100 things to do with your kids in Rhode Island
Plus bonus ideas in nearby MA and CT.
Here is a list of 100 things I want to do with my kids in Rhode Island (and nearby area) before they grow up—some may call this a Life List (a list of things one hopes to accomplish in one’s lifetime). The fun stuff and the things I think are important for them (and me) to do. I like having a master list, knowing which ones are free organized by indoor and outdoor places.
Print it out (Printer Friendly List), check off the ones you do—adding dates and starring your favorites. Let me know if you have anything to add.
OUTDOORS
1. Fly a kite at Breton State park along Ocean Drive in Newport. Annual Newport Kite Festival in mid-July. (Free)
2. Go to the Roger Williams Park Zoo and imitate the animals. (Free with membership)
3. Have a picnic supper at the John Brown House while listening to Concerts Under the Elms, Thursday evenings in the summer.
4. Visit the window displays outside Big Nazo Lab. Located in Downtown Providence (corner of Eddy/Fulton Street). If you’re lucky you may get a sneak peak inside. (Free)
5. Take a photo in front of the Mr. Potato Head sculpture located outside the Hasbro Toy headquarters in Pawtucket. (Free)
6. Listen to concerts at Waterplace Park in downtown Providence. (Free)
7. Go for a ride on the East Bay bike path from Providence to Bristol. (Free) Ice cream stops in Riverside, Warren, and Bristol.
8. Take a hike. Choose from over a dozen Audubon wildlife refuges trails in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts. (Free)
9. Watch the Providence Grays play baseball old-fashioned style. (Free)
10. Visit a real working dairy farm: Wrights Dairy Farm and Bakery in North Smithfield (Blackstone Valley).
11. Experience Waterfire. Get there just before sunset to watch the bonfires being lit. (Free)
12. Have a picnic at Roger W. Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett at sunset. (Free after 5pm)
13. Visit every carousel in the Rhode Island area.
14. Think Edward Scissorhands, visit Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth.
15. Plan a tailgate supper and kids can stomp down the divots during time-outs at the Newport International Polo Series at Glen Farms in Portsmouth every Saturday evening in the summer.
16. Travel back in time by visiting a 1790s New England farm: Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol.
17. Visit Kenyon’s Grist Mill in Usquepaug, RI. (Free food or clothing donation for the Jonny Cake Center.)
18. Visit Casey Farm in Saunderstown. (Free for Historic New England members and Saunderstown residents)
19. See Shakespeare in the Park in Wilcox Park in Westerly. (Free)
20. Visit a former military fort with a history dating back over two centuries at Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown. (Free)
21. Visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport.
22. Visit the Audubon Environmental Education Center in Bristol. (Free with membership)
23. Attend the Newport Folk Festival (now called George Wein’s Folk Festival) at Fort Adams State Park.
24. Listen to music at SoundSession at various locations in downtown Providence in July. (Some events are Free)
25. Check out the tide pools at Beavertail State park in Jamestown. (Free)
26. Take a hike up the ski lift at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland. (Free)
27. Book a group tour of the Johnson Landfill.
28. Attend a PawSox youth clinic before the Red Sox minor league baseball team’s game. (Free)
29. Watch children’s films at Cinemaworld in Lincoln every morning at 10AM, all summer long. (Free)
30. Go bouldering in Lincoln Woods. (Free)
31. Watch a film at the Rustic Tri-View Drive-In, Rte 146, North Smithfield.
32. Watch Movies on the Block outside every Thursday evening (June-September) in downtown Providence. (Free)
34. Spend the day at Easton’s Beach in Newport. Enjoy the carousel, water slide, skateboard park, and playground.
35. Pick your own berries in season, and make your own jam.
36. Visit the Chapel-By-The-Sea in Colt State Park in Bristol. (Free)
37. Stroll the Cliff Walk in Newport and gaze at the opulent mansions. (Free)
38. Rent a swan paddle boat (canoe or kayak) at Roger Williams Park in Providence.
39. Visit the Kettle Pond Visitor Center in Charlestown.
40. Go camping in the Arcadia Management Area in Hope Valley.
41. Step back into history and explore Smith’s Castle in Wickford.
42. Swim at the Spring Lake Beach Facility and play in the arcade in Burriville.
43. Join URI Marine Scientists at Fort Getty in Jamestown on a summer day at low tide for a two-hour beach walk.
44. Take a walk through Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, and find the resting place of famous souls like science fiction pioneer H. P. Lovecraft. (Free)
45. Visit a real working farm: Dame Farm in Johnston.
46. Visit the shops, feed the animals, and picnic at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown. (Free to visit)
47. Visit a working family farm: Watson Farm in Jamestown (Free for Historic New England members and Jamestown residents)
48. Shop at the Providence / Hope St. Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings, June through November. (List of other markets)
49. Swim, fish, play, or go boating at Ninigret Park in Charlestown.
50. Go fishing at Sabin Point Park in East Providence. (Free)
51. Take the ferry round trip to Block Island for the day.
52. Visit the Jamestown Fire Department Memorial Museum in Jamestown.
53. Have a picnic at Goddard State Park in Warwick.
54. Take the ferry round trip from Providence to Newport and have lunch at Bannister’s Wharf.
55. Ride the Prudence Island Ferry round trip from Bristol for a delightful daytrip.
56. Go on a seal watch. See Harbor seals in Narragansett Bay.
57. Take a bike ride along the Blackstone River Bikeway (currently 10 miles from Providence to Cumberland). (Free)
58. Take a trolley tour of Providence.
59. Visit the Biomes Marine Biology Center in North Kingstown.
60. Visit Save the Bay Exploration Center in Newport.
61. Spend the night at the Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport.
62. Catch the view of downtown Providence from Prospect Terrace Park. (Free)
63. Visit the tiny pirate playground in Warren. (Free) Followed by ice cream at Imagine.
64. See the ceramic mural and play at India Point Park in Providence. (Free)
65. Visit Dexter Park located at the Cranston Armory. (Free)
66. Visit the imPossible Dream Playground in Warwick. (Free)
67. Rent kayaks in Bristol and have ice cream at the new Gray’s.
68. Cool off at the Waterpark at Yawgoo Valley in Exeter.
INDOORS
69. Visit Providence Children’s Museum. (Free on some summer Friday evenings)
70. Visit RISD Museum of Art the last Saturday of the month for Free-For-All Saturday. (Free)
71. Visit RISD Museum of Art on a less crowded day to see the Buddha. Turn museum visit into a scavenger hunt, such as “find all the art with animals.” (Pay what you wish on Sundays)
72. Visit the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology in Providence.
73. See Kaleidoscope Children’s Summer Theater at Roberts Hall Auditorium, RI College, Tuesdays at 11am.
74. Visit the Johnson and Wales Culinary Museum in Providence/Cranston line.
75. Go duckpin bowling at the Bowling Academy in East Providence.
76. Visit the Museum of Natural History and Cormack Planetarium in Providence.
77. Attend story time at Barrington Books.
78. Children can provide the power and operate miniature machinery in the Apprentice Alcove at the Slater Historic Mill in Pawtucket.
79. Visit the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket.
80. Visit the children’s room in one of America’s oldest libraries: Providence Athenaeum on Benefit Street in Providence. (Free to visit)
81. Go ice skating indoors during the summer. (List of rinks)
82. See a show at Stadium Theater Performing Arts Centers in Woonsocket.
83. See a show at Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in Providence.
84. Watch an IMAX movie at Providence Place Mall.
85. Attend story hour at Books on The Square in Providence. (Free)
86. Take the Underdog Tour. Visit all the Providence locations used in the film. (Free)
FOOD
87. Eat gelato from Venda in DePasquale Plaza in Providence.
88. Have wood-grilled pizza at Bob and Timmy’s in Providence.
89. Have supper at Champlins in Galilee.
90. Order a cabinet at Delekta Pharmacy in Warren.
91. Try a tapioca treat at the Bubble Tea House in Providence.
92. Have breakfast or lunch at Crazy Burger in Narragansett.
93. Buy a huge hotdog from Hewtin’s Hotdog cart in Lippitt Park in Providence.
94. Buy lobster off the boat in Point Judith.
95. Have clam cakes at Aunt Carrie’s in Point Judith.
96. Buy pie at Schartner Farms in Exeter
97. Have ice cream at Lizzy & The Enchanted Creamery in Cumberland.
98. Have a lobster roll at Blount Clam Shack in Warren.
99. Have ice cream at the original Gray’s in Tiverton.
100. Have lunch at Stanley’s in the Jewelry District.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Many free or discount passes are available at the library.
