19 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Rhode Island

For such a small state, "Little Rhody" is packed with some of New England's most popular tourist attractions. Newport, America's best-known playground for the super-rich in the halcyon days of the early 20th century, is the state's major draw, with its fabled mansions built to rival (and often imitate) the grand palaces of European royalty.

But Providence, too, is filled with the historic sights, of an earlier period when its merchants grew rich on the slave trade and other lucrative commerce. Add miles of beautiful beaches – Rhode Island has an extensive shoreline – a rich cultural life, and an idyllic island, and you'll see why Rhode Island should be on any New England sightseeing itinerary.

Perhaps the feature I find most endearing is Rhode Island's unique and quirky food culture. People here are passionate about food, which shows in the quality of local restaurants, but you may see dishes with names like stuffies, coffee cabinets, johnnycakes, and the state's own unique take on chowder. Puzzled? Just ask any local and you'll tap a fountain of information, probably including a list of restaurants you should try.

Rhode Island is an ideal place for families to visit, with one of the country's finest zoos, an engaging children's museum, endless beaches, spacious parks like Brenton Point (great for kite-flying), Fort Adams, and Colt State Park.

You and your family will find lots of places to go and things to do in our list of the top tourist attractions in Rhode Island.

The Breakers, Newport

Newport's most celebrated – and showiest – Gilded Age mansion in Newport was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1895 and reflects the unimaginable wealth of the Vanderbilt family. The Italian Renaissance "summer cottage" has 70 rooms, including a grand three-story dining room, and was built using imported French and Italian marble and alabaster.

Ceiling paintings, mosaics, marble columns, fine wood paneling, and carved stucco decorate its rooms lavishly and ostentatiously, as was intended by the Vanderbilts, who never risked being outdone by their wealthy competitors.

While the glitz and showy grandeur of the public rooms where the Vanderbilts lived and entertained are impressive, my favorite place to go in The Breakers is below the stairs, in the cavernous kitchen and pantries. Shining copper stockpots stand on the yards-long stove, and dozens of copper sauce pans and frypans hang from a rack above a marble work island large enough for rolling a dozen side-by-side pie crusts. Credit the Vanderbilts for giving the kitchen staff a well-lighted workspace; a second bank of windows brings more daylight into the high-ceilinged room.

Read More: Top Attractions & Things to Do in Newport

Cliff Walk, Newport

Despite past efforts of mansion owners on the preferred ocean side of Bellevue Avenue to close off access, Newport's Cliff Walk has remained a public walking path since the days when the great palaces were at their prime.

The pathway along the rocky shore provides walkers with views of breakers crashing on the rocks below, as well as the mansions' gardens and sea-facing facades above, and is one of the most popular – and free – things to do in Newport. The Cliff Walk begins well before The Breakers, the first major mansion it skirts, and after 3.5 miles, it passes by Rough Point, at the end of Bellevue Avenue. The exotic Tea House at Marble House stands just above the path.

Author's Tip: You don't need to walk the entire 3.5-mile length of Cliff Walk, or double back to the starting point if you want a shorter walk. You can begin at the end of Narragansett Ave., at a spot known as Forty Steps, and leave the trail at Ruggles Ave. to return by Bellevue Ave. This shorter route gives you a feel for the oceanside scenery and a look at several mansions, including The Breakers. The next exit point (and the last before the end at Rough Point) is a path connecting to Marine Ave.

Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence

Despite its history as one of the country's oldest zoos, Roger Williams Park Zoo is an outstanding example of modern zoo design and ethics. Largely cage-free, the zoo is a place where animals live in environments as close as possible to their native habitat, and where visitors can see them with a minimum of visible barriers.

In the 40-acre zoo, they can watch snow leopards, zebras, alligators, wildebeest, giraffes, elephants, kangaroos, red pandas, and dozens more native and exotic creatures in a setting that encourages kids and adults to learn more about them, their habits, and their habitat. In the newest addition, the Faces of the Rainforest exhibit, you meet the monkeys, birds, reptiles, and amphibians native to the Amazon Rainforest.

Because of its kid-friendly atmosphere and the number of things to do here, Rogers Williams Park Zoo is one of Rhode Island's most popular places to go for families. Exhibits are varied for different ages, with a treehouse for younger children to climb, and engaging exhibits about the animals and their environment for older kids.

