Scenic Foliage Drives →
Rhode Island Foliage Driving Tour
Leaves, Views, and Other Surprises in Little Rhody
by Wayne Worcester
Submitted by Mike Dooley
Submitted by Michael Phillips
Submitted by Sandra Erickson
Submitted by Butch Lombardi
I REALIZE THAT some travelers think of Rhode Island as a tangle of highway blocking easy access to somewhere else. I say give them a map and bid them Godspeed. I know this small and unruly state, and I can tell you for a fact that it affords more opportunities for easy enjoyment than any other in New England -- and there's greater variety, too.
Day One
The only thing you can't find in Rhode Island is a mountain; I suppose something had to go. After all, the entire state is only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long, and much of that is given over to coastline -- 460 miles of it, with literally dozens of public beaches. I know coastline doesn't spell trees, and therefore the foliage might not be what you'd see in the North Country, but believe me: We have autumn in Rhode Island. I know this, and that is why I've set out to find the best views that Rhode Island has to offer. Of course, one traveler's "best view" may be entirely humdrum to another, but to me the term implies a sense of beauty, uniqueness, joy, and inspiration.
If you're inclined to agree, come along. We will see some of the finest Colonial architecture in the Northeast, visit a classy zoo and a gem of a museum, see trees (with colored leaves) so magnificent and stately that you'd think you were in Yorkshire, gaze at mansions so elegant you'll question the century you're in, and take in seacoast as picturesque as any in New England.
For those of you who have been with us from the Connecticut tour and are heading to Providence from the Quiet Corner, we suggest that you take Route 14 east from Sterling, Connecticut. When Route 14 merges with Route 102 North, continue on 102 to the towns along Highway 6. The area around Foster and Scituate, Rhode Island, is gentle, rural, and not at all touristy. Colorful forests, windy roads, and acres of beautifully crafted fieldstone walls dot a landscape that begs for autumn rambling. A nice detour: Follow Route 14 east where it splits off from Route 102; make a hard right at Crazy Corners, where you'll cross the Scituate Reservoir for splendid foliage reflected in water. (Return to Route 6 via Route 116.)
Got Kids?
Roger Williams Park ZooPROVIDENCE
Retrace your steps back to Interstate 95 north, and get off at exit 22A in Providence. Turn left onto Francis Street and take your first right, where you will discover Waterplace Park, four reclaimed acres on Cove Basin at the confluence of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck rivers. If you would like, you can come back here at night and enjoy WaterFire, unique performance art that features more than 100 bonfires set to music all along a one-mile stretch of water (call ahead to check the dates). Good lunch spots are easy to find. Only a short walk from Waterplace Park you can enjoy hearty sandwiches at Caffe Pazzo on Steeple Street (just off South Main).
That huge white-marble landmark perched atop the rolling green lawn and looming over everything else is the Rhode Island State House. Historians in this, the most heavily Roman Catholic state in the nation, say that the building's unsupported dome -- the first of its kind in the nation -- is second in size only to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
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