New England Fall Adventures I Hope To Have

As fall slowly creeps in to New England (finally.. wait.. is it even here yet?! IT'S OCTOBER!), and the air begins to prick your skin with it's cool breeze, now is the time to make a list of all the fall/winter wild adventures!

1. Providence Holiday Market

A selection of local vendors featured on Grant's Block featured to showcase Rhode Island crafters, farmers, and culinary geniuses. Every Saturday from Thanksgiving to mid December. 

pic from Creative Commons

2. Vermont's Route 100

"One minute, it's slaloming along a rocky riverbed through dense cover of birch and maple; the next, it's soaring up to a sudden vista as if God has suddenly pulled away a curtain. There's a reason this stretch of highway -- some 200 miles from Massachusetts to Lake Memphremagog -- has been called the most scenic in New England." -from Yankee Magazine

A restless foliage peeping route. Sounds perfect. Now, to get a car.

From gregcookland.com

3. Steel Yard Iron Pour //October 28th 

"Each year, the Steel Yard teams up with the Iron Guild to demonstrate the industrial arts in an exciting, accessible way. Our annual Iron Pour is a luminous spectacle in celebration of the fall season here in Providence. This year's performance promises to be in keeping with the dramatic displays of the past with a monster theme."

Um, awesome!

4. 3rd Annual Family Day at Neutaconkanut Park 

October 22 2011

Forests, bonfires, storytelling" all perfect fall activities in a hardly known but amazing park in Providence!

Here are some helpful resources:

*Rhode Island Events Calendar of Tours, Talks, and Trails

*New England Fall Festival Calendar

What events or annual fall activities do you have on YOUR New England calendar?

Pops and Strawberries

A few weekends ago I had some very exciting expeditions. Not that I usually don't, but this weekend was especially fun!

A group of us got all fancied up and hit the road for Boston. We arrived at Symphony Hall just in time to see the Boston Pops performing to the theme of "Broadway Diva's." The music was all taken from popular Broadway shows, and featured pieces especially performed by strong leading ladies. Two of the women who had been int the Wicked broadway show were hosting and singing for the evening, and they added a lot of fun and pizzazz to the show.

I dont know why Hannah looks so alarmed! After the show we went to Finale Desserterie & Bakery and had delicious desert.

It was a fun evening, and I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much. Usually musicals don't do it for me, but I would totally go see Wicked now!


The next morning, Hannah and I woke up early and headed to Dame Farm in Johnston RI to go strawberry picking with some friends!

It was a beautiful morning and the fields were ripe for harvest. I guess it is still early in the season, but we ended up with a good bounty!

Just thought I would share some of my summer time fun!

Tour Blackstone Valley

This past weekend I participated as a volunteer assistant tour guide with Tour Blackstone Valley. This is an annual event that seeks to get native Rhode Islanders out of their bubble and out into a new area to experience and learn. In past years, it was called "TourRI" and there were upwards of 26 different tour packages that could be chosen. This year because of whatever reason, it was only the Blackstone Valley that participated, and there were only 7 tours. Two years ago I volunteered and went on the Block Island tour. It was pretty awesome.

This year my tour was "The Blackstone Valley Sampler," and we were able to visit some various sights across the valley. As the assistant tour guide, I made sure that everyone was on the bus, given their gift bags, had any questions answered, got the right lunch, and received the information packets. We had about 38 tour participants on my tour this year.

The first stop was High-On-A-Hill Herb Farm. It is a lovely farm in the middle of North Smithfield. They grow many herbs, keep bees, have a kennel, and offer various educational classes through the year. They were kind enough to offer us snacks of delicious home made muffins and tea. Then we sat for a short presentation on bee keeping that was fascinating! I never knew that bee keeping was so involved. It was a great stop, and everyone enjoyed being outside for the lovely weather.

Our second stop was to the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center in Woonsocket, RI. This is the home to the largest collection of fresco paintings in North America, and is also known as the "Sistene Chapel of America." We had a tour of the building and they explained the history. The coolest thing was that all the faces in the paintings are modeled after real people who were members of the church at the time. It was quite a beautiful place.

The third stop was the Woonsocket Museum of Work and Culture. (At this point I am almost starting to become enamored with Woonsocket. But dont tell anyone about that.) Anyway, this museum focused on the immigration of the French Canadians into Woonsocket and the industries that resulted. Who knew it would be so interesting? It seemed like a great place for kids and adults alike.

Next we went to a historical "Stone Ender" built in the 1700's in Lincoln, RI. Having never heard that term before, I was intrigued. As we approached the Valentine Whitman House, I could see the reason behind its name. The whole end of the house was made out of stone. There is some historical significance to this, but I think you will have to visit the house to learn more :)

Our last stop of the tour was The Captain Wilbur Kelly House, situated by a preserved section of the historic Blackstone Canal Tow Path in the Village of Ashton (Cumberland/Lincoln Line). I loved learning about how the canal was built (I love canals, after all I am from Lockport NY- a canal lovers haven!). We were given a tour by one of Rhode Island's leading historians. Then we walked through the house and looked at all the displays. Good stuff!