The 435-acre park also contains a Botanical Center with New England's largest public indoor display garden, the Museum of Natural History, a planetarium, and a carousel.

Author's Tip: Throughout February, you can visit the zoo with your family at half-price admission, during the zoo's annual Winter Wonder Days.

Address: 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island

Read More: Top Things to Do in Providence

WaterFire Providence

The four-acre Waterplace Park and Riverwalk border the Woonasquatucket River as it winds through Downcity, Providence. Several times during the spring, summer, and fall, the city celebrates this river, which until late in the 20th century, was completely covered by roadways.

More than 100 bonfires are lit in large iron pans in the river's center and kept blazing throughout the evening as residents and tourists stroll along the brick riverside walkways and footbridges. Street performers, vendors, and world music highlight these family-friendly celebrations.

The atmosphere is easy and relaxed; nobody seems to be in a hurry and strangers smile as they pass. Although the riverbanks are filled with tourists as well as locals, WaterFire is a time when Providence reveals its true nature: despite its size, it's a small town at heart.

For an ultra-romantic view of WaterFire, book way ahead for a ride in the authentic Venetian La Gondola. Floating along the river is a romantic way to see downtown Providence at any time, not just during WaterFire.

Author's Tip: Finding a restaurant for dinner on WaterFire evenings will be difficult. We like to pack a picnic to enjoy in one of the nearby parks: Waterplace Park on Memorial Blvd., Prospect Terrace on Congdon St., or Providence River Park on Bridge St.

The Elms, Newport

Philadelphia coal magnate Edward J. Berwind commissioned The Elms to be based on the mid-18th century Château d'Asnière, near Paris. Completed in 1901, the Berwinds' summer home was embellished with Venetian paintings and furnished in French antiques from the period of the chateau it was modeled after.

Twice daily, Servant Life Tours reveal "backstairs" details about the staff that was responsible for maintaining the house and serving at its elaborate parties. Along with the servants' quarters at the very top of the mansion, you'll descend to the cellar to see the basement kitchens and laundry rooms, and learn about the building's technical systems, quite advanced for their day.

Tours reveal details about the staff that was responsible for maintaining the house, and about the building's technical systems. Be sure to allow time to visit the restored Classical Revival gardens, especially the lower gardens, which feature fountains, a sunken garden, and marble pavilions.

RISD Museum of Art, Providence

One of the 20 largest art museums in the United States, the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence is remarkable not only for the staggering numbers of its collections, but for their breadth of scope. The historical and contemporary textiles and dress collection alone totals more than 26,000 objects, from ancient Egyptian clothing fragments and Elizabethan needlework to 20th-century American designers and Japanese Noh theater robes.

Other collections are equally impressive, including Decorative Arts and Design; Asian Art; Contemporary Art (which includes pioneering video arts); Ancient Art (complete with a mummy and coffin); and a Painting and Sculpture collection featuring works by Copley, Homer, Manet, Monet, Degas, Cézanne, Rodin, Picasso, Matisse, Maxfield Parrish, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

With such a wealth of art in its collections, it is impossible for the museum to display more than a small fraction of it at any time. Special exhibitions spotlighting different themes keep the museum fresh for return visits, and some of the most popular collections are always on view in their own galleries: Ancient Greek and Roman, Ancient Egyptian, Asian Art, Decorative Arts and Design, 18th and 19th-Century American, and European Art.

The museum's shop is always a good source of gifts and household items that are unusual and reflect cutting-edge design. I always try to stop by before the holidays to find unique gifts.

Address: 20 North Main St., Providence, Rhode Island

Marble House, Newport

Built in 1892, Marble House was designed by the same architect as The Breakers, but pre-dates it. Modeled on the Petit Trianon at Versailles (French palaces were the model of the day), the house has an opulent gold-encrusted ballroom, inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The rest of the house is equally lavish in its detail and is widely considered to be the most tasteful of the Belle Epoch mansions in Newport.

The elegant dining room, an almost exact reproduction of a salon at Versailles, is faced in pink Numidian marble. The solid bronze dining chairs were custom-made and, at 75 pounds each, must have been a challenge for the brawniest of footmen.

