Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States of America, but its size should not suggest anything about its content or quality. Rhode Island is a beautiful state with many things to do and see. It has a great history and a bright future, and it is truly a great place to live. Through this website, we will look at some of the advantages to living in Rhode Island.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The state of Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Englishman, Roger Williams (pictured left), and some followers. Roger, along with other original founders, such as, Anne and William Hutchinson and William Coddington, first came to Rhode Island from Massachusetts. Roger Williams, unlike most of his fellow countrymen, did not look down on the local native Indians. Williams befriended the natives and formed bonds which only made the state stronger. Originally, Rhode Island was a religious haven for those who wanted to escape the strict religious confines of nearby Massachusetts. Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, as it was named in 1663, was a melting pot for Christians, Baptists, Calvanists, and Jews (among others). Rhode Island was one of the first origianal thirteen colonies and it is sometimes refered to as one of the first true democracies. For more information on the early history of Rhode Isand click here.

GREAT PLACES TO GO IN RHODE ISLAND

There are many exciting places to visit in Rhode Island for tourists and for natives. Places such as Newport, Block Island (and the other local islands), and even the recently improved, city of Providence, are very popular and exciting places to visit in this wonderful state.
Newport is a wonderful place to go to enjoy a day of shopping, boating, dining and mansions. There are so many different shops to visit. One could spend the whole day walking around window shopping. There is also so much activity down by the waterfront in Newport. There are always exciting things going on for those who enjoy the ocean. Many people travel to Newport to enjoy the famous cliff walk which over looks the beautiful water, or to just spend the day at one of the magnificent beaches. The mansions,one of which, Elms, is pictured right, in Newport are very well known and they are a great place to go to "immerse yourself in a world of wealth and power as it existed at the dawn of the 20th century."( source). The mansions are Newport's number one tourist attraction. The mansions of Newport are so popular and awesome that some major motion pictures have even been filmed there. Have you every seen "Meet Joe Black"? Yup, that was all filmed in Newport! Another very popular attraction in Newport is the International Tennis Hall of Fame(picutred left). For more information on Newport, you can visit this website.

Another fabulous place to visit in Rhode Island is Block Island, located off the coast and accessible by ferry. If you are planning to go to Block Island you better "bring your camera!" It's "got breathtaking bluffs, 17 miles of beaches, 19th century architecture, and TWO lighthouses. ...More than one-fourth of the island has been preserved for wildlife and habitat protection. Block Island is dotted with over 300 ponds and is home to a couple hundred endangered animal and plant species. You’ll see and hear birds and smell flowers like nowhere else."(source ). Like Newport, Block Island is a great place to go for beaches and any other ocean interest. It is also an incredible place to go for bike riding. Many tourists take there bikes along with them or rent them while they are there. Riding a bike from one end of the island to the other makes for a great thrill and great excercise! Pictured right is an overhead view of the Old Harbor on the Block Island waterfront.

Providence, the capitol city of Rhode Island, is also a very diverse place to go for lots of fun, or even a cultural experience. "From Benefit Street's "Mile of History" on the East Side to festive Federal Hill, Rhode Island's own "Little Italy," the capital city of Providence is known and loved for its abundance of historic and cultural attractions."(source). From the exciting night life to the great theatres, there are so many things to do in Providence, and it is getting better every day. Here is a great site to find out anything you wish to know about Providence.

FUN THINGS TO DO IN RHODE ISLAND

There are many things to do and places to go in Rhode Island. A few favorites are the beaches, the Roger Williams' Zoo, the events in Newport, the shopping malls, the theatres, the night life, and a recent addition would have to be the waterfires that take place in Providence.
There are many beaches in this small state and on those hot summer days they are all packed with patrons. In Rhode Island, people cherish the beaches and frequent them often. Some of the most poplular beaches include; Scarborough, Narragansett,Misquamicut ,East Matunick, Charlestown,and many more listed at this website. Narragansett Beach is probably the most popular place to go to cool down in the summer. The picture to the left is a photo of Narragansett Beach and below is a graph showing the results of a survey of 881 people. The participants rated the beach and as you can see, they rated it pretty high, with a whopping 72% of the participants saying that Narragansett Beach is excelent!

