tour of providence ri

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Downtown Historic Walking Tour

Early black history walking tour, the east side historic walking tour, the jewelry district historic walking tour, the west side historic walking tour.

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Providence Area Tours & Excursions

Explore Providence and Rhode Island on a professionally guided tour or see the sites up close on a self-guided walking tour. If you’re looking for a leisurely adventure, sit back, relax and enjoy the views by bus. Or if you’re the seafaring type, hop on board a gondola or riverboat tour of the city. Check out the wide range of options below.

Tour Calendar

Providence ghost tour, providence ghosts: phantoms and poltergeists tour, the comedy bus, brown university public art tours, comedy brunch tour, self-guided historic walking tours, dining tours, rhode island red food tours.

Explore one of the most nationally recognized and growing food scenes in the country, Providence, the Creative Capital. Our knowledgeable guides will walk you through a diverse and tasty food journey as we share some history of the rich architectural gems of the city and its arts...

Experience Rhode Island Tours

A family-owned business, Experience RI was started by brothers who grew up in Rhode Island. Together with our team of drivers and guides, we count it an honor to help people enjoy life through exceptional tour and transportation experiences. We carefully craft everything we do to...

Outdoor Guided Tours

Providence river boat company.

Discover the historic and contemporary milestones of the Providence waterways on our fun & relaxing...

Providence Ghost Tour, LLC

The Providence Ghost Tour is a walking ghost and haunted history tour of the East Side of...

Rhode Island Bay Cruises

Rhode Island Bay Cruises will provide you with the best way to see Narragansett Bay onboard the...

Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society, founded in 1822, is the fourth-oldest such organization in the...

Tour Companies

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© 2023 Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center Rhode Island Convention Center 1 Sabin Street Providence, RI 02903 (401) 751-1177 PWCVB Headquarters 100 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 (401) 456-0200

Welcome to Providence!

Specialty tours of providence.

Providence Tour Company amplifies the value of Providence’s historic and cultural assets by incorporating them into cohesive narratives, delivered in an informative and enjoyable way. Our mission is to educate, inspire, and delight visitors of the Creative Capital and provide a one-stop comprehensive way for people to experience the spirit of Providence.

Tour Reviews

Walk pace was perfect so I could take in all the sights along the way. I enjoyed getting to hear about Providence and the little gems Bradly shared were really cool. I would recommend him for sure.

Francis C., Yelp

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Providence Walks: Downtown Historic Tour

• Providence CVB, 10 Memorial Blvd, Providence, RI 02903
• (401) 456-0200

Additional Information

• Tour Map Available https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/providence/downtownMap2018_19noCrops_d0f8d0ac-c226-4d05-a34b-fd7ec3f7821c.pdf
• Virtual Tour Link https://www.goprovidence.com/things-to-do/providence-walking-tours/downtown-walking-tour/downtown-walking-tour-map/

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Looking to plan your next visit to Rhode Island, check out some of the current special offers and enjoy savings, extra perks and more!

Welcome Aboard!

Join us for a boat tour of providence as we celebrate our 33rd season.

Our 2024 season opens Saturday, May 11th

Join us for an open-air boat tour of Providence as we celebrate our 33rd season!

Featured tours.

• Clock 50 minutes
• Users All ages

Daily Narrated Tours

Discover the historic & contemporary milestones of the Providence waterways on our fun & relaxing narrated tours! Voted 2023 “Best Local Tour”

Mother’s Day Mimosa Tours

Treat Mom to a relaxing cruise along the Providence waterways! Family fun for all ages, complimentary mimosas served to all passengers 21+

Mimosa Cruises

Enjoy a relaxing cruise along the Providence waterways as you sip complimentary mimosas! This cruise is not narrated.

Father’s Day Boat Tours

Enjoy a nautical adventure this Father’s Day as we celebrate Dad with our fun, family-friendly boat tours along the shores of downtown Providence!

• Clock 1 hour
• Users Ages 16+

Twilight River Cruises

Bathed in the serenity of a softer light, the city’s architecture, picturesque bridges and cobblestone walkways take on a whole new life beneath the setting sun.

• Users Ages 21+

Vineyard Voyages

We’ve partnered with RI’s own Gooseneck Vineyards to bring you a memorable floating wine tasting!

