Federal Hill
Atwells Ave
Providence’s Little Italy and so much more! The historic Federal Hill neighborhood spans iconic Atwells Avenue and the surrounding streets. Largely settled by Italian-American immigrants in the early 1900s, Federal Hill effuses a sense of warmth and community that embraces visitors and locals alike. While the neighborhood has evolved, the influence of the Italian people and culture is ever-present. When shopping or dining, take the time to talk to a shop owner or interact with a food purveyor, as they will likely share a story about the history of the store or neighborhood.
Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum
199 Hope St
A National Historic Landmark, Providence’s Lippitt House has one of the best-preserved Victorian-era interiors in America. Tours take guests through the elaborately decorated rooms of Lippitt House exploring how Providence’s history shaped the Rhode Island of today. Staff share stories focusing on the people who lived and worked in the house illustrating ideas about industry, immigration, design, and civic engagement, illuminating Providence’s rich cultural heritage.
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John Brown House Museum
52 Power St
Enter the John Brown House and step into the world of 18th-century wealth and power. Trained tour guides provide hour-long tours through the museum’s meticulously restored rooms containing nationally significant treasures.
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
Roger Williams Park- 1000 Elmwood Ave
The Museum of Natural History is Rhode Island’s only natural history museum and is home to the state’s only public planetarium. For more than a century the museum has served as a unique educational, scientific, and cultural resource by offering exciting exhibitions and programming that provide ways for children and families to learn about our world and its people. Call for information and pricing about private planetarium shows and museum tours.
Prospect Terrace Park
60 Congdon St
From this city park, take in the great panoramic views of Providence, including the First Baptist Church and the Rhode Island State House. The park’s Roger Williams statue was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker and dedicated in 1939. It is made of granite and is around 15 feet tall. Since no one knows what Roger Williams looked like, it is the artist’s interpretation of Roger’s appearance. When Roger Williams died, he was buried on his property, up the hill from Towne Street. In an attempt to honor him, his remains were moved to the Old North Burial Ground in 1860. In 1939, his remains were moved into the tomb that lies directly beneath his statue at Prospect Terrace.
Providence Athenaeum
251 Benefit St
In the early 1800s, Providence attracted artists and writers, many of whom gathered at the Athenaeum. In 1845, the writer Edgar Allan Poe fell in love with the Providence poet, Sarah Helen Whitman in this dignified Greek Revival style library. She called off their engagement in 1848 when his sobriety was questioned. Providence inspired the work of a remarkably creative writer, H.P. Lovecraft (see ‘Personalities’ section), who set his novel “The Shunned House” (1924) in a Colonial house on Benefit Street.
Providence Public Library
150 Empire St
Founded in 1875, the Providence Public Library (PPL) opened at its present Washington Street location in 1900, adding the Empire Street building in 1954. The first librarian, William Foster, stressed the library’s important role in community service. This tradition continues as PPL remains dedicated to making the library and its resources accessible to all. PPL’s services are still relevant today, from traditional lending, research, and learning, to training programs in the latest technologies. PPL is focused on its role as a cultural and educational center, highlighting its unique and historical Rhode Island and Special Collections.
Rhode Island State House
82 Smith St
One of the grandest state houses in the U.S. for the country’s smallest state. Designed by the renowned architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, noted for the Boston Public Library (1895) and renovations to the White House (1902), the majestic domed building clad in white Georgia marble was built (1895-1904) at the high point of Rhode Island’s Industrial prosperity. Inside, a new museum showcases the Colonial Charter granted in 1663 by King Charles II of England. The Charter was first signed by a monarch to guarantee religious liberty. Atop the State House dome stands a statue of Rhode Island’s Independent Man, representing the spirit of freedom of thought and action.
Roger Williams National Memorial
282 North Main St
A visionary and independent thinker, Roger Williams was warned by the Puritan authorities in Massachusetts Bay Colony to refrain from spreading his “new and dangerous opinions.” Banished and alone, Williams wandered in the wilderness eventually settling in the land he named “Providence” in the spring of 1636. Befriended by the Narragansett tribe, he founded a community where any persons could think, worship and act in accordance with their own conscience without fear of persecution by the government. This spiritual and intellectual paradise to some was considered a hotbed of heresy to others. In 1965, Congress authorized the creation of the memorial and the 4.5-acre park opened to the public in the 1980s.
Swan Point Cemetery
585 Blackstone Blvd
Established in 1846, Swan Point Cemetery is a meticulously maintained, 200-acre garden cemetery located on the East Side in Providence. Our beautiful grounds and buildings offer a peaceful place for visitors to seek inspiration, quietly reflect, or commune with nature. Listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, Swan Point is an actively managed, full-service cemetery open to people of every faith and heritage. Whether in the preplanning stage or when there is an immediate need for our assistance, our compassionate counselors take special care to be certain that each family’s needs, desires, and religious traditions are met.
The Arcade Providence
65 Weybosset St
The Westminster Arcade is a historic shopping center at 130 Westminster Street and 65 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island built in 1828. It is notable as the first enclosed shopping mall in the United States and has been lauded as a fine example of commercial Greek Revival architecture.
The Stephen Hopkins House
15 Hopkins St
Guided tours of the 1707 home of Declaration-signer Stephen Hopkins, his family, and their slaves for four decades, on Benefit Street’s “Mile of History”, a block from Brown University, the RISD Museum, and WaterFire. This 8-room house full of antiques and Hopkins heirlooms includes the bedchamber where George Washington slept, as well as a slaves’ room and gallery currently showing a collection of 18th-century samplers.
