Budget Rhode Island

[eeyorethegreat]

I am planning a short trip to get out of these four walls for a few days with the kids (15, 13, 12, 10) in April they haven't ever been to RI and we like visiting new places. Anyone have kid friendly fun actvities and attractions in RI that are also budget. I am trying to keep it as low cost as possible. Thanks!

 

[happily single]

Well, I'll probably get bashed here, but since I'm from RI I'll try to give you some ideas. I don't care for the Children's Musuem at all! However, (and I haven't been there in a while) near the Police Department is a place called "Regal Repitles" where you see all kinds of repitles and can pet some. Um, Rhode Island School of Design has a musuem which my daughter has been to, but I haven't. She seemed to enjoy it. There is a Fleet Skating Center right in downtown. Depending on when you come Monster Jam (Monster Trucks) will be in town I beleive the end of February/beginning of March.

 

[momtwoboys]

Roger WIlliams Zoo is fun for all ages! Nice zoo, you can get discounted tickets through some public libraries.

 

[momtwoboys]

Also meant to add, Colt State Park is a beautiful park on the ocean and its FREE. Grab a lunch and bring it in to eat by the water. There are fees to use the grills, and picnic table area. But plenty of free parking by the water. There is a small playground area too. Check it out !

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Well, I'll probably get bashed here, but since I'm from RI I'll try to give you some ideas. I don't care for the Children's Musuem at all! However, (and I haven't been there in a while) near the Police Department is a place called "Regal Repitles" where you see all kinds of repitles and can pet some. Um, Rhode Island School of Design has a musuem which my daughter has been to, but I haven't. She seemed to enjoy it. There is a Fleet Skating Center right in downtown. Depending on when you come Monster Jam (Monster Trucks) will be in town I beleive the end of February/beginning of March.

It's not great but it wasn't too bad when it was free when my son was little. I have no idea if they still do free days because I haven't lived in RI for 8 years. For the kids in the OP age range I think it's not so hot anyway.

In spring I really can't think of anything that great to do. The beach is too cold and block island will be cold and not cheap. The food is great in RI but there really isn't a lot to do that doesn't involve snow or the water.

 

[3boymthr]

Well, I'll probably get bashed here, but since I'm from RI I'll try to give you some ideas. I don't care for the Children's Musuem at all! However, (and I haven't been there in a while) near the Police Department is a place called "Regal Repitles" where you see all kinds of repitles and can pet some. Um, Rhode Island School of Design has a musuem which my daughter has been to, but I haven't. She seemed to enjoy it. There is a Fleet Skating Center right in downtown. Depending on when you come Monster Jam (Monster Trucks) will be in town I beleive the end of February/beginning of March.

Ha! That's funny. We don't live in RI but do live on the RI border in MA. We like the Providence Children's museum, but it would not be on my list of must do places if you're visiting from out of state. And given the ages of OP children they are definitely way past that place - it's geared more toward pre-schoolers and grades k-4 or so.

IMO - while not 100% budget Newport is the place not to miss. You have to tour at least one mansion which is why it's not exactly budget (about $50 - $100 for your group depending upon which one you visit) but after that you can definitely do a budget visit. Drive down Oceanside drive and stop at Bretton Point State park (free to get in) and have a picnic and fly a kite. The Cliff Walk is great because you can see the mansions as they can't be seen from the street and view the ocean at the same time. If you park near Easton beach you can access the cliff walk from the end you'll be near Salve Regina College. Just bring a roll of quarters for the meter. There is also lots of great shopping in downtown Newport (again metered parking) as well as the Tennis Hall of Fame and there are some revolutionary war historical sites as well plus more.

 

[Tink9295]

How about Mystic, CT instead. Another 45 minute drive. There's the Seaport and the Aquarium.

 

[lisa-upnorth]

I agree with the above poster-Newport is not to be missed! I lived in RI for 18 years and visit my family yearly now.I never miss taking friends to-
1.walk the cliff walk and enjoy the views! Park at eastons beach or near salve regina college.
2.Tour a mansion.If you were seeing just one pick the breakers or the marble house! Don't worry-even the teens will be impressed!Tke lots of pictures outside.
3.Visit the zoo-as I have every year since the early 70's!
4.Drive to Galilee and ride the block island ferry (about $15)over to the island.Walk along the ocean 1 mile to the lighthouse and then continue a wee bit farther and descend down the bluff a serious amount of stairs to the 'private beach'
5.after the mansions and the cliff walk, continue down ocean drive to Bretton Point park area.Watch the waves,explore a tide pool,watch the amazing kites flying and drink a del's frozen lemonade!!!