Connecticut
Watch the drawbridge raise and lower for boats in downtown Mystic, CT. (Free)
Nearby: Toy store, ice cream, playground.
Visit Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT.
Visit the Navy Submarine Force Museum in Groton, CT. (Free)
Visit the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket, CT.
Massachusetts
Cut flowers at Four Town Farm (priced per pound) in Seekonk, MA.
Visit Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA.
Visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, MA.
Visit Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA.
Visit Plimouth Plantation in Plymoth, MA.
Visit the Discovery Museums in Acton, MA.
Visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.
Visit the Ecotarium: Museum of Science and Nature in Worcester, MA.
See car racing at Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, MA.
Visit PaperHouse, a house made ONLY of paper, in Rockport, MA.
Visit Nash Dino Land in South Hadley, MA.
Visit the Museum of Science in Boston, MA. (Free with your Roger Williams Park Zoo membership.)
Visit the Boston Children’s Museum in Boston, MA. (Free with Providence Children’s Museum membership.)
Watch how they make ice cream at Bliss Dairy in Attleboro, MA.
Category: activities: indoor, activities: outdoor, food + recipes, rhode trip, seasonal
OMG! What an incredible list! I’m going to frame this for Pascal!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to compile this!!!
This is why RI loves you! Wonderful!
wow.
Excellent list.
To my list I would add:
The Higgins Armory Museum http://www.higgins.org/
Scaling the Highest point in RI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerimoth_Hill
An evening with the Newport Gulls
http://www.newportgulls.com/
and a summer day in Watch Hill.
Great list Anisa!!!! I printed it out and plan on going to some of the places with my niece and nephew!!! I went to the Unbrella Factory with a friend yesterday and we LOVED it!!! I bought a beautiful bracelet!!!
Thanks for the IMPRESSIVE list!!!
does this huge, awesome post mean we’re on our own for the week, with no more kidoinfo?
have no fear! new posts start tomorrow. but save and print this list to keep as backup all summer long!
I love this list! We moved here two years ago, and I am proud to say we have done a lot of these things! Thanks to Kido, of course!
We are going to the peqout museum today!
What an amazing list! Thanks kidoinfo for being such a great resource.
What a great list. Even though I’m only an Uncle, I printed the list and I’m going to check some things off.
Matt
You can add: tour Touro Synagogue, Newport to your list. This is the first synagogue built in the U.S. and an historic address regarding religious tolerance was delivered by Geo. Washington to it’s congregation.
i love this list – posted it to my blog and facebook. we went to colt state park, bristol, gray’s ice cream in bristol and coggeshall farm museum today!! what a blast! i think you ought to add: Newport Creamery for an Aweful, Aweful; the Norman Bird Sanctuary; Sachuest Point; and walking Thames in Newport.
This list gets better and better, thanks for adding your faves!
In Connecticut I would add:
Visit Clyde’s Cider Mill each fall in Old Mystic, and watch a wooden steam-powered cider press at work.
Go to Mystic Seaport’s summer Dog Days weekend, all things canine (plus you can bring your dog!) It falls on August 28-30 this year.
Go for a swim (free after 4 p.m. or $10 per family during the day) at the lovely and kid-friendly Dubois Beach down at Stonington Point, and picnic (free) on the Lighthouse Museum lawn. Enjoy a view of three states. (And then walk up the street in charming Stonington Boro and get gelato at Theresa’s.)
Nautical Nightmares at Mystic Seaport–but only for kiddies older than 10.
Get ice cream at Cows and Cones in Gales Ferry, see the animals, go for a hayride to benefit Habitat for Humanity (next to Groton, CT–near the Sub museum.)