"Roger Williams Park Zoo is home to hundreds of rare and fascinating animals from around the world including polar bears, snow leopards, moon bears, giraffes and elephants all in naturalistic settings. The zoo's population numbers over 1000 animals, with some 139 different species on display at any given time."( source). Roger Williams' Zoo was only the third zoo to open in the United States when it opened in 1872. At the time, there were only a few animals, but over the years it has definitely expanded. With 650,000 patrons visiting each year, Roger Williams' Zoo is Rhode Island's number one outdoor tourist attraction. They have many educational programs in place and so far about 65,000 school children have participated in them. The zoo is definitely a great place to go to learn and have fun at the same time.

You read about Newport earlier, and now you can read some particulars about the great events that take place there year round. In January, there is a New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge. Locals race to the icy cold waters of Easton's Beach at 12 noon on January 1st. It sounds crazy, but it is a great time for all those involved and all those who come to watch. In February, you can enjoy the Newport Winter Festival. It is "10 days of food, festivities, music, and fun for all ages". In the spring, one can enjoy many events including the Newport boat shows, ghost tours, and the International Film Festival. In the summer months Newport is host to music and jazz festivals, and an exciting Waterfront Irish Festival. October is a very busy month in Newport. Haunted Newport invades for the month. There are "Ghost tours, Haunted hayrides, Halloween parties, Psychic fairs, Horror film festival, Opening day scaremony and more". In October, one can also visit NBC10's Oktoberfest. This festival is a celebration of the German culture. For a complete scheduale and description of Newport events click here.

Although Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, it has quite a few major shopping malls. The shopping malls in Rhode Island are Emerald Square Mall, Garden City, Lincoln Mall, RI Mall, Warwick Mall, and the newest, biggest one, Providence Place Mall. The Providence Place mall opened a couple of years ago. It is located in downtown Providence, near the state house. This mall is the biggest in the state and it has Rhode Island's only IMAX theatre. It also houses some of Providence's nicest restaurants, such as "Fire and Ice", and "The Cheesecake Factory". Click here for links to information on all of the local malls.

Rhode Island also has some great theatres. The two most popular theatres in Rhode Island are both located in Providence and they are, The Providence Performing Arts Center and Trinity Repertory Company. The Providence Performing Arts Center, pictured left, is definately a great night out. "It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and plays a vital role in the City's ongoing renaissance. The stagehouse was expanded in 1995, a state-of-the-art sound system was installed in 1996, and the Grand Lobby and Arcade were painstakingly restored to their 1928 splendor in 1998. It is now a world-class facility hosting first-class Broadway touring shows, plays, contemporary acts, concerts, and much more. In place of the Morgan is a rare, five-manual Mighty Wurlitzer organ; the 28' by 51' movie screen again shines brightly with current and classic films."(source). Trinity Rep is smaller than PPAC in size, but its content is definately just as rich."Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works, including seven major productions, an annual production of A Christmas Carol, and Trinity Summer Shakespeare, for a total annual audience of nearly 200,000."(source).

There is great night life in Providence also where people can go to have a great time, dance, and meet new people. Some of the most popular dance clubs for young people in Rhode Island would have to be The Complex, The Strand, Club Hell, Metropolis, and there are many more. There are also many sports' bars such as, Dave's Bar and Grill, Challenger's, The End Zone, and more. For a comprehensive list of all of the night spots in Rhode Island, this is a good place to go.

Another great thing to do in Rhode Island is WaterFire Providence. This is a very popular event that thousands attend each time it takes place. "The crackling flames, the fragrant scent of blazing cedar and pine, the flickering firelight on the arched bridges, the silhouettes of the firetenders floating by in their torch-lit vessels, and the extraordinary music from around the world engage all of the senses and evoke unique emotions from the many thousands who come to stroll along the river walks."(source). On a nice sring or summer night you will run in to friends and family as you stroll along the waterfront in downtown Providence. You can click here for a complete scheduale of waterfire.

SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES

Although it is small, Rhode Island has many fine colleges and universities. Brown University, Bryant College, Community College of Rhode Island, Johnson and Wales University, New England Institute of Technology, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University, and the University of Rhode Island all call Rhode Island home.

