Attractions

The Independent Man stands over the building’s dome with the state’s symbolic anchor at his feet, showing a steadfast determination to stay his course. While the Rhode Island Historical Society initially proposed building a statue of Roger Williams, the plan was later abandoned for a statue embodying the ideals of independence and hope.

On the south side of the building are statues of war heroes and Rhode Island natives Nathanael Greene and Oliver Hazard Perry. Greene was a Revolutionary War general and George Washington’s second-in-command. Perry was a Navy man who rose to heroism in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813. Past the statues on the State House's marble facade is an inscription from the Royal Charter of 1663, authorizing Rhode Islanders to blaze a new path and practice religion without government interference: “To hold forth a lively experiment that a most civil state may stand and best be maintained with full liberty in religious concernment.”

Visitors enter the building on the north and inside will find the House and Senate chambers, a replica Philadelphia Liberty Bell, the Royal Charter of 1663 signed by the King Charles II and Civil War cannons, one used by the Battery B First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery during the Battle of Gettysburg. A 12-pound iron ball got stuck in the gun during battle and remained there until 1962 when it was finally removed for safety.

An important keepsake hangs in the State Room, where the governor signs bills into law: a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, a Rhode Island native who also painted Washington’s picture in 1795 for the one dollar bill. The State Room painting is one of two the Rhode Island General Assembly commissioned in 1800, after Washington’s death. The other painting is displayed in the Old Colony House in Newport.

The State House is open Mon. – Fri. 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Tour materials are available in the second-floor library.

Embroiled in controversy during years of planning, Providence Place now symbolizes the city’s renewal.

The shopping mall opened in two phases in 1999 and 2000 and features more than 170 stores, restaurants, 16 movie theaters, a Feinstein IMAX Theatre and a public garage. The mall sits between the State House and Westin Hotel near Waterplace Park, on a key parcel in the Capital Center District plan formed in the 1970s and 1980s. The site was previously occupied by the University of Rhode Island’s College of Continuing Education and the Roger Williams state administration building

Gov. Bruce Sundlun pursued the mall tirelessly despite public opposition to granting tax breaks and was run out of office in 1994. An Oct. 1994 Brown University poll showed resistance to the mall ran through 73 percent of Rhode Islanders and the Boston Globe won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for its criticism of the mall financing proposals. But public opinion began changing in 1995 and the hardest hurdle of clearing the Providence City Council was achieved in Oct. 1996, when the council approved a deal saving the developers $136 million over multiple years.

Home to the Providence Bruins and the Providence College Friars' basketball team, the Dunkin' Donuts Center is also Rhode Island's venue for big name concerts and trade shows. Opened in Dec. 1993, the center is connected to Providence Place mall and the Westin Hotel via a skywalk.

The city has placed itself high on New England’s map by uncovering its rivers and launching WaterFire Providence. 

Covered with a bridge in the 1930s, the city’s rivers were reopened in 1994 with the creation of the park near the State House and Providence Place. The area where the Providence, Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck rivers wind under Venice style bridges cries for gatherings and Barnaby Evans staged his first WaterFire Providence show on New Year’s Eve 1994. While Evans used 11 torches, show volunteers in boats now leave nearly 100 flames glowing on water as crowds watch to music.

WaterFire is presented from late May – Oct., between twice and four times a month. The show starts at dusk each night. WaterFire has an information telephone line above and an event website with expected start times.

The Providence Biltmore has exuded elegance since 1922. Designed by New York City Grand Central Station architects Whitney Warren and Charles Wetmore, the luxury hotel is L-shaped so guests can have unobstructed views of Providence’s skyline from any window.

While the Biltmore sits in the heart of the city, guests have all the comforts they need to hole up inside for days - amenities which once included six restaurants, a drug store and rooftop gardens. The hotel is beloved for its red neon sign and glass elevator traveling to the 19^th floor grand ballroom.

Look closely as you enter and you’ll see a bust of the state’s founder Roger Williams adorns the top of City Hall’s main entrance, though the likeness is far from exact since there are no surviving portraits of Williams.

City Hall holds the mayor’s office, city council chambers and other government offices as well as a gallery featuring local art work. The large staircase leading to the second floor is especially inviting with ivory, gold and green trim while the former Board of Aldermen’s chamber keeps visitors marveling at its ornate square-paneled ceilings and decorative floor. A painting of Mayor Thomas A. Doyle hangs on the third floor, honoring him for his 18 years of service, which included City Hall’s construction.

Bank of America City Center
Two Kennedy Plaza
(401) 331-5544

The parish’s first church was built in 1726 at College and Benefit streets, the present-day site of the Providence County Court House. The second was built at Hope and Benefit streets in the late 1800s, only to be burned down by an insane man in 1814.

The current church was erected in 1816, designed by John Holden Greene. Greene is said to have been so enchanted with the outcome that he designated pew 75 as his own so he could see the full interior. Two notable features are the freestanding mahogany pulpit where priests lead services and the fine ceiling medallion. 

The church is open by appointment.

First opened as the Loew’s Movie Palace in 1928, this theatre has long attracted crowds with its stately appearance, originally designed by renowned showplace architects George and C.W. Rapp of Chicago. Though hard times in the 1970s nearly forced the theatre’s demolition, it reopened in 1978 and has moved back into the city’s heart, showing top talent and traditional holiday fare like, "The Nutcracker," under its magnetic neon marquee. Its Wurlitzer pipe organ is a local favorite, with crowds gathering for free lunchtime concerts since 1988.

Providence has a big draw in the Juliett 484, the only Russian cruise missile submarine on display in the United States. The submarine is open for public tours after the museum purchased it in 2002. Part of a line that began production in 1950s Russia, the vessel was decommissioned in the early 1990s. After being used as a tourist attraction in Helsinski, Finland, the submarine hit Hollywood in the movie, “K-19: The Widowmaker,” starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, before heading to Providence.

Providence Children's Museum
100 South St., Providence
(401) 273-5437