A few years back, on a trip to my company’s Milford, CT office, I decided to go visit a state that I had never been to – Rhode Island. It was the only state in New England that I had not yet visited, so I wanted to “check it out.”

On that trip, I first went to Providence. It was a lovely summer weekend and I found out about something very neat that they do in downtown Providence during the summer. It is called Waterfire. What they basically do is light the river on fire. There is a series of installments on the river that get lit up. Then they have concerts and such around the river and invite the town down. Over the course of the summer months, something along the lines of 500,000 people go down to the river to experience this. I had never heard of this when I was there and just happened to stumble on it while I was there. It was a moving experience. It is quite breathtaking and totally different than anything I have seen anywhere else. Can’t wait to go back and see it again (I still have not had the chance to go back to Providence).

Another thing that I really loved about the city is the architecture. It is an old city, much like its neighbor Boston, which is only 45 minutes away by car. It is also a relatively small city, so it is easy to get around on foot. I spent so little time there that I was not able to see much. But I did get a chance to take some pictures, which you can see here. (Note: there are a few pictures from Mystic Seaport in Connecticut as well).

I also got to go to Newport on that trip. Newport has a very lavish history – it was the summer home for a lot of the most wealthy people in the US (such as the Vanderbilts and the Astors). It is about 30 miles south of Providence. It is filled with mansions that were built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s to be used 6 weeks a year by these families (that was the extent of the bearable weather).

I got to visit and tour the Breakers, which is a Vanderbilt mansion. It was being restored at the time, so unfortunately the façade of the building was engulfed in scaffolding. What an incredible place. All of these mansions are over the top, as each family tried to one-up the next family in their attempt to flaunt their wealth. Lavish parties were held during the summer season as America’s industrial elite took up residence.

I only got to see the one mansion because of time constraints, but when I go back, I look forward to getting the ticket that allows you to see 5 mansions, including seeing the Breakers again post-renovation.

To see some of my photos of Providence, click here.