In 1913, Alva Vanderbilt added a red Chinese teahouse to the grounds, which you can see from Cliff Walk.

Address: 596 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island

Rosecliff, Newport

Designed by Stanford White, after Louis XIV's Grand Trianon at Versailles, Rosecliff belonged to one of Newport's most legendary hostesses, the flamboyant Tessie Oelrichs. The mansion is no less flamboyant, but of all the mansions, it's the most livable.

The ceiling of the 80-foot-long grand ballroom – Newport's largest – is a cloud-studded blue sky surrounded by plaster swirls and painted medallions. The ballroom was the setting for scenes in the films The Great Gatsby and True Lies. Another highlight of the house is the graceful grand staircase that rises in sweeping Baroque curves, emphasized by a filigreed wrought-iron railing at either side.

The extensive rose gardens, with wood trellises, a pergola, urns, and statuary, have been restored, using the horticulture records of the estate's original owner, the noted 19^th-century rose grower George Bancroft, who created the gardens.

Note that Rosecliff has recently undertaken major renovations, the largest restoration project in the Preservation Society's history.

Address: 548 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island

Ocean Drive, Newport

If you're up for more mansion viewing after Bellevue Avenue, follow it to the end at Coggeshall Avenue and continue left to follow the shore past Bailey's Beach. The next 10 miles take you past more Gilded Age "cottages," as well as some of the newer Newport mansions. The most sumptuous will be on the left, the ocean side, as the route curves around the southern shore of Aquidneck Island.

Brenton Point State Park is a good place to stop for a picnic or just to sit and watch the sea. The usually steady breeze on the point makes it a favorite place to fly kites.

The road turns right at Brenton Point, and you'll pass the U.S. Coast Guard Station, then see Hammersmith Farm on a hillside (this is where President Kennedy's wedding reception was held in 1953).

At Fort Adams State Park, you'll find several things to do, including a beach and President Eisenhower's summer White House. The Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals are held in the park.

Walking Tour of Bellevue Avenue Mansions, Newport

The grandest and most famous of Newport's mansions spread majestically in a row between Bellevue Avenue and the ocean, with a few others facing them from the opposite side of the avenue. Cliff Walk gives views of the ocean side, while a stroll down Bellevue reveals the mansions' facades and grand entrances.

The scene today looks much as it did to the fashionable ladies who rode their carriages in the late afternoon ritual of a promenade along Bellevue Avenue.

Beginning at Memorial Avenue and walking south along Bellevue Avenue, the first of the mansions, Kingscote, is on the right. More modest than the others, it is also one of the oldest, built in 1841, and a beautiful example of a Gothic Revival-style villa.

Also on the right, is The Elms, built in 1901. These and other mansions mentioned here are open to the public, and standing between them, you'll see many more that can be admired from the street.

Chateau-Sur-Mer, on the left, is another of the earlier mansions, and was later renovated in the Arts & Crafts style, so the interior is a compendium of Victorian through early 20^th-century decoration. Also on the left, the 1901 Vernon Court is now home to the National Museum of American Illustration, displaying works by Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell, and others.

Rosecliff, Beechwood (no longer open to the public), and Marble House sit in a row overlooking Cliff Walk, and after several other distinguished mansions, you'll see the newly restored Belcourt Castle on the right. Built in 1894, it is a combination villa and stable reflecting an eccentric mix of Medieval Revival and stick style.

Where Bellevue Avenue turns at the beginning of Ocean Drive, you'll see the fanciful Gatehouse of Rough Point, with its witch-hat turrets. Rough Point was lived in as a home until it was bequeathed to Newport Restoration Foundation by its owner, Doris Duke. The reclusive heiress furnished it with her personal collections of art and antiques, and visitors see it as she left it.

Narragansett Bay Beaches

If long stretches of fine white sand beckon you, head for the towns of Narragansett and South Kingstown, south of Providence, to find a string of public beaches on the protected waters of Narragansett Bay. These beautiful strands are among the best beaches in the entire Northeast.

Matunuck Beach State Park, East Matunuck State Beach, Roger W. Wheeler State Beach, Scarborough State Beach, and Narragansett Town Beach all have changing facilities and parking. The latter is within walking distance of the old beach resort town of Narragansett Pier, where you'll find both lodging and restaurants.