• Clock 1.25 hours

Wine & Brine Boat Cruise

A wine & oyster tasting cruise with Rhode Island’s own West Passage Oysters and Gooseneck Vineyards! A true Rhode Island culinary and boating experience!

Narragansett Brews Cruise

Hop aboard with Rhode Island’s iconic Narragansett Brewery for a floating beer tasting! Two dates only, so grab your seats today!

• Users Ages 10+

Haunted Boat Rides

Enjoy the spooky side of Providence history as we cruise with our guest guides (and expert storytellers) from the Providence Ghost Tours!

Cocktail Cruises with RI Spirits

A cocktail tasting cruise with Rhode Island Spirits, home of Rhodium brand gins, vodkas & liqueurs distilled right here in Rhode Island!

Providence Architecture Tour

Experience 300 years of architectural history as you cruise the Providence waterways with guest guides from the Providence Preservation Society!

Tour of Green Jacket Shoal

Explore the Providence waterways and Green Jacket Shoal, Rhode Island’s largest ship graveyard, with expert marine archeologist David Robinson!

Pride Rides!

Climb aboard to celebrate Rhode Island PRIDE with us on Saturday, June 15, 2024 as we cruise throughout downtown Providence & past the festival!

• Clock 2 hours

4th of July Fireworks Boat Ride

Celebrate the Fourth of July fireworks from the coolest seat in Providence! We offer the best views for a spectacular fireworks experience!

Partial WaterFire® Boat Rides

The perfect Providence evening! Enjoy a cruise throughout the downtown waterways with the addition of a partial WaterFire® lighting!

• Clock 30 minutes

WaterFire® Boat Rides

The BEST way to experience the magic of a full WaterFire® lighting. Come aboard and enjoy the fires from the best seat in town!

• Clock Custom

Private Charters

Host your next family outing, corporate event or special occasion aboard our open-air boats for an experience your guests will never forget!

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Whether you’re a RI native, traveling with family, or visiting for work, our tours are designed to appeal to everyone. Enjoy a daytime tour, twilight cruise or WaterFire® ride aboard our open-air vessels for unparalleled views & expert narration from our Captains!

Best Local Tour (Statewide) – 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 Mary J. Brennan Tourism Award – RI Hospitality Association, 2022 Best City Tour  – Yankee Magazine, 2017 Member of the Year – Providence/Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2016 Top Rated & Certificates of Excellence – Google, Yelp & TripAdvisor, yearly

Top-Rated Providence Boat Tours!

This was the first thing I did when I arrived in Providence and Captain Peter's tour was an amazing way to be welcomed to Providence! He was so knowledgeable and informative and I found myself remembering interesting points he shared all throughout my three-day stay. The meeting point was easy to find and I highly recommend you enjoy an ice cream at the Creamery before the boat ride!

I didn’t know the river was so beautiful. The narrator was very informative and the description of the history of river usage was interesting. It was a great way to introduce visitors to the “highlights” of downtown Providence, from a unique perspective. The description of how the hurricane barrier was built was fascinating. I highly recommend this tour!

Captain Tom was a great tour guide. He was super knowledgeable, very friendly and had a great sense of humor. We didn't have a lot of time in Providence, so we weren't sure what to do. Taking the boat tour was a great choice and good use of our time. We highly recommend it for anyone visiting the city...you will learn a lot and see some pretty great views.

After enjoying the fun narrated tours lead by Captain Tom for the past few years, we were excited for the opportunity to explore the Green Jacket Shoal. We had wondered, during low tide, what the exposed wood in the river was off of India Point Park. The tour, guided by David Robinson, brought us out - up close - to “Rhode Island’s largest ship graveyard” where we learned about each boat settled there, and therefore, a lot about Providence history. The boat ride was fun and fascinating!

We took the Haunted Boat Tour this past weekend and both our captain (Peter) and ghost guide (Clay) did an excellent job keeping us entertained with interesting stories with insightful history of the city. The story of Edgar Allen Poe was definitely our favorite. We would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a spooky time!

We had a wonderful cruise in Providence with the Gooseneck Wine Co. We had a blast! We learned so much history from our boat captain. The sky was clear. A beautiful evening, was perfect for a leisurely cruise. Thanks for such a wonderful time. I highly recommend it!

