20241122_123014The Financial District from Providence River (November 2024)

While in Boston for a few nights with my partner, I also spent a day visiting Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, which is the smallest state in the United States. It was a mere 45-minute train ride away, and it would be the perfect opportunity to check out a new US state for myself. Although it was a short stay, I enjoyed my time in Providence, to explore another city in New England.

Originally the land of the Narragansett people, Providence (and much of Rhode Island) was first settled by colonists in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Puritan theologist who had been expelled by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for advocating for the separation of church and state, as well as voicing dissent from colonists’ usurpation of Native American land. Along with other fellow dissenters, Williams settled in present-day Providence, where he reached a verbal (and later written) agreement with the Narragansett people to live on the land.

Over the years, Providence grew into a notable community that relied on agriculture and fishing, all the while having border disputes with Massachusetts and Connecticut, who had royal charters. Eventually, Rhode Island received its royal charter in 1663, before becoming the 13th and final colony in 1790 as a US state. Fast-forward centuries later, and Providence saw periods of prosperity and hardship, especially throughout much of the 20th century with the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918 to organized mafia crime up until the 1980s.

Since the 1980s, the city has made sweeping efforts to revitalize itself. From cleaning up the streets to promoting the arts, Providence saw growth not only in its economy, but also in its population, as more people moved back into the city. Although Providence still has ways to go (including a high poverty rate of 20%), it has come a long way in the past century.

As mentioned, Providence is only a 45-minute train ride from Boston, which made a day trip over very feasible. That is the beauty of the East Coast, as the US states are a lot smaller than those in the West, thereby making for shorter travel times from place to place. If I had more time, I could have visited other states like Connecticut or Maine!

Having arrived in late into Boston the night before, I struggled to wake up early the next morning to catch the train to Providence. Being jet-lagged did not help, either. All the same, I forced myself to wake up and get ready for the day. After saying goodbye to my partner (who was catching up on sleep before her work conference that day), I headed out for the 8h15 train at Boston’s South Station. It was a smooth and quick Amtrak ride over, and soon enough arrived into Providence just before 9h00.

20241122_085626Welcome to Providence!

First stop of the day was at the Rhode Island State House, the state capitol building situated just across the street from the train station. Admission is free, and I spent some time checking out the grand foyer, several courtrooms, and even a small museum that housed the state’s Royal Charter. It was a beautiful building, quite large and imposing to govern such a small US state.

20241122_090345Rhode Island State House

20241122_093252The grand foyer

20241122_091204The courtroom

20241122_092750Rhode Island’s Royal Charter of 1663

Next, I headed across town, making my way uphill to Brown University’s campus. Little did I know that Providence was quite hilly, so I definitely got a workout in during my stay! Brown University is a prestigious institution of higher learning, an Ivy League school established in 1764 and also one of the oldest universities in the United States. As I was visiting on a weekday just before Thanksgiving break, there were still many students out and about, getting to and from classes and finishing schoolwork before going home for the holidays. The campus was lovely, full of fall foliage and centuries-old classroom buildings that added to the autumn ambiance of it all. I could see why students choose to attend Brown University!

20241122_100546Brown University

20241122_100316Fall foliage on campus

Just a few blocks from the campus is the Providence Athenaeum, an independent library dating back to 1836. It is a small, but stunning library, with Greek columns and marble statues of great thinkers like Homer and Socrates, as well as contemporary writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Wollstonecraft. Admission is free, but donations were welcome– I gave $5 USD to the building, as means of preserving this incredible historical architecture.

20241122_102350Inside the Providence Athenaeum

The following stop was at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum, an art museum that is connected to the eponymous university that specializes in the arts. It was a $22 USD admission fee, and I spent about an hour to 75 minutes checking out the exhibits. Besides having classic artworks from Impressionists like Monet and Degas, RISD Museum also had plenty of modern and experimental works. I especially enjoyed the temporary exhibition on French print paper from the 18th and 19th centuries, which were very intricate and colorful in design.

20241122_105033French print paper temporary exhibit

I was absolutely starving following my museum visit, so I had a modest meal at a small Japanese café with onigiri and a black sesame latte. After lunch, I climbed up to Prospect Terrace for skyline views, as well as strolled along the Providence River with the Financial District looming in the distance. Just before leaving, I spent a bit of time wandering the Financial District for souvenirs before I caught my train back to Boston– the train was delayed by 10 minutes, but it actually returned to Boston 10 minutes early, by 15h30.

20241122_113335Black sesame latte

20241122_120620Views from Prospect Terrace

20241122_134840Until next time, Providence!

Overall, it was a short, but pleasant visit in Providence. Despite only having four to five hours in town, I still saw many of the major sites and enjoyed the vibes of it all. It is a major university town, as I saw many young adults walking the streets to get to class and other appointments. I am also happy I got to check out a new US state, and now I can say that I have been to Rhode Island!