Farther south, more beaches face onto Long Island Sound, where the surf can be a bit heavier. My favorite is Watch Hill, a delightfully old-fashioned resort town with an excellent beach, a lighthouse, and a historic carousel. I like to stop for a leisurely meal at the Olympia Tea Room, either lunch at the sidewalk café or dinner in one of the antique mahogany booths inside. The Tea Room has been catering to vacationers here for more than 100 years.

Colt State Park, Bristol

Stretching along one of New England's loveliest shorelines, Colt State Park covers 464 acres overlooking a panorama of Narragansett Bay. Four miles of the East Bay Bike Path border the shore through the park, and inland are lawns, fruit trees, flowering shrubs, stone walls, 10 large play fields, and six picnic groves with tables.

A museum shows the history of the park, which was formerly the country farming estate of the wealthy Samuel Colt and contained a main house, barns, stables, and statuary of mythical Greek gods and goddesses. The barn, one of the only original buildings of the estate still standing, housed prize Jersey cattle.

Address: Route 114, Bristol, Rhode Island

Block Island and Mohegan Bluffs

Ten miles offshore, Block Island is reached by ferry from Point Judith (Galilee), on the south coast. From laid-back little New Harbor, where you'll find lodging and dining, you can bicycle or walk to several beaches or to the Victorian Southeast Lighthouse. So solidly does this brick building and its light tower sit atop its bluff, you'll be surprised to hear the story of how it was moved in 1994 to keep it from falling off its eroding bluffs into the sea.

Mohegan Bluffs are a three-mile stretch of coastal cliffs with a 200-foot drop to the ocean. At the foot of these is a beautiful beach, although the prospect of climbing back up the 151 steps might discourage you.

Walkers and hikers will find abundant places to go on Block Island. You could easily spend half a day on the trails of The Maze, beginning at the Clay Head trailhead off Corn Neck Road. Or explore Rodman's Hollow, a depression carved by the retreating glaciers, where trails wind through low-growing forests. A good part of the island is protected by the Nature Conservancy, so stop by their office on High St. or the Chamber of Commerce at the ferry landing to get a map of its 25 miles of island trails.

At the northern tip of the island is the 1867 North Lighthouse, where there is an interpretive center. Miles of trails crisscross the island and are popular with birders who come to spot the more than 150 species stopping here in the fall. A weekend on this island with its far-away feeling is one of the most romantic things to do in Rhode Island.

Tip for Parents: Because this is an island, the surf can be rolling and strong, so most of the beaches are not especially suited to small children. The exception is the southern end of Town Beach, where the sandy shore is shallow for some distance into the sea and the surf is gentle.

Providence Performing Arts Center

You can't miss the magnificent façade of the former Loew's Movie Palace on Weybosset Street, especially at night, when it lights up in all its neon glory. Reborn as the Providence Performing Arts Center in 1982, the authentically restored 1928 Beaux Arts theater is resplendent with marble columns, crystal chandeliers, tiers of balconies detailed in plasterwork, and a magnificent ceiling of medallions surrounding a dome with a multi-tiered chandelier.

Beyond its visual charms, the theater is a world-class performance center, the second-largest theater of its kind in the country. The center regularly presents top-notch national Broadway tours, many of which choose it as the launch stage for their opening performance.

The theater's 1927 Wurlitzer Organ is one of only three five-manual keyboard consoles built by Wurlitzer, and can reproduce the sounds of an entire orchestra. The 3,100-seat theater is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Address: 220 Weybosset Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Rough Point, Newport

The last of the Newport mansions to be inhabited, Rough Point was the summer home of Heiress Doris Duke, who bequeathed the estate to the Newport Restoration Foundation upon her death in 1993. Today the house appears just as it did when she lived here, reflecting her own tastes and lifestyle. She lived among her various collections, which decorate and furnish the 105-room mansion – the fifth largest in Newport.

Special exhibitions drawing on the vast collections have frequently featured mid- to late-20th-century couture fashion from her extensive (and expensive) wardrobe, so you may see Courrèges and Gucci pantsuits, or hats by Dior along with the priceless tapestries, portraits, Chinese ceramics, period French furniture, and decorative arts. This combination of artistic treasures and a look at the life of its owner distinguishes Rough Point from the other mansions tours.