Captain Tim and the tour narrator Jake were superb! Very knowledgeable and informative. We loved that we were able to bring food and drinks aboard. This tour by far was one of the best. An affordable rate for a guided tour on the water. We enjoyed the small group and the relaxed atmosphere. We look forward to sharing our experience with our family & friends! Thank you again for the great experience!

We took our grandsons on the Haunted River Tour. All of us enjoyed Kelly, our guide, who enthusiastically told us many scary stories of ghosts in Providence. The boat ride was really interesting and felt like we were going underground with all the bridges. Fun evening!

Went on a late afternoon voyage this past Sunday for a friends birthday. What a great time and beautiful day in the harbor. As a lifetime Rhode Islander, seeing the Providence shorelines from a different perspective was absolutely enlightening. Being able to see the old and new bridges, and how they were constructed is very cool. Captain Tom was not only incredibly informative, he had a great sense of humor and made the ride extremely enjoyable.

We loved our relaxing boat ride through the WaterFire show this past weekend! The driver of our boat was able to get views for both sides of the boat during different portions of the show and I noticed he was slowing down in front of some of the cool sections of flames to allow people a chance to take pictures and selfies. The view from the boat ride was amazing of the flames and the show. I would absolutely recommend taking a boat ride during WaterFire. It took the show to an 11 on a 1-10 scale!

Twilight cruise is beautiful. Captain was great, wine delicious. Great experience. Didn't want it to end. What a value!

We booked a 2 hour private charter for my buddy’s bachelor party on 6/11. It was AWESOME. Tim was our captain, and we couldn’t have imagined having a better experience. BYOB and making great memories with the boys? Sign me up. If you are ever in the Providence area, this is a must. Thank you for the amazing time and if we are ever back in the area we will be back.

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Providence Rhode Island Tour: Self-Guided Drive

Tour Details

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Welcome to the providence tour.

Explore all that Providence, RI has to offer, from beautiful architecture to foodie havens! Visit historic Federal Hill, Brown University’s campus, and the happening downtown. Providence features gorgeous architecture, like the State House, Barnaby Castle, and the Wedding Cake House. It’s also home to a diverse population, from the Italian grocers of the early 1900s to the hipster college students of today.

Explore Rhode Island’s capital city on this Providence tour and discover the city’s history, culture, and architecture. 

About the Tour

Start your self-driving adventure from the Convention Center downtown and head into the historic Federal Hill area, home to history and the city’s best restaurants. Enter the Welcome Gateway, featuring the iconic pineapple, and learn about how this neighborhood grew and changed over the years — including the infamous Macaroni Riots and the secret of the Coin-O-Matic.

Continue past the 9-acre park, a gift from one of the greatest philanthropists in Providence’s history. Explore the Wedding Cake House, a 3-story historic house located in the Broadway-Armory Historic District, and other architectural marvels, such as the State House and Barnaby Castle.

Finish your tour at the Lippitt House Museum, a National Historic Landmark. It is one of the finest Italianate mansion houses in the state and is considered one of the best-preserved examples of Victorian-era houses in the US.

Starting Point Address: Convention Center, 1 Sabin St, Providence, RI 02903

Looking to expand your tour? 

• Newport Bundle: Explore Newport with self-guided driving and walking tours for $ 16.99 / Car. Save 57% .

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How does it work?

• Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions.
• Download the app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours.
• To begin touring, go to the starting point and launch the app.
• The audio starts automatically once you reach the starting point. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
• Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.

What You'll See

Our Providence adventure sets off from the Convention Center downtown! We first head into the historic Federal Hill area -- home to both history and the city's best restaurants.

Giuseppe Garibaldi Park and the Welcome Gateway

We enter through the Welcome Gateway, featuring the iconic pineapple. We'll learn about how this neighborhood grew & changed over the years -- including the infamous Macaroni Riots and the secret of the Coin-O-Matic!

DePasquale Square

Our journey takes us past Providence's DePasquale Square and we'll learn about this "beating heart" of Federal Hill.

Holy Ghost Church

We'll approach the historic Holy Ghost Church and learn about the diverse communities it serves.