Thanks for reading, and the last post of this Boston series is coming soon. Stay tuned! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

40 thoughts on “Destination: Providence, Rhode Island”

  4. Wow, Providence Athenaeum is simply stunning, and I love how the library is so beautifully preserved. I am glad to see you had a wonderful day trip to Providence, dear Rebecca. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. The Athenaeum was truly a highlight of my short visit in Providence! It was a chilly, but fun time in the city, and I’m glad I was able to squeeze it in. Thanks for reading, Aiva 😊

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  5. I thoroughly enjoyed your walking tour around Providence Rebecca, another city I’d heard of but knew nothing about. It was great that you were able to fit in visits to the parliament and the prestigious Brown university campus. I had not realized that Rhode Island was so easily accessible from Boston.

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    1. Given the small size of the US states on the East Coast, it makes travel state-to-state very feasible! Providence was a short, but pleasant stay, and I’m glad I got to visit another US state!

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  6. How cool that you were able to visit the state’s capitol building. It looks beautiful both from the outside and the inside. I really love the autumn foliage at Brown University. That is a luxury for me as trees are green all year round in my part of the world — not that I’m complaining though.

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    1. There’s something about New England and the changing seasons which make it so magical. Definitely different from here in LA, where changing seasons aren’t as apparent. It was a short, but fun visit!

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    1. Yes! A lot of the Ivy Leagues are actually in the smaller New England states (e.g. Rhode Island, Connecticut, etc). Visiting Brown University in the fall was gorgeous, and I hope to visit more US states in future travels! Thanks for reading, Elle 🙂

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  8. What a nice day trip from Boston! Congratulations on visiting another US state – it’s on my list, too. I love train travel and it’s so convenient how the Amtrak station in Providence is walking distance to all of the interesting places you visited. Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!

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    1. Absolutely! The advantage of traveling in New England is that the states are small and travel time isn’t too bad. Not to forget that public transport is more-readily accessible. It was a pleasant, 45-minute Amtrak ride to and from Boston and Providence, and a lovely time spent in the Rhode Island capital!

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    1. Indeed! There’s a lot of colonial history throughout New England, and it’s really cool to stroll through town and see it in the architecture! Providence was a short, but fun visit, and I definitely recommend a trip over some time!

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  10. A lovely day out! We didn’t have time to include Rhode Island in our itinerary when we did a road trip in New England many years ago, so it was interesting for me to see something of what we missed. I like the look of that beautiful library, and like you I would have enjoyed the French papers 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Sarah! There’s so much to New England that it can be hard to pick and choose where to go, Rhode Island included! Providence was small, but charming, and I enjoyed my short visit from Boston!

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  12. Wow, I never knew what a great founder Rhode Island had. You clearly made the most of your short time there. In particular, that library is amazing. I take your point about small states on the East Coast and being able to hit a bunch of them in a short time. When we went to pick up Bobbie, we were in 5 states in one day (MN, WI, IL, IN, MI) and remarked about what a big deal that was for non-truckers and not being on the eastern seaboard. 🙂

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    1. Rhode Island certainly has had a long and rich history! Taking a day trip from Boston was really accessible, and I’m glad the East Coast states are small enough to travel through easily! Sounds like the Midwest is similar in that regard! 😊

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  14. What a fun day trip! I’ve been to Providence a couple times, but the capitol building was closed when I visited (it was a weekend) and I never walked up to that viewpoint. I wish I had, in the fall especially, as the view and colorful trees are lovely!

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    1. The Rhode Island State House was a real treat to visit, and it’s unfortunate you didn’t get to visit during your trips to Providence; I hope you can see it the next time you go, whenever it is! Visiting New England in the fall was gorgeous, as we don’t really have changing seasons here on the West Coast. Thanks for reading, Diana!

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  15. I also enjoyed my visit to Providence, where the presence of water in the city centre makes the urban planning more striking. The city is not very well known, sandwiched between Boston and New York. It was a good opportunity to visit another state from Boston.

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    1. Providence is certainly an underrated city! I agree that it gets overshadowed by Boston and NYC, but it has a long and rich history in the US, as long as its neighbors! A day trip to Providence was very doable from Boston, and I’m glad I got to visit another state!

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  18. I had no idea Providence was only 45 minutes from Boston! Now I’m wondering why I never went. Interesting that the mafia had such a presence there – I’m sure I remember reading a story online about a guy going in to a pizza place and ordering a pizza, and it immediately becomes clear that it’s not actually a pizza place at all as there’s an air of confusion as they make him a pizza LOL. I’m sure that was Rhode Island.

    Also I reckon you could have got away with having a lie in and still done everything you set out to do… 😛

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    1. I’ve vaguely heard about mafias in Rhode Island running pizza strips, but it’s still an interesting story to look up! Providence was a short, but lovely little visit nevertheless, and just a hop and skip away from Boston! Gotta love the small size of East Coast states to get from one place to another!

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