The schools offer all different specialties and majors. Bryant College is known for its business degrees, and Johnson and Wales University is a great culinary school. New England Institute of Technology is a fablous technical school and its graduates are offered exciting jobs. Brown University and Providence College are very prestigious schools and they offer a variety of majors. Roger Williams University and Salve Regina University are also great schools with many majors. The Rhode Island School of Design is a fabulous art school. The school is located in Providence and the students are involved in many artistic movements in the historic city. They are also very involved in the waterifre events. The Community College of Rhode Island is a great junior college where many Rhode Islanders, and others, go to get an associates degree. Rhode Island College is well known for its art and education programs. And last, but not least, the University of Rhode Island is a fabulous school with a vast array of majors to choose from. As you can see there are many schools to choose from for those Rhode Islanders who wish to persue further education after high school.

RHODE ISLAND'S FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS

In Rhode Island you can find devoted fans of New England sports teams. The home teams include the Boston Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics, and of course, the superbowl champion New England Patriots! Rhode Island is also home to professional golfers Billy Andre and Brad Faxon.

Billy Andrade currently ranks T11th in Putting Average on the PGA TOUR and he has finished 4th on the Tour twice this season. Brad Faxon ranks 92nd in Driving Accuracy Percentage on the PGA TOUR and he has finished 2nd on the Tour twice this season.

The Boston Bruins, the local hockey team, did great this season. They finished the regular season in first place in the eastern division, and they made it to the playoffs. Even though they lost in the first round of the playoffs, it was a great year for the fans.

The Boston Red Sox are also having a great season so far. They are currently in first place in the east. Fans are enjoying watching great players like Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Maritinez, and many more. They had a rough season last year, as they were plaqued with injury, but this year fans are confident that they can go all the way!

The Boston Celtics are blowing away the competition this season. They are currently ready to play the third round of the playoffs after just beating the 76ers and the Pistons in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Fleet Center is always packed with crazed fans, most of whom are there to see the dynamic duo of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. It seems like the Boston Celtics have their own Scottie Pippen and Micheal Jorden, and they are great to watch. The team is going to the eastern conference championship for the first time since the late 80's.

The New England Patriots gave the fans in Rhode Island reason to celebrate. They were the 2001-2002 Superbowl Champions! It was an incredible season full of uncertianty and doubts that they could ever go all the way, but they sure did. After the starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, was injured in the beginning of the season, Tom Brady was called to come off the bench and "step it up" for the team. "Step it up" he did as he lead the team to the playoffs and then all the way to the Superbowl. The team overcame the "quarterback controversy" that plaqued them when Bledsoe was ready to come back and they were the ultimate champions. The fans around Rhode Island and the rest of New England cannot wait for next season to start.

OTHER THINGS UNIQUE TO RHODE ISLAND

There are a few things unique to Rhode Island that, any native will tell you, really make Rhode Island special. Del's Lemonade is arguably the best lemonade in the world! Del's, often called "a Rhode Island tradition", was founded in Cranston, Rhode Island in 1948. They have expanded rapidly throughout the years. There are many locations around Rhode Island and there are new flavors of Del's emerging every year. Every Rhode Islander is proud to brag about the great taste of Del's Frozen Lemonade. If you want to play some great lemon games, click here.
While driving on Interstate 95 through Providence, RI, you will notice another thing unique to this small state. The "Big Blue Bug", otherwise known by its name, Nibbles Woodaway, of New England Pest Control, is a fixture in the state. Every holiday this delightful termite, who any person would normally kill if they found it in their house, is dressed appropriately and every person who drives by it, makes sure to check it out. The picture to the left is an example of the bug dressed for the summer. Appropriately, he is enjoying a cup of Rhode Island's own Del's Lemonade.
Another great thing about Rhode Island is that it takes under an hour to travel out of the state! This enables Rhode Islanders to go to other states rather easily and enjoy what they have to offer. Since Massachusetts is the state's neighbor, many people travel to the casinos located there. The two casinos visited are Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. On a hot summer day, many Rhode Islanders also travel to Six Flags New England, located in nearby Massachusetts.
If you are still interested in reading what Rhode Islanders have written about different issues, or asking your own questions of Rhode Islanders, you can visit the newsgroup: alt.rhode_Island.

Click here for my bibliography.