Providence: Visit Providence in One Day
February 26, 2019
My Big invited me to her wedding last month in Mystic CT. I flew into Boston, since it was the cheaper flight from Houston and arrived at 11pm on a Friday night. Never one to miss an opportunity to explore a new city I spent the evening in Providence to do some sightseeing the next day.
I forgot how cold mornings are in the Northeast so I ended up staying in bed longer than planned and throughout the day spent less time walking than I usually prefer.
Downtown Providence
After getting ready on Saturday morning, the first thing I did was look for a coffee shop. I ended up at Small Point Café and decided to try their lavender latte. I am officially obsessed with lavender lattes and back home in Houston this is a special request I make at coffee shops if I don’t see it in the menu. For brunch, I ordered a bagel, and although I enjoyed it, know that you shouldn’t expect to bite into a NY bagel while in RI.
Small Point Café is on Westminster St, which is a cobblestone street lined with interesting shops and restaurants. After breakfast, I walked along this road and visited the shops. I came across and visited The Arcade, which is the oldest indoor mall in the US. After a couple of hours in downtown, I left for College Hill.
College Hill in Providence
I parked near Brown University and therefore the first thing I did was walk around this campus. I made my way towards The Providence Athenaeum, which is a Greek Revival building turned into a library. Can you remember the last time you stepped foot in a public library? This library brought to mind a handful of great childhood memories. I soaked in the atmosphere and spent the afternoon reading.
What would I do with more time in Providence?
Since I had to be on the road by 3pm I left Providence after my library visit. The RISD, Rhode Island School of Design, is in College Hill and I would have visited if I had more time but I didn’t want to cut the experience short. Admission is free on Sundays which is the perfect addition to a weekend trip. If I had time to grab dinner I would have made my way to Federal Hill or “Little Italy” since the Italian food here is highly recommended.
All in all, I found Providence to be a perfect city to check out if en route to a final destination, and would suggest you visit if you want to take a slower and more relaxing city trip.
Happy Travels!
