As part of a summer road trip around New England, we spent a few days exploring southern Rhode Island. We took a tour with Rail Explorers where we rode a rail bike along the Narragansett Bay near Portsmouth. We all had a blast pedaling our bike down the railroad tracks and taking in the views of the bay (we even saw turkeys and an osprey nest).
Crossing the Newport Bridge to Jamestown, we visited Beavertail State Park. The beautiful lighthouse at this park sits at the end of Conanicut Island, surrounded by rocky shores, and is the 3rd oldest remaining lighthouse in the country. Elizabeth and Miles enjoyed exploring the tide pools and watching the passing boats. Before leaving the park, we toured the aquarium in the old fog-horn building. The small aquarium had an impressive collection of starfish, crabs, eels, and many other sea creatures.
We happened to be in Newport for the start of the famous Newport to Bermuda ocean sailing race, which happens every two years and brought hundreds of sailboats into the harbor. We took a harbor cruise with Gansett Cruises and were fortunate to be able to go out and watch boats on the starting line. We also saw some of the local attractions like the Rose Island Lighthouse, Fort Adams, and the imposing Claiborne Pell - Newport Bridge. Returning to Bowen's Wharf after our tour, we walked the shops of the Brick Market Place, bought some sweets, then Benjamin walked to the nearby Eisenhower Park and the Touro Synagogue National Historic Site.
For the afternoon, we drove the famous 10-mile Ocean Drive around the southern tip of Aquidneck Island. We stopped at King Park to see the statue of French General Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau at the spot where he landed on July 11, 1780, with 6,000 French soldiers to support the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. This site is also the starting point of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. Next, we stopped at Brenton Point State Park to take in the view of the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, we drove past many famous mansions as we headed back into Newport. In nearby Middletown, Benjamin and Elizabeth hiked the Flint Point Loop Trail at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge while Tiffany and Miles enjoyed a well-earned break from the day's activities.
On our final morning in Rhode Island, we drove north to Pawtucket and toured the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. We enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing the Old Slater Mill, Wilkinson Mill, Pawtucket Falls, and the Blackstone River.
We drove to Providence and toured the Roger Williams National Memorial and the Rhode Island State House. We then drove south and crossed the Claiborne-Pell Bridge to Newport where we visited the Touro Synagogue National Historic Site and the starting point of the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail.