10 Reasons Why Rhode Island Is the Perfect Summer Road Trip Destination

If you live in New England, you can probably get to Providence — and back — on one tank of gas. If you drive electric and need a charging station, well, we ranked 6th best in the nation for that.

Once you’re here, just park the car on Brown yard. Almost everything is walkable in Providence, so you don’t need a car to get around. AND, you can take advantage of more than 60 miles of paved trails for biking and walking in all regions of the state. In fact, we're so walkable, that Providence was recently voted the 2nd Most Walkable City to Visit in the USA Today 10Best Readers Choice Awards 2024!

Rhode Island is small but we have 400 miles of shoreline along Narragansett Bay. There is no shortage of waterfront to make all your friends on Instagram jealous. 

When the sun sets, set out for fun. In Providence, you can find a hole-in-the-wall pub, a lively country music bar, and an elegant cocktail lounge all within a half mile.

It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold — all you need is a light jacket. Cheryl from "Miss Congeniality" was right — April 25 is the perfect date and usually there's great weather in Rhode Island. But we think the summer months are pretty great, too. Even Gracie Lou Freebush would agree. 

Providence is lit … literally. In the summer, chances are you’ll catch the one-of-a-kind WaterFire installation along the Providence waterways that flow through Downtown. There’s nothing quite like it and words can’t do it justice, so take a look for yourself. 

Whether you’re looking for it or not, you’ll find murals and other public art on buildings, walls and utility boxes throughout Providence,RI. You can also check out one of the city’s museums. We do, after all, put the "Rhode Island" in Rhode Island School of Design. 

You can’t go wrong when it comes to cuisine. Providence is home to a top-notch culinary school, Johnson & Wales University, and it has churned out some world-renowned chefs. That said, you’ll find incredible chefs at any one of the award-winning and culturally diverse restaurant options in Providence. 

Through August 11, visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo to see the "Dragons and Mythical Creatures" exhibit. They’ve set up nearly 60 life-size (like, wicked big) animatronic and interactive dragons, unicorns and more throughout the zoo, and it’s fun for the whole family. 

Speaking of Roger Williams, he has a couple of parks named after him. After you visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo (there’s a park and a zoo), head to the Roger Williams National Memorial. It’s one of four nationally-designated memorials, parks or historic sites in the state. Again, you can get to all of them in 15 minutes or so. Because #RhodeIsland.