We have not done a lot of exploring in Rhode Island. When we recently had a free Saturday we decide to check some places off my spreadsheet of places to visit. Yes, I have a spreadsheet of places I want to visit. We drove a little over two hours to our first destination, Watch Hill.
Watch Hill is located near Westerly, this affluent town is at the southern most tip of Rhode Island. One of the reasons for our visit was my daughter is a huge Taylor Swift fan and Taylor has a home here. Visiting in November many of the businesses were closed, but we were able to get parking easy, which I read in the summer months is very difficult. We walked the small downtown area and then walked part of Watch Hill Beach. I would love to come back here and stay at the Watch Hill Inn.
Next stop was a hike at Whales Rock Preserve. This was a beautiful hike along boardwalks and then along the ocean The trail does border a military base, so you are not technically surrounded by nature, but the ocean views are so worth the walk.
After our hike we were feeling pretty hungry. When we are in a new area Yelp is our go to app to find local restaurants. We prefer breweries, brew pubs or farm to table restaurants. We found a great brewery to have a late lunch at. Located in a old motel is West Passage Brewing Company. This Brewing company is located on Post Road in North Kingston. They had a great choice of beers and hard seltzers along with fresh and delicious food. If you are in the area, we highly recommend stoping for a drink and some food
After filling our bellies we needed to move our bodies. We went to Fisherville Brooks Wildlife Refuge in Exeter. We did a short hike around one of their trails that had beautiful views throughout the woods and over a small pond. It was just what we needed after a delicious meal. I do have to admit that when I think of Rhode Island I do not think of hiking, but we found two great trails and I have added more to my list.
After the hike we headed to Providence for our final destination of the day. This is also the primary reason for our day trip to Rhode Island. All summer I have been following the Waterfire events that Providence puts on, on the river that runs through downtown Providence. I was not sure what to expect, but I was excited to finally get to one. They only hold these events a few nights throughout the spring, summer and fall. Parking was a little difficult to find. We luckily found a small lot close to the event. We got a spot on one of the bridges to stand and watch the lighting.
This event was to honor our Veterans and it was very beautiful. The flags, the music and the overall atmosphere. A boat came out and lit each lantern all the way down the river.
The whole experience was just beautiful. We walked along a park and the river where there were various food and craft venders. We spent a couple hours just enjoying the fire. it was like having a bonfire in the middle of the city.
We had a great day exploring Rhode Island. I love visiting places off the beaten path. With Rhode Island being a small state it is easy to spend the day exploring this state.
