Middletown · $$$
Road trips · Rhode Island
Rhode Island road trips & hidden gems.
Tiny Rhode Island punches above its size — Newport’s Gilded-Age mansions and Cliff Walk, sailing on the bay, and Block Island’s bluffs. Summer is the season. Small state, big coastline.
Worth the drive
Boston Marathon 2027
Boston, Massachusetts is an easy road trip from Rhode Island, and it’s happening this April. Roamward builds the trip around it: the scenic route in, the detours worth a slack day, and when rooms sell out.
Prime planning windowPlan the trip around it →
Best time to visitSummer & early fall
Don’t missThe Newport Cliff Walk
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes10 curated
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Big Blue Bug
A 58-foot bright-blue termite perched atop an exterminator's building beside I-95 in Providence — the unofficial mascot greeting everyone driving through the capital.
Fantastic Umbrella FactoryA rambling 1968 collection of rustic shops, overgrown gardens, and resident emus tucked into the countryside of Charlestown along Route 1A.
Green Animals Topiary GardenThe country's oldest topiary garden, with sculpted hedge elephants, bears, and birds overlooking Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth — a whimsical, photogenic stroll.
Swamp Meadow Covered BridgeRhode Island's only covered bridge on a public road, a red wooden span over a quiet creek in rural Foster in the state's wooded northwest corner.
Blithewold Mansion and ArboretumA bayside estate with 33 acres of gardens, a giant sequoia, and sweeping water views in Bristol — especially lovely when the spring daffodils bloom.
Beavertail LighthouseThe site of the third-oldest lighthouse in North America, perched on the wave-battered southern tip of Jamestown's Conanicut Island, with four overlooks and a small seasonal museum over the bay.
Worth traveling for
Events that put Rhode Island on the calendar.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in Rhode Island.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing Hikes and Waterfalls highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
Boots on
Best hikes in Rhode Island.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Beavertail
a rocky lighthouse point at the mouth of Narragansett Bay
Lincoln Woodsa wooded loop around Olney Pond
Mohegan Bluffsstairs down to clay sea cliffs on Block Island
Mount Tom Trail (Arcadia)ledges and cliffs in Rhode Island’s biggest wild area
Newport Cliff Walkmansions on one side, the Atlantic on the other
Rodmans Hollowa glacial ravine to the sea
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in Rhode Island.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
Madeira
Generous family-style Portuguese and Spanish spot known for shrimp Mozambique, seafood rice and grilled meats in big portions.
O DinisLong-praised as Rhode Island's best Portuguese kitchen, serving robust Azorean plates like pork with littlenecks, potatoes and olives.
Flo's Clam ShackNewport-area clam shack serving award-winning clam cakes, homemade chowder and stuffed quahogs since 1936 by the water.
Aunt Carrie'sPoint Judith institution open since 1920 and rumored birthplace of the clam cake, still serving fritters, chowder and shore dinners.
Iggy's Doughboys and Chowder HouseSouth County shore staple since 1989 turning out doughboys, clam cakes and chowder steps from Narragansett's beaches.
Clarke Cooke HouseHistoric Bannister's Wharf landmark specializing in fresh seasonal seafood with a raw bar of local oysters and signature lobster.
Sand & surf
Best beaches in Rhode Island.
Family sand, surf breaks, wild shores — find your vibe.
Crescent Beach (Block Island)
a long ferry-island beach below dramatic bluffs.
Misquamicut State Beacha wide, lively beach with a retro seaside arcade scene.
Narragansett Town BeachRhode Island’s premier surf-and-family beach.
Scarborough State BeachRhode Island’s most popular state beach, with a grand pavilion.
Second Beach (Newport)a long crescent below Newport with a bird sanctuary backdrop.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in Rhode Island.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in Rhode Island.
Cranston · $$
Mapleville · $$
Exeter · $$
Hope Valley · $$
Foster · $$
Beacons
Lighthouses in Rhode Island.
Plan the Rhode Island trip
Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.
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Where to stay
Find a place to stay near Rhode Island.
Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.
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