Luongo Memorial Square

Next, we'll explore two small but historic squares -- Luongo and Canonicus.

Cranston Street Armory

This brings us to one of the most beautiful stops on our tour! The yellow-brick, copper-crenelated Cranston Street Armory is one of the most monumental structures in Providence.

Ebenezer Knight Dexter/Dexter Training Ground

Our journey continues past the Dexter Training Ground. Here we'll learn about the Dorr Rebellion, Ebenezer Knight Dexter, and more.

Wedding Cake House/Kendrick-Prentice-Tirocchi House

This brings us to the extravagantly embellished “Wedding Cake” house which reflects the euphoric froth of new money.

Barnaby Castle

We'll also pass the eclectic Barnaby Castle and learn about the unique visionary behind it's design. This is Providence's only "castle"!

Next, we'll see AS220, an arts organization that grew from a single room to three buildings and helped define Providence as "The Creative Capital".

Trinity Repertory Company

This brings us to Tony Award-winning Trinity Rep, one of the last resident acting companies in the U.S.

Rhode Island State House

Our journey continues to the Providence State House: one of the grandest statehouses in the U.S. belongs to the country's smallest state!

Waterplace Park

We'll pass by Waterplace Park, which represents a vital part of early Providence history.

Providence City Hall

This brings us to the Providence City Hall, made of cast iron and masonry.

Kennedy Plaza

Then, we'll continue through Kennedy Plaza, Providence's transporation hub.

The Arcade Providence

We'll pass the unique Arcade, which features two slightly different facades.

Grace Episcopal Church

Among the banks and businesses of bustling Westminster Street, we'll see Grace Episcopal Church. It's bells ring every day on the half-hour... since 1861.

Providence Performing Arts Center

Our journey takes us past the vibrant Providence Performing Arts Center, innovative Wexford Science & Technology building, and historic Doyle House.

Providence Children's Museum

We'll also pass the eye-catching Providence Children's Museum - you definitely won't miss this!

Benefit Street

This brings us to beautiful Benefit street, comprised of wood-frame homes from the 18th century.

John Brown House Museum

Success, ambition, and glamour dominate Benefit Street. We'll see the John Brown house next. The Brown family became wealthy from the shipping business, which included privateering, the Triangular Slave Trade, and the China Trade.

First Unitarian Church (ca. 1818)

This brings us to the Providence First Unitarian Church, a Federal-style building with classical arches and urns combined with soaring pointed Gothic style windows with delicate tracery decoration.

The Providence Athenaeum (1838)

We'll also see the Athenaeum, once frequented by Edgar Allen Poe.

The Stephen Hopkins House (ca. 1708)

We'll also see the Hopkins House. Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence, a ten-time governor of RI and Chief Justice of the RI Supreme Court bought this house in 1743.

Memorial Park

This brings us to memorial park, featuring WWI, WWII, and Holocaust memorials.

RISD Museum

We're now near RISD, the Rhode Island School of Design. This acclaimed school also features a truly unique museum.

Brown University Quadrangle

Our journey brings us to the peaceful greenery of Brown University's campus! We can admire this Ivy League's quaint architecture as we drive by.

Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum

This brings us to the Lippitt House. Textile merchant Henry Lippitt, his wife, and his six children lived in this opulent Italian Renaissance Revival house. It was a testament to the burgeoning wealth of industrial Providence.

That brings us to the end of our Providence tour. You've now covered every part of this historic city!

Preview The Tour

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Don’t Just Visit Rhode Island

Experience rhode island, discover what’s great in the ocean state, tour & transportation experiences in rhode island.

At Experience Rhode Island, we carefully craft every part of the tour experience, from reserving your tour to the cleanliness and comfort of our vehicles, to give you the best time possible. When you are looking for a fantastic tour of our beautiful state or a great outing with friends, know that these are our specialties, and we would love to serve you.

Our Most Popular Tours

Public tours beginning april 29th, discover providence.

Mondays – Saturdays

11am & 2pm • 90 min

$40 per person

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9am • 8 hrs

$95 per person

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$85 per person

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Historical and Walking Tours

Providence is a city with a rich history and walking tours of the city, its historic architecture, and visits to the significant houses open for visiting provide a fascinating view of our interesting past.

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WaterFire Walking Tours

Experience the magic of WaterFire like never before with this behind-the-scenes walking tour!  Led by a long-time WaterFire volunteer and history teacher, this tour covers the remarkable origin story, artistry, and hidden gems of Providence’s most cherished event. Your guide will bring you through the heart of the city, walking alongside the path of the braziers that will be lit just a few short hours later. 

The tour starts and ends at 129 Dyer St in Providence, and free parking will be made available to you in a nearby lot for the duration of the tour (information will be sent after booking). Like all WaterFire lightings, this tour is rain or shine!  Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather.  

The tour route is a little over a mile, taking a leisurely pace that is perfect for enjoying a summer afternoon. It will wrap up before 4:00, giving you plenty of time to have dinner or view the current exhibition at the  WaterFire Arts Center  before the fires are lit at sunset. This unique experience is both a perfect introduction to WaterFire for new visitors and an intriguing glimpse behind the scenes for those who have been coming to WaterFire for years. Whether it’s your first lighting or your fiftieth, we are excited to have you join us!

Behind the Magic tours will take place at every full lighting throughout the 2023 season. Space is limited so reserve your spot now! Tickets start at $5 and our “pay what you can” model aims to make this special tour accessible to all.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to WaterFire to support our mission to revitalize Providence and transform the community through shared art experiences.  Everything we do is made possible by your support; thank you for your help keeping the fires burning!

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

Make time to see The Governor Stephen Hopkins House located at 15 Hopkins Street (off Benefit Street). They are open for tours: Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m. and April through November on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. & until 7:00 p.m., when they fall on a full WaterFire lighting (the last tour begins at 6:30 p.m.).

Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

The museum is also open by appointment, for which there may be a modest admission charge. Please email [email protected] to make an appointment.

Providence Independence Trail

Welcome to the INDEPENDENCE TRAIL of Providence, Rhode Island – a 2.5-mile tour of Providence that takes in over four centuries of history, architecture, culture, and folklore.

Using the Trail is easy – it is marked by a green line that is painted on the sidewalks of Providence.

The Trail is circular so there is no “beginning” and no “end” – just start and head in either direction – in 2.5 miles you will be back where you started.  During that time you will have traveled through over 4 centuries of American history, architecture, culture, and folklore.

Providence On Foot

Cathy Hurst is a retired marketing executive, college professor, and theatre manager. She conducts walking tours for the Rhode Island Historical Society; does research, writing, and re-enactment with the North Burial Ground Project; and has engaged in historical research and bio writing for the 1919 Boston Police Strike Project and the Ghost Army Legacy Project. She lives in Providence and loves to walk along the river!

• Length: 1.5 miles
• Time: 1:30-2 hours (depending on the size of the tour, the pace of walkers, and the amount of discussion!)
• Degree of Difficulty: Generally flat (some ramps); surfaces include wood, grass, and pavement; several short flights of stairs.
• Price: Regularly scheduled tours are FREE of charge, although tips are gratefully accepted and reservations are required.

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Providence Preservation Society

PPS does not offer regularly scheduled guided walking tours for the general public, but our neighbors do! The best place to catch a tour with us is on our architecture river tour offered from June through September. 

• Providence River Boat Company Tours (May-October)
• Jewelry District Walking Tours (April-October)
• Providence Independent Trail (self-guided)
• The Rhode Island Historical Society (occasional)

Guide to Providence Architecture

Use our mobile architecture guide to explore the buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods that make Providence special. 

Specialty Tours

Hire PPS to guide you around the city! Our staff experts lead two specialty experiences for bus tours, conventions and conferences, and other heritage travel groups. T0urs can also be adapted as a special traveling program for schools, retirement communities, community gatherings, and other occasions. 

ABCs of Architecture / Providence boasts hundreds of remarkable buildings representing over 300 years of architectural history and detail, including arcades, brackets, and collonades. Brush up on the basics while taking in examples of both humble and high-style architecture in one of New England’s oldest cities. 

PVD Preservation / Providence has achieved the post-industrial urban renaissance many American cities dream of, and preservation has proved to be a key (and sometimes controversial) tool in that transformation. Explore some of the exceptional buildings that preservationists, politicians, and Providence’s own have worked so hard to save.

