WaterFire Providence: where rivers glow and flames dance 🔥
April 30, 2025
WaterFire Providence: where rivers glow and flames dance. Our new guide has all you need to plan your visit to this iconic event: https://usa1731.com/waterfire
Tag: hiking
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)
Nearby Attractions
January 11, 2021
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/
The historic Cole Farmhouse 
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