We finished the tour around 4pm and headed back to the home base. The day was extremely fun and I learned so much. The tour guide for our trip was awesome, I met so many wonderful people, explored cool places in RI, and loved the experience of "working the tour." 

Experience New England: Providence Independence Trail

image source: creative commons

Yesterday, May 4th 2011, Rhode Island's Govenor Chaffee and Providence Mayor Tavares unveiled the "Independence Trail." This three mile, downtown Providence trail will

"feature 75 sites ranging from a place where George Washington slept to a statue of Civil War General Ambrose Burnside, whose distinctive facial hair coined the word 'sideburns.'"  (wpri.com)

The trail will also

"cover more than four centuries of Rhode Island history, culture, architecture and folklore – including the birthplace of religious freedom, the site of the first shot in the fight against England, and the spot where Lincoln spoke." (providenceri.com)

According to one article, one of the goals of the Independence Trail is to

"help Providence supplant Boston and Philadelphia as the Northeastern capitals of historical tourist attractions." (mysanantonio.com)

The trail seems like an exciting way to showcase the important history of Providence. It will be a fun way for both native Rhode Islander's and out of town tourists to more fully understand all that Rhode Island has to offer. At each site there will be a number you can call to get a prerecorded description of the importance of the stop. The trail should be fully complete by July 4th, or so says the trail's founder Robert Burke.

I think that the Independence Trail will be quite an interesting addition to the development of Providence as a whole, as well as the tourism sector. It will give Providence more depth as a destination, and create that connection and education that tourists seek in historic locations. (Even better because I think people will be surprised at the amount of history that is located here.) Personally, I am excited for this.

Click here to see the full size map! 

What do you think? If you are a local, are you going to check it out?

If you arent in the area, is this something that interests you?

Experience New England: My Bucket List

A girl can dream, (and this is the short version of those dreams).


Bucket List: A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket".

New Bedford Whaling Museum

The 107 year old whaling museum located in Massachusetts, “it is home to the world's largest ship model, Lagoda, a half-scale whale ship built in 1916 by the aging shipwrights of New Bedford's famed fleet. The Museum displays four species of complete whale skeletons, including a Blue whale, the world's largest mammal plus a mother and fetus of the highly endangered Northern Atlantic Right whale.” How can you beat that excitement? No, Im not joking.

"The Nation's First Sunrise"

Viewing the "first sun rise in the USA" is a  popular activity among visitors of Maine's Acadia National Park. Cadillac Mountain sees the first sunrise in the fall and winter, and during most of the spring and summer, the sun rises first on Mars Hill, 150 miles to the northeast. This would be invigorating. 

Hartland Brick Church Famous Roast Beef Supper

Maybe I am crazy, but this seems like a really cool thing to randomly do.

“People drive an hour and a half or more to make the pilgrimage, and not just once a year or once a month, but some for nine straight Saturdays starting in January--every year. These dinners take place in the basement of  "the Brick Church" in Hartland, and no matter the weather. A bad snowstorm or driving sleet might keep servings down to 200 or 250; a good night will feed some 400 people.” And J.D. Salinger went to them!

Sandwich, Massachusetts

I have to admit one thing: I have been here before…. BUT, it was at 1am, for ten minutes, and we climbed a tree.. I don’t think that counts. I want to see the boardwalk and watch tugboats enter the Cape Cod Canal at dawn, and then hit up the Sandwich Glass Museum. Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod by the way.  (photo from Yankee Magazine)

Wild Game Supper

Congregational Church's annual "Wild Game Supper" in Bradford, Vermont, comes to mind. The out-of-town crowd at that hunting-season event grew so overwhelming--even at $25 a head--that the church recently set a serving limit of 900. The writer Calvin Trillin once called it "the Super Bowl of church suppers."

Cable Car Cinema

Located on South Main Street in Providence RI, this comfy cinema and café is known for its couches, great atmosphere, fun indie films, and speakers in the bathroom (so you don’t miss TOO much)! Reasonable prices, and a great date or hangout atmosphere. I see this place all the time, and want to go SOO bad.

What about you? Do you have any dreams to travel around New England?

 Any places that strike your fancy?  

 Am I missing something important? Do share!

Churches in Greater Providence

Using Google Analytics, I have seen activity on my blog from people searching for churches in Providence, and near Johnson & Wales specifically. So I figured I would compile a (non)exhaustive list, so that in the future, if someone were searching this out and they somehow arrive at my blog, there will be something helpful to offer!

Grace Harbor Community Church
www.graceharbor.net
Pastor Kevin McKay
Currently Meeting at the Courtyard Marriott, check website for details
Providence, RI
401-454-4673

Trinity Presbyterian

www.trinitypresri.org

Pastor: David Sherwood

72 Clifford St.

Providence, RI 02903

401.272.0766

DownCity Church

www.downcitychurch.com

Pastor: Ted Strickland

68 Kennedy Plaza

Providence, RI 02903

401.331.6384

The Sacred Journey

http://sjchurch.org/

Pastor: Todd Murphy

91 Fricker Street

Providence, RI 02903

These are churches that I find to be gospel centered, bible loving, caring congregations. Now I say this is not exhaustive because these only make up churches that I have attended or where I know the pastor. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.