Email Kelsey Mullen to learn more or to schedule a tour. Rates start at $150 per group and are adjusted based on the size, length, and date of your tour. We kindly request at least 14 days’ notice.

Image courtesy of Visit Rhode Island

© 2024 Providence Preservation Society. All rights reserved. Design by J. Hogue at Highchair designhaus, with development & support by Kay Belardinelli.

Tours Nightly!

Providence Ghost Tour

Ghost tours in providence, rhode island.

You Never Knew the East Side Had Such a Dark Side

• Most Popular!
• Users No minimum
• Hour Glass 1.5 hours

Providence Ghost Tour – RI

Enjoy the spooky side of history and join us for an evening like no other! Allow our guides to lead you by lantern light as we introduce you to Providence’s longest-lingering residents.

• Hour Glass 90-105min

Investigation Tours

Join an active investigation of select stops on Providence Ghost Tour!

• Users Minimum of 15 people

Private Tour

Celebrate spooky season with a private ghost tour! Our regular ghost tour, but just you and your crew. Subject to availability.

Parasols and Pocket Watches: A History Tour

Love the history but not the ghosts? We’ve got you covered! Get to know the people and events that have shaped this street, our city, and our state. It is an elegant stroll through time!

• Hour Glass 2 hours

Ghost Story Open Mic Night

Get cozy in the cafe and hear chilling tales from near and far. Guests are invited to take the mic and share their own haunted happenings, or to simply sit and enjoy.

About Providence Ghost Tour

Providence Ghost Tour is a walking haunted history tour of Providence’s treasured East Side. Our tour begins and ends at Prospect Terrace Park, situated in a beautifully preserved historic neighborhood and overlooking Down City Providence below. Let our guides lead you by lantern light in the footsteps of Providence’s dearly-deceased-but-not-so-departed residents. Keep your eyes open to see who lurks in the shadows of the streetlamps and enjoy the most unique view our city has to offer.

The Spooky Side of History

Still have questions.

Meet Our Tour Guides!

Went last night and it was fabulous - super informative and fun. Really highlighted not only how beautiful Providence is but how rich in history it is as well. Thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend!

My family and I were new to Providence and wanted to explore and learn about any spiritual activity in this old city ...we were pleasantly suprisied by the informative and knowledgeable tour we found. Our tour guide was amazing and very aware of all the important history. Thank you so much for this fantastic event!

No better way to see Providence, learn your way around, soak up some history, and get just a little bit spooked! We went back to several of the landmarks during the day for further investigation! Thanks, Providence Ghost Tour!

The kind of experience that will make you look at your home town a little differently! Great way to spend Halloween.

Our tour guide was really great. Learned a lot of interesting historical tidbits about Providence and it was cool to hear some spooky stories!

Took the tour last night. Great tour for the price. Our guide did a great job. Heard some good ghost stories as well as a little history of the city. Also lets you see the beautiful East Side of Providence!

Went on this tour last night. It was amazing. Our tour guide was hysterical, knew her history and and gave us a great experience! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

THE BEST Providence Bus Tours

Bus tours in providence.

• Walking Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Wine Tours & Tastings
• Beer Tastings & Tours
• Ghost & Vampire Tours
• Sightseeing Tours
• Private Tours
• Self-Guided Tours & Rentals
• Literary, Art & Music Tours
• Photography Tours
• Archaeology Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
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• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. Rhode Island in a Day

2. Discover Providence Guided Sightseeing Tour

3. Downtown Providence Self-Driving Audio Tour

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

Harvard University Campus Guided Walking Tour

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Admission

Newport Trolley Tour with Breakers Mansion - Viking Tours

Newport Gilded Age Mansions Trolley Tour with Breakers Admission

Boston Freedom Trail Daily Walking Tour

Scenic Newport, RI Self-Driving Audio Tour

Self Guided Classic Freedom Trail Location Aware (GPS) Walking Audio Tour

Newport Trolley Tour - Viking Scenic Overview

Public MIT Campus Guided Walking Tour

Guided Freedom Trail Walking Tour

Ocean Drive Historic District: A Newport Self-Guided Driving Tour

Boston's Revolutionary and Drunken Past with Ye Olde Tavern Tours

Boston Signature Guided Brewery Tour

Entire Freedom Trail Walking Tour: Includes Bunker Hill and USS Constitution

Harvard Campus Cambridge Self-Guided Walking Tour

Iconic Boston Food Tasting and History Tour On the Freedom Trail

Newport Cliff Walk Self-Guided Walking Tour

Boston and Cambridge Private Day Tour

Boston Private Driving City Tour, groups of 1-4

Ultimate Boston Audio Tour Bundle

Boston Freedom Trail Scavenger Hunt Adventure

Newport Neighborhood Food Tour

Full Day Boston City Tour

2-Day Niagara Falls USA & Secret Cavern Tour from Boston

Boston Harborwalk and Tea Party Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

Salem and North Shore Full Day Private Tour

Boston Cambridge Lexington and Concord Private Day Tour

What travelers are saying.

• Discover Providence Guided Sightseeing Tour
• Downtown Providence Self-Driving Audio Tour
• Rhode Island in a Day

🌸 Happy Spring! 🌸

We can’t wait to have you on a tour this season, did you know we can also curate amazing corporate experiences for you,   inquiry form here.

Rhode Island’s Unique Culinary Landscape

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Authentically

Rhode island.

Food is a window into the heart of the Ocean State and Rhode Island Red Food Tours is excited to share it with you!

Behind the unique charm of Rhode Island’s historic towns and cities, rolling green landscapes, and coastal shores is a hardy and creative community bursting with strong flavors of independence and pride. The bounty of this spirit flows from its earliest days when Native Americans taught early settlers how to farm and fish along 420 miles of coastline. From clambakes to johnnycakes and beyond, today our culinary traditions remain rooted to the land: pond to plate and farm to fork. 

Rhode Island. Come for the beauty. Stay for dinner.

Providence Region

Downcity providence food tour, 3-3.5 hours / from $76.

The ultimate way to have fun and experience the Providence foodie culture, while learning some local tales and making new friends!

Providence & Newport

Private & corporate group tours, fully customizable.

Group Tours are a delicious opportunity to bond with family, friends and coworkers and turn any occasion into a party!

Newport Region

Newport neighborhood food tour.

Veer off the tourist’s beaten path in Newport. Eat local and have fun filling your senses with the history, architecture and stories of the neighborhood.

PVD VALLEY NEIGHBORHOOD VICTUALS TOUR

Explore Providence’s inner city industrial corridor with a winter tour that will introduce you to the Rhode Island region’s foodpreneurs, brewers and distillers.

Rhode Island Red Food Tour?

Our Rhode Island Red Food Tours provide a unique opportunity to explore the evolving culinary landscape of the state while gaining insight into the history, architecture and culture of the state. Our tours offer tastings of fresh, creative local foods while supporting the locally-operated eateries, farms and makers in the community.

Experience Ocean State cities through culinary adventures as they tell the story of a community’s people, history and culture.

Savor regional and creative foods and drinks from locally-owned and -operated eateries.

Stroll through off-the-beaten-path historic neighborhoods and vibrant hotspots where the locals go.

Learn about Rhode Island historical sites and architecture, neighborhood culture, backgrounds of chefs and restaurateurs, their food philosophies and more.

“I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.” – Anthony Bourdain

Planning Your Trip

There are so many places to see and explore in America’s smallest state. Here are some you won’t want to miss!

• Blackstone Valley
• Warwick & West Bay
• South County
• Block Island
• New England

“COOLEST TOUR!”

Jenny was an amazing tour guide. This was the perfect addition to our Girls Get-Away Weekend. The restaurants were an eclectic tour of Providence. We made a point to visit a couple of them again after the tour. Well worth the money and I would so do another tour again.

Heather S. – New Castle, DE

Tripadvisor Review

Fun and delicious Newport food tour!

Our family of four, including our daughters in their early 20s, had a fabulous time! Our guide Morgan was fun, funny and made the whole experience so enjoyable! The food and tastings were all great. We’ve been on food tours elsewhere, and this was the most fun with the best food. We all highly recommend it!!

