RIHS Announces 2017 Walking Tour Season, With Expanded Schedule
Signature Benefit Street Walks, Special Events Highlight May 15-Oct. 31 Slate
??
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) ??? The Rhode Island Historical Society has released the schedule for its 2017 walking tour season, which starts on May 15 and continues through October 31.
The RIHS???s signature Benefit Street tour in Providence will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, at 10am (excluding May 29, July 4, and September 4 holidays). Admission is $15; $12 for seniors; $10 for RIHS members and students, $6 for children 8-17, and free for children under 8. The tour departs from the John Brown House Museum (52 Power St., Providence).
Created in the mid-18th century ???for the benefit of all,??? this colonial thoroughfare shows off an enviable collection of 18th- and 19th-century wood-frame houses. Although its breathtaking historic structures can give the street the appearance of a museum mile, it is actually a vital urban neighborhood enhanced by ongoing preservation efforts since the 1950s. Thus, the tour itself tells a story that touches on the past, present, and future.
???The Rhode Island Historical Society is excited for the 2017 walking tour season. We’ve put some changes in place that will hopefully work better for both locals and visiting tourists, including a longer season, earlier start times, and Monday tours,??? said Jennifer M. Wilson, Assistant Director of the Newell D. Goff Center for Education and Public Programs. ???In addition to the changes to our everyday schedule, we’re rolling out some new routes and special themes with the intention of looking at Providence from a variety of vantage points.???
Special tours this season will include the following:
Dining With History: 1636-1800 (May 20, $10)???: In a two-part series, this tour will explore Rhode Island???s earliest culinary history along the East Side, starting with colonists learning from the Native Americans to the dining habits of the city???s elite. Presented as part of the RIHS’s 2017 programming theme, “Relishing Rhode Island,” as well as the statewide A La Rhody initiative.
Dining With History: 1850s-Present (September 16, $10): ???Part two of the tour will pick up on the other side the river, walking through downtown and focusing on modern dining history and habits of Rhode Islanders. Presented as part of the RIHS’s 2017 programming theme, “Relishing Rhode Island,” as well as the statewide A La Rhody initiative.
H.P. Lovecraft: A Literary Life (August 19, October 21-22, $10): ???One of the RIHS???s signature tours, this walk will visit locations closely associated with the Providence-born father of weird fiction.
History Crawl (June 13, October 10, $15)???: This new tour will look at the intersection of downtown Providence???s vibrant restaurant scene and the city???s engaging history of preservation. Presented as part of the RIHS’s 2017 programming theme, “Relishing Rhode Island,” as well as the statewide A La Rhody initiative.
Avi???s Something Upstairs Tour (June 24, $10)???: The RIHS often brings to life this popular young adult novel as part of field trips, but this version of the tour is offered to the public after the school year ends.
Tickets for all tours are reserved by contacting Wilson at at (401) 273-7507 x360 or jwilson@rihs.org. Cash, check, and charge accepted. For more information, visit RIHS.org/walking-tours.
Sponsors for the RIHS???s 2017 walking tour season include AAA Northeast, Parkside Rotisserie & Bar, Cafe Choklad, Gracie???s, New Harvest Coffee and Spirits, The Eddy, and Narragansett Beer.