*These websites have great "church search" reference guides by city and zipcode:
www.9marks.org
www.thegospelcoalition.org

*This is a great book about what makes a church a "healthy" church:
What is a Healthy Church by Mark Dever


Hope you find a great church!

Snowy Rhodey

Wednesday we had a very snowy day, and we've been enjoying the crazy times since.  (at least I have been)

 the first hours of the blizzard

 Waiting for the bus on Smith hill. Look at these "sidewalks." They have disappeared. 

Rescuing snowmen down at India Point Park

Experience New England: Rhodey Staycation

This weekend my family drove down from upstate New York to vacation with me in Providence. It's a great situation for everyone- they get a great vacation, I get a great "staycation."  If you have never heard the term before, well, it means staying in ones own locale and exploring new things, instead of spending loads of money going elsewhere.

When they come down, I always do a little research of some new and exciting things that I have never taken advantage of, and of course things I know we will all love. They are still in town until Thursday, but I thought I would do a little recap of our Rhodey Vacation/Staycation 2010, days 1-3, in hopes that you will discover some awesome places to check out!

Nicks on Broadway
For some reason I cant imagine why I have never been to this eating establishment. Located on Broadway in Providence, Nick's boasts delicious, local, seasonal cuisine that is both highly rated and approachable. Their Eggs Benedict was out of this world, coming on top of two savory biscuits with delicious handcut ham slices. Their salmon breakfast sandwhich on pesto wheat bread was pure glorious, and vadalia onion corned beef hash blew me out of the water. Go there now.

RISD Museum of Art
The last saturday of the month is a freefor all at the RISD Museum, and so off we went! Quite larger than I imagined, there were some wonderful exhibits on display at the museum from classical style to extremely modern, something for all art lovers to enjoy. There was also an interactive art class open to the public in which you created answers to question promts with their provided suplies, for example, "write a love letter to a part of your body." We were slightly crunched for time, and I image this museum is ten times better if you are not crunched for time. Parking stinks, but it was all free, and I cant wait to check it out next month!

The Mooring
Get the Seafood Pie. This restaurant located along the Thames St, Newport Bay area is a great special dinner kind of place. It is quite upscale, but they serve some of their sides and apps in brown paper bags for an interesting twist! We sat out on the balcony and had a wonderful view of the Newport Harbor. I'll be going back.

Rhode Island Bay Lighthouse Cruise
This one is a show stopper. I random'y found an advertisement for this cruise on a billboard somewhere, and it is worth every single penny. ($25 a person). Leaving from Quonsett Point, this cruise takes you through the Narragansett Bay area, around the Jamestown Island, and into the Newport Harbor. This light house cruise is absolutely wonderful, providing narration and indoor and outdoor seating. Absolutely picturesque, up close and personal views of the ten lighthouses and other interesting sights, along with a perfectly sunny and breezy day spent with family, how could you go wrong? I would recommend this for everyone- kids to elderly, native rhodeys or out of towners. Seriously.

We also checked out WaterFire an artsy festival type performance art where giant cauldrons of wood floating on the river are set ablaze. Its pretty amazing.

I Love Rhode Island.
Let me know if you have any other awesome ideas for things to do or see in New England!

Mini Expeditions: Maps

Ok. I have to share these wth you but to save a million spearate random blogs, I will consolidate into one nice little bloggy blog links that you can check out, or not.


Ten of the greatest: Maps that changed the world
Maps are sweet. This is awesome and interesting.


Old and New Russia Transposed
Pictures of old soviet war torn Russia transposed on new pictures. Pretty cool stuff and crazy to see how much of Russia is still the same.

Free Stuff To Do in Rhode Island
This list, "Tons of Fun, No Cost: 10 Great Things To Do For Free" is a great resource to find out free things to do in Rhode Island!

Rhodey Living: Gaspee Days

I'm always up for a good adventure. Couple that with a craft show and MAN ya got me. When I saw Gaspee Days listed in the RI area events calendar, I couldn't resist. Putting out a request to all my friends go go along with me, only one other person wanted to go! GASP! Some people are no fun. So Leeta and I got in the car and headed off to beautiful Pawtuxet Village.

Gaspee Days is a Memorial Day Weekend celebration of American Patriots who torched an enemy ship during the American Revolution. It includes a craft show, races, musical acts, war reenactments, and all sorts of cool stuff.

There werent any wares that especially caught my eye, other than some "too expensive for me" nautical delights, but it was tons of fun seeing all the crafting of the area and getting free samples of mapled walnuts and gourmet homemade dijon mustard. Not to mention splendid views of the bay,

and cute little entreprenuers who sell exceptional lemonade.

You can check out Gaspee Days at gaspee.com