rhode trip: Warren

My boys and I recently took the day to explore Warren, RI. I love this town and don’t get there as often as I’d like. Although there are many great places to explore with or without kids, here are few highlights from our adventure.

We met up with Katy (Kidoinfo’s Grocery News and contributing writer) and her two boys and had a picnic at the Warren Town Beach. This is a great spot — a bit of sand and water for castle building and swimming (when allowed), lifeguards, restrooms, picnic tables, and a playground with more seesaws than I have ever seen in one park. Parking is $5 for non-residents.

Katy, the master of improvised beach games, came up with another great game. She picked an obstacle course for the kids to follow (e.g. run across the plank, touch the tree, spin around on the swing while saying the alphabet and come back). She timed all our kids and a few others that joined the fun. Each kid got a number of turns and had a blast. After Katy left to take her kids to a birthday party, my boys and I checked out the town of Warren.

Blount Seafood Market (406 Water Street). Check out their bargain bin. Large bags of extra soups left from special orders sell for $4 (usually $9-$14 a bag) — what a deal!

Ship Playground (corner of Water and Baker Street) next to the Wharf Tavern. This tiny tucked away park is shady and a great place for pirate adventures. My boys were happy captains!

Imagine - Ice Cream, Gift and Toy shop (corner of Main and Miller Street). I call it the purple cow because of the building color and the cow theme. You can’t miss the restored historic Lyric Theatre, as you head down Main Street into Warren. Great selection of ice cream and toppings. I like that you can order a kiddy size. Be warned the ice cream bar is surrounded by shelves of candy. For me, seeing all the candy was a nostalgic trip down memory lane but some kids may go into overdrive. I was tempted to buy myself the pop rocks candy and an atomic fireball — maybe next trip. There’s a great toy selection upstairs, but be warned you have to pass by many fragile gift items to get there–not so easy to access if you have young kids in tow. Parking out front is reserved for Dunkin Donuts customers. Parking is available on the street and in the church parking lot off Miller Street.

While on Main Street you may also want to check out some shoes, food or coffee. Jamiels has a great selection of kids shoes. Feast or Famine offers fabulous pasta and wood-grilled pizzas in a casual kid-friendly atmosphere. The Coffee Depot is large and comfortable and mellow — perfect for sipping cocoa while reading and/or doing a puzzle.

On Thursday Nights (4-8pm), check out the Warren Farmers Market - food, fine art and festivities at the Cutler Mills (corner of Cutler & Child Street).

Category: activities: outdoor, food + recipes, rhode trip