We sing this song by Blossom Dearie to our toddler:
And you, you come from Rhode Island
And little old Rhode Island
Is famous for you
It’s a great song but truth is our toddler was born in Rhode Island and her first two years were spent in the state, but rather than being famous for our curly-haired ragamuffin child, Rhode Island is actually famous for some really strange things because it’s a weird place. Hot wieners lined up a sweaty cook’s arm served with chili, “bubblers” for water fountains, and the official state drink of coffee milk that my elementary school students would slurp up for breakfast like crack, to name a few. The thing about Rhode Island is that it IS a weird place but Rhode Islanders don’t flaunt it like say… Vermonters. Well, we moved to RI from VT and I gotta say, RI wins in the weird department.
But I’ve got all kinds of nostalgia right now as we pack up our house preparing to move across the country from Little Rhody. And… it really is worth a visit because it’s a beautiful state with a ton of character. If you’re traveling to Rhode Island, and Providence in particular, here are some of my recs for places to take your own little ragamuffin toddler, which is pretty much my domain right now:
Providence Children’s Museum. This one’s well worth a visit and located right downtown with a parking lot, so you don’t have to schlep your kiddo around the streets of the city. In the warmer months there’s a play area outside, and all year round the two story building has a variety of stations toddlers will love. My own toddler loves the water play area the best, and I do too because it allows me to sit on a bench and relax while she splashes to her heart’s content. There’s also an area for infants-four year olds with a tree house, slide, and bear cave.
Play Date. To native Rhode Islanders, driving more than fifteen minutes constitutes a “long drive” but for the rest of us that’s normal and fine. So if you’re staying in Providence I think it’s worth driving across the state line to Seekonk, Massachusetts to visit this cute play place. The decor is #instaworthy, there’s a coffee bar for parents, and the toys are top notch and great for a wide range of ages- there’s even a baby area for non-walkers. Toys come and go to keep it exciting and the most recent installment is a wooden pirate ship… arrrrrrrre you kidding me?! So cool!
(Just Kidding)
The Providence Athenaeum. This is one of the oldest libraries in the country. But don’t quote me on that because I’m not a historian and frankly don’t know what I’m talking about. Architecturally it’s beautiful if you care about that sort of thing, which I do, but my toddler certainly doesn’t which is why it’s great that they have… Story Time! Tuesday and Thursday mornings in a cute children’s library complete with toys and stuffed animals. It’s located smack dab between RISD and Brown.
Biomes Marine Biology Center. One of my best friends is the Queen of Warwick, RI- born, raised and rules the land like Khaleesi herself but without the dragons- and she introduced me to this place (located in North Kingstown). It’s in a strip mall so you’d never guess it has actual marine life inside. They have fish, sharks, turtles, frogs, and feeding demonstrations (bring the Purell!), touch tanks, and a little play area with marine-themed toys for kids.
Blackstone Boulevard and Hope Street. A fun outing with my toddler is going to Blackstone Boulevard, a 1.6 mile tree-lined path on the East Side of Providence. Lippitt Memorial Park is right next to the path, so when my toddler tires of the path we just hop over and play at the playground. At the top of the path on Hope Street is Three Sisters which is a wonderful little cafe to cap off a hard “hike” with toddler, aka twenty minutes of playing with rocks and dandelions on the path while I try to coerce her into a stroller so I can get some exercise. But Three Sisters has homemade ice cream, and when ice cream is involved everyone’s happy.
India Point Park and Playground. Located on the East Side of Providence, very close to PVDonuts which is a must. So basically this rec is for PVDonuts. You will NEVER find better donuts and… don’t you also mainly feed your toddler donuts? No?
Impossible Dream Playground. Really awesome, huge playground in Warwick. This place has it all— swings, slides, trains, cars, miniature golf, picnic tables. It’s sort of hard to explain how expansive this place is. I’ve never been to the indoor play space in the winter, but there is one. Easily accessible off I-95.
Roger Williams Park Zoo. If you, too, have a toddler then you’ve probably been to your fair share of zoos and this one’s a winner. Not for the animals mind you, those poor creatures are still in cages adjacent to one of the busiest highways in the country. But it has about 40 acres and over 100 species of animals so it’s a land of enchantment for the kids. Camel and train rides in the summer, a “contact yard” aka petting zoo with enough animals to bring a 20oz bottle of Purell. Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard has a treehouse, water play in the warmer months, musical instruments and more. My own toddler could, and has, spent hours painting with water on a blackboard easel while I basked in the warm weather. A+ outing.
Roger Williams Park. The park itself is huge with a big pond with swan boats and a “Carousel Village” complete with, you guessed it, a carousel. The Hasbro Boundless Playground is close to the carousel and is a good one. There’s a snack bar and Del’s Frozen Lemonade carts are usually around when the weather’s nice.
Roger Williams Park Botanical Center. This place is fun for little ones to run around, especially to get some fresh air inside during the colder months. But don’t tell them I sent you because I’m sure they want to instill a sense of peace and tranquility. Fairy Days is a week-long event in April and while my toddler couldn’t care less about cute little fairy homes built into the gardens, she loved the books and chalk area set up as well as the food trucks (and Del’s Frozen Lemonade obviously, because Rhode Island).
Food Truck Friday is held at the park in late spring through the summer! You can eat and drink while your kids ride the carousel or the donkey/camel/pony/whatever animal they have that evening. I’m a sucker for any activity involving food, so I find this to be a good one.
Beaches. I’m gonna be honest- we’re not really beach people. We like going to the beach in the late afternoon for picnics, but we don’t like to spend hours sunbathing because we’re about as pasty you can get. And our children inherited our fair skin, so we tend to avoid beaches which is funny because “Ocean State.” But if you’re looking for some good beaches, there are a lot of them. Just pull up RI on Google Maps, close your eyes and point and you’ve probably landed on a good beach. We like Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, but it’s a bit of a drive from Providence. Narragansett is also good and you can visit Crazy Burger Cafe for delicious burgers while you’re there. My friends like Easton’s Beach (aka First Beach) in Newport and there’s a playground and carousel there for little ones. I also did some research, i.e. I asked my friend the Queen, and she suggested Blue Beach in North Kingstown and Mackerel Cove in Jamestown. This is beginning to sound fun, maybe I should go to the beach more often.
