect from Technology: Use the opportunity to disconnect from your devices and enjoy quality time away from screens.
– Embrace the simpler pleasures like board games, puzzles, or gathering around the fireplace for conversation and storytelling.
– Capture the Memories: Don’t forget to capture your beautiful moments at the Farmhouse. Take plenty of photographs, create a journal, or even try your hand at painting or sketching to preserve the memories of your stay.
Remember, your time at the Farmhouse is a chance to relax, rejuvenate, and immerse yourself in the joys of farm living mingled with city life minutes away. Enjoy the tranquility and make lasting
memories!
Providence – Vacation Gateway of New England
June 29, 2021
Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, is one of the oldest cities in the United States with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1636 by Roger Williams — see our post: Providence
The historic Cole Farmhouse in Providence is a perfect location to explore southern New England — only one hour drive to: Newport, Mystic CT, Cape Cod, Boston, Westerly, Block Island, and many attractions in between.
Walking Tours: Providence East Side & Downtown
June 27, 2021
Courtesy of goprovidence.com
Providence East Side
The self-guided walking tour covers 17 points of interest in the East Side.
- Rhode Island State House One Capitol Hill, Providence | (401) 222-3983
- Roger Williams National Memorial 282 North Main St., Providence | (401) 521-7266
- The Changing City: View From the Roger Williams National Memorial Approx. 185 North Main St., Providence
- The Old Brick School House (ca. 1769) and the Providence Preservation Society21 Meeting St.,
- Commercial North Main Street
- Early Industry and Wood-Fired Pizza Approx. 4 Steeple St., Providence
- Providence Art Club 11 Thomas St., Providence | (401) 331-1114
- First Baptist Church 75 North Main St., Providence | (401) 454-3418
- Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Waterman St., Providence | (401) 454-6100
- Market Square and the Market House Approx. 8 North Main St., Providence
- RISD Museum 20 North Main St., Providence | (401) 454-6100
- The Providence Athenaeum (1838) 251 Benefit St., Providence | (401) 421-6970
- Brown University Quadrangle College St./Prospect St., Providence | (401) 863-1000
- Stephen Hopkins House 15 Hopkins St., Providence | (401) 524-3012
- First Unitarian Church (ca. 1818) 1 Benevolent St., Providence | (401) 421-7970
- John Brown House Museum (1788) 52 Power St., Providence | (401) 273-7507
- Governor Henry Lippitt House (1865) 199 Hope St., Providence | (401) 453-0688
Click here to download the tour for Providence East Side (PDF)
Cole Farmhouse is located within a short distance to many attractions. The list below provides details to our favorite spots.
Blackstone Boulevard – Almost two miles of tree-coddled trails. Run, stroll or bike. Only steps away from the Farmhouse.
Lippitt Memorial Park – Located at the tip of Blackstone Boulevard near the Providence/Pawtucket line.
Farmers Market every Saturday, May through October from 9am to 1pm
http://www.hopestreetmarket.com/
Brown University – Founded in 1764, Brown is a world-renowned university.
President George Washington has also visited Brown in 1790. Brown’s rich history is chronicled at: https://www.brown.edu/about/history/timeline/
The Brown University Quadrangle is a beautiful place to explore any day of the year — see: https://rhodetour.org/items/show/189?tour=21&index=16
Brown hosts a wide variety of public events featuring scholars, speakers and performers from around the globe – https://www.brown.edu/news/featured-events
Blackstone Park Conservation District – This 45-acre natural woodland contains two ponds: York Pond and Hockey Pond, and some open meadow. The Blackstone Parks Conservancy is dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of historic Blackstone Park Conservation District and Blackstone Boulevard. This beautiful area is a short 15 minutes walk from Cole Farmhouse.
Rhode Island State House – Rhode Island was per capita the wealthiest state in the country when built, between 1895 and 1904. The beautiful marble dome is the fourth largest structural-stone dome in the world. The inside, beautifully preserved in its original condition, is a marvelous spatial experience.
Tours are available Monday-Friday at 10 am and 1 pm.
RISD Museum – The RISD museum is open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10am – 5pm. And on Thursday 12noon – 8pm.
The museum is closed on June 19th, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
Admission is free on Sundays 10am – 5pm and Thursday evenings from 5 – 8pm.
Prospect Terrace Park – Located in College Hill (near Brown University), the statue of Roger Williams (Providence’s founder) looms over the city. Stunning view of Providence downtown.