Other exhibitions have highlighted Doris Duke's rather notorious life and her work in establishing the Newport Restoration Foundation to preserve some of the city's architectural and historic treasures at a time when many were being sold or destroyed. During her lifetime, the foundation saved 83 historic homes.

Address: 680 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI

Blithewold, Bristol

Overlooking Narragansett Bay, Blithewold was built in 1908 for Augustus Van Wickle, and resembles a 17th-century English country manor. Its 45 rooms are furnished much as they were when the family lived here and decorated with their collections of Baccarat crystal, Gorham silver, more than 30 sets of fine china, several Tiffany lamps and dolls, along with objects collected in their travels.

The house was designed with large windows facing the water and overlooking the estate's 33 acres of gardens. Among the finest New England gardens open to the public, those at Blithewold include a water garden, an enclosed garden, display gardens, a rock garden, and a rose garden. The more than 500 different varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants include the East Coast's largest giant sequoia and a bamboo grove.

Address: 101 Ferry Road, Bristol, Rhode Island

Beavertail Lighthouse and State Park, Jamestown

Views of Narragansett Bay, nature, saltwater fishing, walking trails, history, and a chance to visit North America's third-oldest lighthouse are among the attractions that bring visitors to Beavertail State Park in Jamestown.

Built in 1856, Beavertail Lighthouse marks the entrance to the vast Narragansett Bay. The first lighthouse was built here in 1749, burned and rebuilt in 1753, then destroyed by British soldiers retreating from Newport in 1779. Rebuilt after the Revolution, the tower was replaced with the current structure in 1856.

The museum, open seasonally, contains artifacts from the lighthouse's past, as well as exhibits on Narragansett Bay's maritime history. On certain days in the summer, you can climb the lighthouse tower.

The rockbound coast and tidal pools of this southernmost point of Jamestown Island are an open-air laboratory for learning about geology, marine life, and shoreline ecology. The Beavertail Naturalist Program offers seasonal marine education programs at the Beavertail Aquarium.

Benefit Street and John Brown House, Providence

Known today as "The Mile of History," Benefit Street was the social, cultural, artistic, civic, and intellectual heart of Providence in the colonial and early Federal periods. You can immerse yourself in these exciting times for the young country just by walking this mile of stone- and brick-paved street.

What makes Benefit Street especially interesting is that it is not a frozen-in-time museum street but a vibrant neighborhood, where later additions of Victorian and a few 20th-century buildings keep it in the here-and-now. Some of Providence's most interesting architecture is here, and a stroll along it will reveal beautiful gardens, a family burial ground, and churches, as well as period homes.

The most spectacular of these is the John Brown House, built for prosperous colonial merchant, John Brown. He was the first to build outside the crowded waterfront, but from high on this hill he could see his wharves at India Point, from which his ships plied their profitable China trade.

The elegant home is still filled with the original Brown family furnishings, which include some of the finest examples of works by Rhode Island's famed cabinetmakers, as well as early decorative arts. If you can see only one colonial home here, make it this one.

Herreshoff Marine Museum, Bristol

Sailing, and most particularly the America's Cup race, is deeply ingrained into Newport culture and history. To gain a sense of this, and to see models and actual restored boats — including one that's considered the most beautiful hull form ever created — visit the Herreshoff Marine Museum commemorating the Herreshoffs and their boat designs.

Their most legendary feat was designing and building eight consecutive successful defenders of the America's Cup, from 1893 to 1934. The America's Cup Hall of Fame is part of the museum, which features more than 60 sailing and power yachts along with displays and videos on boat building and sailing.

Address: One Burnside Street, Box 450, Bristol, Rhode Island

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Where to Go from Rhode Island: When it comes to planning your trip, there are several options from Rhode Island. To the north and east there are abundant places to visit in Massachusetts, including the many attractions of Boston and Cambridge, historic Plymouth, and the beaches of Cape Cod.

More nearby Places to Visit: Traveling west, you'll find the cities of Hartford and New Haven, home of Yale University and its museums. If you're visiting in summer, you'll likely want to take advantage of the water. On the shore, along with Connecticut's beautiful beaches and top beach hotels, you'll find plenty of things to do in Mystic at its famous maritime museum.