Plans | 5 hours in Providence, RI

One of the things I had to get used to when I moved to the East Coast was the fact that states are so small and you can hop between them relatively quickly, (unlike California)! Recently, Jon and I spontaneously decided to hop on the commuter rail from Boston and take the train to Providence, RI. It's about 1 hour between the two cities--not bad.

We only had about 5 hours in Providence, but here's the run down of how we filled our time.

11am--Arrive and check out the State House
The State House is very close to the train station, so you can walk on over and admire the impressive building. And take a few fun photos. See tiny Jon on the stairs in the bottom left picture?

11:30am-12:00pm--Walk around downtown.
There are lots of cute coffee shops, a very interesting costume shop called "Big Nazo Lab," and my favorite place--Craftland! The architecture is really beautiful in the downtown area. I love the spiral staircases on the building.

12:00pm-1:00pm--Lunch at Julian's
Featured on NYT's 36 Hours article, Julian's did not disappoint. With brunch offered all day long, there are delicious options for everyone. The specialty brunch cocktails looked pretty good as well. I had poached eggs in tomato stew with home fries and garlic toast. Jon had cream cheese grits with mushrooms, fried eggs and a carrot mole sauce. YUM!

1:15-3:00pm--The Roger Williams Park Zoo
It was a great little zoo! We were entertained for a couple of hours and saw a ton of the animals out and about. My favorites were the red pandas, the snow leopard, the moon bear, and the giraffes.

 

3:15-3:45--Walk around Brown University
We took an uber from the zoo to the campus of Brown University. We didn't have much time, but we wandered around the picturesque campus. 

4:10--Commuter Rail home!

It was an exhausting day, lots of walking, and lots of fun. Great day trip!!

If you're staying for dinner, I highly recommend The Flatbread Company, close to Brown's campus. Jon and I went here on another trip that passed through Providence, and it was a perfect experience. The ambiance was friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious!