How to Spend a Weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island

How to get around, what to see and do, where to stay, and where to eat and drink on your first visit to Providence, RI.

Providence was one of the places we stopped on our mega-vacay this past summer. To be honest, the main reason we added this stop is because we didn’t want to spend an entire day driving to our next destination. But we were pleasantly surprised at how interesting Providence is. It feels like a quaint small town and a bustling urban city at the same time.

I’m sharing things we did as well as things that sound fun and would be worth checking out on our next visit.

- Time your visit around WaterFire, either to experience it or to avoid the surge of extra people in town. Check the schedule as it takes place often. I haven’t been and struggle to understand exactly what it is other than that it involves over eighty sparkling bonfires. Here’s how the organizers describe it, “WaterFire is a very popular public event where you will join thousands of Rhode Island residents and out-of-town visitors who come to downtown Providence to enjoy an evening out with art.” ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).