Waterplace Park – On WaterFire evenings, downtown Providence is transformed by eighty-six anchored burning braziers that float just above the surface of the rivers that flow through Waterplace Park at the middle of downtown Providence. The public is invited to come and walk the riverfront and enjoy the beauty of the flickering firelight, the fragrant scent of aromatic wood smoke, and the music from around the world.See schedule and details at: https://usa1731.com/waterfire/
The Providence Athenæum – An independent, member-supported subscription library. The Athenæum opened the doors of its completed Benefit Street home on July 11, 1838, accompanied by the Franklin Society, a scientific and philosophic club, which occupied what is now the Reading Room. Over its nearly 200 years of existence, the library has welcomed illustrious writers, spirited thinkers, and energetic community members through its doors to engage in reading, conversation, and debate. At its heart, the Athenæum encourages a love of reading and learning to all. The building is open to the public, but only members can check out items from the collection
John Brown House Museum – The first mansion built in Providence located at 52 Power Street on College Hill . The house is named after the original owner, a benefactor of Brown University, merchant, statesman, and slave trader John Brown. John Quincy Adams considered it “the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent.”
Old Slater Mill – A National Historical Landmark signifying the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Originally constructed in 1793, in this mill Samuel Slater first successfully implemented the first water-powered cotton spinning technology in America. Slater Mill is the beginning of everything from machine made goods and hourly wages, to planned communities and labor unions. Park schedule changes by season — see: https://www.nps.gov/places/slater-mill.htm
Roger Williams Park Zoo – One of the oldest zoos in the country. Located amid 40 acres of beautiful woodlands, the Roger Williams Park Zoo provides visitors the opportunity to see animals from all over the globe – some more than a million years old. Don’t miss the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo in October.
More attractions (Curated by Elyssa Tardif and Rhode Tour Team)
Roger Williams National Memorial
Fleur-de-Lys Studio; Providence Art Club
The Stephen Hopkins House
RI Film & Television Locations
-Click here to download a walking tour map for Providence East Side (PDF Courtesy of goprovidence.com)
-Click here to download a walking tour map for Providence Downtown (PDF Courtesy of goprovidence.com)
–For hiking recommendations around Cole Farm visit our page: https://usa1731.com/hike/
Providence Downtown
Click here to download the self-guided walking tour for Downtown (PDF)
Reopening Rhode Island
April 18, 2021
Latest COVID-19 Information and Alerts: https://covid.ri.gov/
The Ocean State is loved for its beaches and beautiful landscapes. With its marvelous configuration of bays and islands, our smallest state has four hundreds miles of coastline to enjoy. Great for hiking & biking across wooded forests, beaches and parks.
Rhode Island is slowly dialing up activity while continuing to maintain necessary social and commercial restrictions. During this period, Rhode Islanders are encouraged to protect their households at all times by (1) wearing a mask, (2) getting tested often, and (3) limiting interactions with individuals outside of their households.
(source: https://www.visitrhodeisland.com/plan/covid-19-information/)
Reopening RI: https://reopeningri.com/
Parks, sports, and recreation: https://reopeningri.com/parks-recreation
Restaurants and Bars: https://reopeningri.com/restaurants
Speed Cameras Nearby
April 7, 2021
The City of Providence started installing speed cameras in several school zones throughout the City beginning 2018 (read announcement here). The speed cameras, are used to enforce speed limit violations.
Note: The photo below shows the speed cameras in Providence — it’s big, ugly and sits on the sidewalk . Other cities nearby (e.g. Pawtucket, East Providence) have cameras that look different.
The cameras are on from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If a vehicle is determined to be operating at 31 MPH a violation will be issued with a $50.00 fine.
The city had been adding more cameras and rotating some of the locations
The current locations in Providence (as of April 10, 2022) are listed . The locations near Cole Farm are marked in red.
- 301 Butler Ave., Providence, RI (Blackstone Blvd)
- 520 Hope St. (Providence Center School)
- 450 Hope St., Providence, RI (Hope High School)
- 114 Olney St., Providence, RI (Hope High School)
- Blackstone Blvd. at University Avenue (School One)
- Plainfield Street (Laurel Hill Annex School)
- 773 Chalkstone Avenue (Nathaniel Greene Middle School)
- Mount Pleasant Avenue (Mount Pleasant High School)
- Bridgham Street (Providence Career and Technical Academy)
- Branch Avenue (E-Cubed Academy)
- 93 Cranston St. (Providence Career and Technical Academy)
- Dexter St. at Waldo St. (Alfred Lima Elementary School)
- 187 Douglas Ave. (Times 2 Academy)
- 593 Academy Ave. (LaSalle Academy)
- 225 Thurbers Ave. (Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex)
- 459 Charles St. (Esek Hopkins Middle School)
- 156 Reservoir Ave. (Reservoir Avenue Elementary School)
- 459 Promenade St. (Paul Cuffee School
- Chalkstone Ave. at Waller St. (Mount Pleasant Academy
- Eaton St. at Nelson St. (RFK Elementary School)
- Union Ave. at Waverly St. (Children’s Friend)
Have a Real Vacation! Romp in Rhode Island
January 24, 2021
This beautiful poster map from 1925 is designed by the great early 20th century American cartoonist John Held, Jr., a regular contributor to The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair .
Such a great depiction of Providence as the perfect vacation spot to explore Rhode Island and beyond.
(source: https://attemptedbloggery.blogspot.com/2011/08/the-enchanted-isle.html)
Crimetown : The Podcast
January 12, 2021
This brilliant podcast by Gimlet Media features the tangled web of crime and corruption in old Providence 1956 to 1984.
A Mafia power struggle ensued in Boston and culminated with the rise of Raymond Patriarca's to boss of the New England crime family.
CHAPTER ONE: Divine Providence
Welcome to Providence, Rhode Island, a city where organized crime corrupted every aspect of public life. In the first episode of Crimetown, a young prosecutor named Buddy Cianci takes on a gruesome murder case.
CHAPTER TWO: The wiseguys
How does a kid from Providence become a mob enforcer? Two men share their personal stories of joining Raymond Patriarca’s crime family. As they move from their formative years on the street to maximum security, they come up against murder charges, jail…
CHAPTER THREE: The making of a mayor
Buddy Cianci runs for mayor as the anti-corruption candidate, promising to change Providence. He’s a novice Republican politician in a city ruled by Democrats and mobbed-up unions. As he struggles to get elected, he faces an impossible choice…
CHAPTER FOUR: The bounded vault heist
August 14, 1975. A ragtag crew of crooks holds up a fur company. But it’s not just a fur company. It’s the Patriarca crime family’s secret bank. And now, the thieves not only have to run from the law—they have to run for their lives.
CHAPTER FIVE: The art of a deal
Buddy Cianci, the popular mayor of Providence, runs for governor. But he knows something the people of Rhode Island don’t. And when they discover Buddy’s secret, it threatens to derail his political career. So what does Buddy do? He picks a fight…
CHAPTER SIX: Gerald & Harold
Police discover a bullet-riddled body in the backseat of a car. Jerry Tillinghast and his brother Harold are arrested. But doubts are soon raised about Harold’s involvement. And now, Jerry has a choice: break the mob’s code of silence, or …
CHAPTER SEVEN: Power Street
March 20th, 1983. As an FBI investigation swirls around him, an increasingly unpredictable and paranoid Buddy Cianci summons a few friends to his home on the East Side of Providence. What happens there that night shocks the city.
CHAPTER EIGHT: Cat and mouse
A master thief keeps getting away with big heists. A cop spends years tailing him, tapping his phone, and practically moving in across the street. Their epic tug-of-war will revolutionize the fight against organized crime.
CHAPTER NINE: A deal with the devil
One night in 1982, a 20-year-old man is senselessly murdered at an abandoned gas station. A mobster is taken into witness protection after he pins the murder on his boss. This brutal crime will push three wiseguys out of the mafia in very different way…
CHAPTER TEN: The ghost
After a lucrative career as a thief, Charles Kennedy has an important realization: the real money is in drugs. He rises to become one of the East Coast’s biggest traffickers, throwing coke-fuelled parties and amassing a strange menagerie of pets.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Doctor broad
A young doctor suddenly finds herself caring for a sickly old man named Raymond Patriarca. As she grows closer to her new patient, she’s drawn into the underworld in more ways than 1.
CHAPTER TWELVE: Mob justice
A mob lawyer rises to become Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. He promises to leave his past associations behind. But it’s hard to part with old friends.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The network
A shadowy group of political insiders tries to cover up a crisis. A mobbed-up banker vanishes after embezzling millions of dollars. And one renegade ex-nun saw the whole thing coming.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Renaissance man
Buddy Cianci left City Hall in disgrace after torturing a man in his living room. Now, he attempts the impossible: running for mayor of Providence again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Family ties
Charles “the Ghost” Kennedy and his sister Gloria took very different paths in life. She became a state senator. He became a drug smuggler. And as his empire starts to crumble, the people close to him suffer the consequences.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Operation Plunder Dome
Dennis Aiken is an FBI agent from Mississippi. Anthony Freitas is a businessman from Portugal. Together, they’re Providence’s best hope in the war on corruption—and they just might take down Buddy Cianci once and for all.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The trial of Buddy Cianci
Buddy Cianci faces justice. His lawyers say he’s the Renaissance Mayor, too busy rebuilding Providence to notice a few bad apples in his administration. The prosecution says he’s just another crooked politician, running a massive corruption ring out of…
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: The prince of Providence
Buddy Cianci was once a crusading prosecutor who took on the mob. Now, he’s behind bars. For the mayor of any other city, this would be the end of the road. But Buddy isn’t any other mayor. And Providence isn’t any other city.
The historic Cole Farmhouse 
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