Go to Maple Lane in Preston, CT (next to North Stonington) to pick berries in season, including black currants, then head to Buttonwood Farms in Griswold to eat delicious ice cream (a theme here?) and in July and August, view the 10 acres of sunflowers–a sight to behold!) I think they are peak right now.
FREE BOWLING–is it already on the list? I don’t see it. Sorry if this is redundant, here’s the link:
http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/
I ADMIRE whoever put this list together, I’m positive it took a lot of time and research! I know my daughter will be extremely grateful and being a mom on a TIGHT budget it was such a relief to see so many FREE and very inexpensive activities. I’ve lived in RI for 6 yrs and MA my whole life and never knew so many of these places existed! As someone else put on one of your other links, Buttonwood Park Zoo members get a number of discounts and free admissions to a lot of places too!
http://bpzoo.org/get-involved/membership/reciprocal-list/
Emerald – I created this list. I wanted all the things I wanted to do with my kids all in one place. I love that everyone share their own ideas and favorite deals. Thanks for adding to the list!
Thanks for a great list. I will share it with a Mothers of Twins Group. I would add car shows! I know they aren’t the best for little kids, but they can appreciate the many types of antique cars around and appreciate the music too!
could also go to the east coast’s one and only butterfly zoo in Tiverton, or climb historic Fort Barton and look out over the Sakonnet River and be able to see 7 different towns (Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport, Bristol, Warren and Tiverton and sometimes Jamestown and Providence too)! All in one view!
My kids and I went to the Capron Park Zoo this week. Located 20 minutes outside Providence in Attleboro, it’s super easy to get to, it’s affordable ($7 for adults, free under 3) and it offers lots of varied activities. The zoo section is a bit small, but well considered and it doesn’t wear the kids out walking around it. Additionally, the new water park/sprinkler section is super and the playground is sizable. Check it at http://www.capronparkzoo.com.
World war I memorial park in Plainville MA!!! Awesome park with a feeding zoo, and many different animals, one huge playground, and smaller baby playground,a giant sand box that made to look like the beach with a big sail boat for little kids, a butterfly garden, several sprinklers (flower, and cat n nine tails) a giant Unicorn to sit on and the largest slide I have ever seen, that slides right into the butterfly garden! all for FREE!!!
Sarah – Thanks for adding the WW I Memorial Park in Plainville. Sound great.
Jeff – I love the Capron Park Zoo. Perfect size for kids – does not seem so overwheleming!
What a great list, thanks so much Anisa!
I would also add Davis Farmland (for the little ones) and Davis Mega Maze (for older kids) located in Sterling MA. And when we head to the beach my kids love to get a donut from Allie’s along the way in N. Kingstown.
Thanks for adding to the list Christa! Great places. And I cannot believe I had left Allie’s donuts off the list to begin with!
Considering a move to RI (from NY) and THRILLED to see its such a kid-centric state! Seemingly loads to do! Any thoughts on neighborhoods/towns in which to hang our hats?
My wife and I left the NY area in 2003 and moved to RI and it has been even better than we could have ever expected. Where to live depends on your situation. We live in Narragansett and love it the best. We are 12 minutes to Newport, we hop on the ferry regularly for day trips to Block Island and we have awesome beaches. Narragansett also has a really excellent school system and great family activities are all around us. I can work from anywhere, but if you had to commute to Providence it might be a bit much. And you need to move into a neighborhood with year round residents, not renters to avoid the URI student parties and the summer renters. It is awesome here and I would never consider moving back to NY (said by a proud NYC native).
Rhode Island is great place to be for families. Depending on what you are looking for – urban/rural/suburban – there are many great neighborhoods. We are an urban family and live in the city on the East Side near the colleges, walking distance to parks, shops, library, etc. We love it. Families also love the West Side of the city although the city recently closed one of the public elementary schools which is unfortunate. Plenty of private schools to pick from as well as some charter schools (although lotteries can be tough). For more rural feel – Wakefield is a lovely area. More suburban – people love Barrington and East Greenwich for their community and schools.
Hope that helps. Feel free to post on the Kidoinfo Facebook page as well!