 

[Rosiekins]

Not in RI but Drive up to Old Sturbridge Village for a day. The admission is a bit steep for adults but kids arn't too bad. They also give you a second day Free so that is nice. We have been members there for the last 3 years and LOVE it. Worth the drive from RI.

The Newport Estates are a fortune to get in but you can drive by and look at them for free.

 

[emh1129]

How about Mystic, CT instead. Another 45 minute drive. There's the Seaport and the Aquarium.

Those are fun (we have memberships and go a lot), but those are pretty pricey for a one-day admission.



In Rhode Island, we like the Roger Williams Zoo (as someone mentioned above). We have a membership there and are able to get into the Boston Museum of Science for free with that, so that's a nice bonus.
The Newport mansions are fun, too, as someone else mentioned.. but the admission might be expensive. I don't recall the rates offhand.

 

[bamor]

Your kids are a bit older and might enjoy walking around the East Side of Providence. The area around Brown University. The RISD Museum has free for all Saturdays the last Saturday of every month.
Head to Angelo's on Federal Hill for Italian Food.
I would drive down to the beach and walk along the shore. Narragansett would be nice. Get some clam cakes and chowder!
Biomes in North Kingstown might be an idea.
Newport has been mentioned. Lots to walk around and do there.
Mystic Aquarium is very expensive for what it is. Not sure about the Seaport, though.
Your children are too old for the Prov Children's Museum and Regal Reptiles has closed.
Roger Williams Park Zoo is great.
Colt State Park in Bristol is nice. There is the Audobon Society over there too.
I believe the Audobon Society is free on the first Sat of the month.
Hotwire often has some great hotel deals. Sometimes on travelzoo there are specials for hotels in Newport.

 

[Claroquesi]

You can't miss Newport Creamery for a budget friendly lunch with the kids.
Check out the IMAX in the Providence Place mall.

 

[TheZenMaster]

Newport Newport Newport Newport! Fantastic place to tour the mansions.

Pawsox if they are in town.

Roger Williams Zoo is a very nice one. Took my little guy there this summer and really was impressed.

Providence is becoming a nice little town. They've done wonders with it in the last two decades. Thanks Buddy Cianci!

 

[Maybelle]

Roger WIlliams Zoo is fun for all ages! Nice zoo, you can get discounted tickets through some public libraries.

I believe you have to be a RI resident to get a library card and get the discount...unless you know someone in the area who can get the pass for you.

April can be tough...could be nice and warm, but could be quite cool still.

I would recommend Newport, even if you don't visit any Mansions. However, if you do decide to visit the mansions, they it can be quite expensive. Package deals are available if you want to visit more than one. You might also consider purchasing a family membership ($90) which allows access to the mansions with front of the line privileges, 10% discount (I think) in the gift shops and also access to the behind the scenes tour at The Elms, which is very cool. I think for most of the month of April there are only 5 or 6 mansions open though, and some of the smaller ones which won't probably be open then are really cool. Anyway, here's the link to the Newport Preservation Society:

http://www.newportmansions.org/index.cfm

Along Bellvue Ave (where the mansions are) there is also Belcourt Castle that has tours. Not sure if they are open in April. It is not owned by the Preservation Society though, so it is not in their packages. They also do Ghost Tours, as it is said the mansion is haunted.

http://www.belcourtcastle.com/

If you go to Newport, definitely take a ride down Ocean Drive and stop of at Bretton Point to watch people flying kites.

One of my very favorite places in the state is Beavertail Park in Jamestown, the next island over from Newport. It is free to get in, and if it is a nice day, it is the perfect place for a picnic. Beautiful place to go walking out on the rocks and watch the waves. Just don't go wandering around on any of the overgrown paths...lots of deer, and lots of ticks. Stick to the low grass and the rocks. Absolutely beautiful!!

Galillee/Pt. Judith can be fun to visit too, especially of you like seafood. Stop off at Aunt Carrie's for some "chowda" and clamcakes or some "stuffies". If you live anywhere near the water in Maine, then nothing new to you. You could also stop by Iggys for douhboys and clamcakes. We have to do this at least once per summer.

