I lived in beautiful Rhode Island — nicknamed the Ocean State — for a little over two years and created a complete guide of all my favorite spots. I’m sharing my old faithful spots, tried and true recommendations.
Some of these are local, little-known secrets, so I feel slightly guilty for revealing. But others are popular
Use this as an itinerary for your travels, or simply a list of Rhode Island recommendations for future planning.
Included in this Rhode Island guide series
Each link you can click on above will take you to a different entry, filled with photos, tips, and information about visiting Rhode Island. I’ll be posting more entries, so keep checking back!
But first… Where is Rhode Island?
I read a recent survey that found many people can’t find Rhode Island on a map… and they think Rhode Island… is Long Island. Long Island is actually part of New York, and not at all geographically related to Rhode Island.
So here it
One of six northeast states making up New England, also home to the most New England Patriots football fans per capita than any other state (Massachusetts included!) Coach Bill Belichick said that during a press conference.
It’s also one of a few states that didn’t approve Prohibition. Pretty cool.
What I love about Rhode Island
Rhode Island is a very connected community; somehow, it feels isolated from the rest of the world, even if the Connecticut and Massachusetts borders are incredibly close, and Boston is only about a 50-minute drive away. It also would only take me a few hours to drive to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. It’s the hub of New England.
The local cafes and restaurants have servers who will remember your order. The hospitality in most spots is warm and friendly.
I visited my favorites a lot, and I always enjoyed feeling embraced by the greater community — especially our gracious NBC10 viewers.
How do I get to Rhode Island?
By plane: You can fly into the T. F. Green Airport (PVD). The international airport opened in 1931, and yet, it still isn’t well-known to outsiders. It’s a small international airport, and most people think that Boston Logan (in Massachusetts, about an hour drive away) is the only airport in the region. It’s not! It’s located in Warwick, Rhode Island, six miles south of the state’s capital and largest city of Providence.
Here’s a brief list of airlines flying in and out of PVD:
- Air Canada
- Allegiant Airlines
- American Airlines
- Azores Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Frontier Airlines
- JetBlue
- Regional Sky
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
By train: Rhode Island is served by Amtrak, high-speed Acela, and Boston commuter trains.
There are three Amtrak stations: Providence (PVD) Amtrak Station, Kingston (KIN) Amtrak Station, and Westerly (WLY) Amtrak Station.
The MBTA Commuter Trains also go from TF Green Airport (Warwick, RI) to Boston — stops are TF Green Airport and Providence. Heading towards Boston, the stops in Massachusetts are South Attleboro, Attleboro, Mansfield, Sharon, Stoughton, Canton Center, Canton Junction, Route 128, Hyde Park, Ruggles, Back Bay in Boston, South Station in Boston.
By car: Easy enough. The states bordering Rhode Island: Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound. It also shares a small maritime border with New York.
A state perfect for solo travelers
What you’re likely to appreciate about Rhode Island is it’s small enough to explore, and yet vast enough with the ocean and surrounding states, it’s simply the jumping off point to any adventure. Most spots within the city take me between 15 – 30 minutes, unless I’m heading along the coast to the beaches.
I’ll be forever grateful for calling Rhode Island home, for the time I was able.
The adventure continues,
I’ll be updating more to the Adventures in Rhode Island guide, make sure to subscribe to this post to get the latest updates and newest travel tips and stories.
