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The 10 Best Summer Activities in Rhode Island!

ri summer activities

Is there anything better than celebrating summer weather in the Ocean State? Rhode Island is a summer paradise. With seafood festivals, quaint beaches, and even whale watching, you’ll never have a dull moment here. Check out the 10 best summer activities to do in the state! 


1.A weekend in Block Island

Grab your suitcase, a bike or a kayak, and hop onto a ferry to Block Island! There are great activities going on all summer long, such as Restaurant Week and the Block Island Music Festival. 

2.PVDFest, Providence, RI

During June of each summer, enjoy the best of Providence’s live music, dance, and food scene. The arts festival takes over nearly every public space in the city, bringing the city together all over the course of three sunny days.

3.Visit Colt State Park

Take a drive through Colt State Park’s 464 acres of lawns and stone walls, giving great access to plenty of Rhode Island’s most scenic bits of shoreline with views of Narragansett Bay. 

4.Charlestown Seafood Festival, Charlestown, RI

Lobsters, steamers, and chowder—oh my! You can stuff yourself full of all the Ocean State’s best seafood at this event, hosted each year by the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce.

5.Waterfire, Providence, RI

WaterFire is the quintessential Providence event—join locals and out-of-towners at this semi-regular arts festival that takes place across the Providence River. 

6.Roger Williams Park and Zoo, Providence, RI

Roger Williams is one of the country’s oldest zoos, located in a park spanning 40 acres. Whether you love animals or are just there for one of the many festivals or workshops they host, you’ll enjoy being surrounded by nature at the zoo.

7.Easton Beach, Newport, RI

Bring a picnic to the beach and enjoy a day spent in the sand at Easton Beach! Located at the start of the Cliff Walk, East Beach offers soft sand and relaxing waves—it’s the perfect spot for a hot summer day.

8.Rhode Island Pride Festival, Providence, RI

Celebrate the LGBTQ community at Providence’s own pride celebration. Providence’s parade takes place at night, with neon lights and banging music to accompany each group’s display of pride!

9.Three Sisters Ice Cream, Providence, RI

Stop into this adorable Hope Street café for the best ice cream in Rhode Island. You’ll most certainly want to try the mint chocolate chip, made with real, fresh mint for a refreshingly sweet taste. Take your cone and wander around the shops along Hope Street during a warm summers’ day.

10.Whale watching in Narragansett

Take a tour with Frances Fleet and try to spot some whales off of the port of Galilee. You’ll most often find beautiful finback whales, but perhaps also the majestic humpback, false killer, or pilot whale. 

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