Providence can be nice to visit. the Rhode Island School Of Design museum is nice.

You might want to check out a show at Trinity Rep, which has an excellent professional acting company. They will be opening the Odd Couple on April 9th. You can purchase last minute tickets for $15 if the show isn't sold out if you go to the box office 2 hours before showtime. Also, they offer $10 bench seats (top row of the theater). The theater is small, so you can see fine from anywhere in the theater with the occasional exception of to the far right or left.

http://www.trinityrep.com/box_office/


And there are some really awesome restaurants in the city. Check out Rrestaurant.com and purchase a gift certificate ahead of time, or eat somewhere on Federal Hill for some great Italian. You could also head to the Povidence Place Mall to grab something quick to eat, or have a sit down meal (Cheesecake Factory, the Melting Pot, Fire and Ice) or Dave and Busters would be a fun place for the kids, and the food is good, but it gets expensive once you start purchasing the gamecards!!

Also the Providence Place Mall has an I-Max Theater which can be fun...but better to purchase tickets ahead of time, as they often sell out on popular movies.

http://www.imax.com/

While you are visiting, make sure to get some Dels lemonade!!

Hope some of this is helpful! Enjoy your visit!

 

[3boymthr]

I believe you have to be a RI resident to get a library card and get the discount...unless you know someone in the area who can get the pass for you.
.....
April can be tough...could be nice and warm, but could be quite cool still....

You don't have to be a RI resident it just depends upon your library. I live in MA but my Library has passes to the Roger Williams Zoo (free entry for 4 people - $12 for each additional) and the Providence Children's Museum ($1 person with pass) Sturbridge Village and the New England Aquarium and Davis Farmland and Mystic and....

It just depends upon your town how expansive they want to be in obtaining these benefits and how generous they want to be such as allowing or not allowing non-residents to use them.

That said, for OP - if you have AAA check with them because some offices have discount tickets for museums, etc.

I second Belcourt Castle and Del's Lemonade. I love Trinity Rep but it can be very esoteric sometimes and many of the plays are not that great for tweens.

 

[klacey1]

I'm going to say the best time to visit RI is in the summer (kind of like Cape Cod). It's a wonderful little beach state, one best enjoyed in the warm weather.
However...in Providence, the mall is spectacular. Imax movie theater, tons of stores, great restaurants (Melting Pot-- a bit pricy but worth it!). There's also the jewelry district in Providence that you can walk to from the mall-- just tons of cute little boutique-y stores with fun things (there's a home goods store that sells unique shower curtains and stuff like that!). The Rodger Williams Park and Zoo is great-- although in the cold weather, a lot of the animals probably won't be out. Federal Hill, marked by a gate with a pineapple has the best non-chain restaurants in town. Our favs are Andino's and Casarino's. For dessert, you HAVE to walk down to Nancy's Fancies and get cupcakes! They also have great coffees and biscotti. You could also see a play at Trinity Rep, a small but great playhouse. The PPAC gets all of the national tour musicals-- Beauty and the Beast is coming up this weekend. We saw Rent there and honestly thought it was comprable to a lot of the Broadway shows we've seen (native NYers).
The Newport mansions are wonderful to tour-- especially the rose one, where they filmed part of the Great Gatsby. Narragansett has great beaches. I've seen people playing frisby with their dogs on the Narragansett town beach even in the middle of the winter. Wickford, near South Kingston, also has a terrific area of stores to browse through. It has one of the best selections of Vera Bradley stuff, as well as Shaggy Chic Pet Boutique, which had ridiculous pet things. There's some great restaurants right on the water there.

 

[JLCdisney0310]

im from pawtucket ri and the best things to do this time a year is going to newport and maybe touring the mansions....if you were going in fall there are a lot of apple/pumpkin picking things to do and thats always fun.... but in my opinion got to boston instead of providence!!!!

 

[eeyorethegreat]

Thanks for some really great ideas!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Newport is great but it's not what I would call budget. It's beautiful though, really. We went on a field trip to the mansions in 7th grade and I still remember how beautiful it was.

Here's the info on the ferry to block island http://www.blockislandferry.com/default.htm

There are some cute shops and things on the island. My kids like the boat ride and the rocks :lol:

Here is the website for the mansions http://www.newportmansions.org/

 

[Claroquesi]

The Audubon Society does a seal watch.
The Paw Sox should be playing also