Our crew outing for Trader Joe’s

Once a year we pick an activity to do as a store. This year we chose the down city Rhode Island Red Food Tour. Very informative and fun trying out local places! The samples were generous and delicious! Check out the tour and learn more about Providence’s local downtown food scene!!

Melissa H. – Rhode Island

“Noshing Newport”

We had a great afternoon noshing the neighborhoods of Newport with our great guide Sara. I really like the variety and quality of food. We added the drink package and the beverages were thoughtfully paired.

We went down streets that I’d never have found on my own and learned interesting stories about the historical figures and modern-day proprietors of each place we visited. I highly recommend this tour as a wonderful way to nosh Newport and get to know more than the touristy shops!

Karen A. – Calgary, Canada

TripAdvisor

“PVD Thumbs Up”

Best food tour ever! We visited 6, yes 6, eateries in PVD today. Very difficult to pick a fav because they were all unique and awesome. Most owners came out to meet us and tell us about their mission and food making it very special. Lanie was a great guide and squeezed in many historical details and interesting points along the way. We’ve done other tours in Newport and Boston but this is by far our fav.

“What An Amazing Experience!”

8 of us went on this Newport Food Tour and had a blast. We met wonderful fellow foodies and our guide, Morgan, was wonderful. She was knowledgeable, friendly, fun and engaging. The tour was a terrific blend of Newport food & rich Newport history.

We made 6 stops and tried various kinds of food, both sweet & savory.  Our group loved the sticky ribs, the calamari and the blood orange margarita best; however, everything we ate was excellent!  Great destinations for our next trip.  Highly recommend doing this as a fun way to see part of Newport, learn some history, eat great food & make new friends!

“Experience Providence Food”

We did the first tour of the 2021 & it was excellent & fun! Our guide was very knowledgeable. We had tastings of fantastic food. All 6 tastings were places we would go back and visit for a full meal!

The tour was very safe with face masks & appropriate distancing for following the COVID-19 business requirements.

Tripadvisor

“The Highlight of My Holiday!”

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this tour! The food was fresh, creative, delicious, locally-sourced, and beautifully presented. The mix of restaurants was pleasantly diverse, including trendy, historic, and up-scale Mexican, among others. Our guide was a perfect mix of friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable.

We took a wonderful walk through some off-the-beaten paths and our guide pointed out and described the backgrounds of some lovely historic homes. We also learned some local lore about famous RI families, pirates and the revolutionary days. Best of all, the tour attracted a terrific group of people.

I hadn’t thought about it intially, but turns out breaking bread together is a bonding experience, so we got to know each other over the three hours, had a lot of laughs and exchanged contact info. I was very pleasantly surprised to make these lasting personal connections which was a dimension of the tour I hadn’t anticipated. Anyone who visits Rhode Island should take this tour! It was well worth the price (felt like a deal, in fact-we were just the right degree of well-fed). The ‘feel good’ feeling has even carried over to today :-)”

Rebecca L., – Mongolia

TripAdvisor – Solo Traveler

“Went on the Newport food tour and it was so enjoyable.”

Jack, the tour guide, was knowledgeable, funny and entertaining. The food was excellent and the best way to sample new foods and new restaurants. The portions were perfect and the food was a good variety. I highly recommend it and I will be booking a tour for family members for a gift.

Priscilla L.

Google Reviews

“I tried the Rhode Island “clear” clam chowder and clamcakes… they were AMAZING!”

One of the most important things I’ve learned over the years is taking time to enjoy new experiences , traveling to new places and meeting new people! This weekend I had the pleasure to travel to Providence – Rhode Island to take a peek at their culinary scenery!

My husband and I had so much fun and got a chance to do a food tour with @riredfoodtours where we visited 6 places everyone should visit while in Downtown Providence. Our guide Ellen was PHENOMENAL!!

The food was so good, that we went back after the tour to order dinner.

Shalita @Indibili

#SMALLSTATEBIGEATS #RIEATS

March 08 / 2024 Indulge in Rhode Island’s Best Brunch Spots

March 11 / 2024 15 Must-Do Spring Events and Happenings in Rhode Island

March 12 / 2024 Top 7 Rhode Island Events in March

February 10 / 2024 12 RHODE ISLAND BEACHES FOR YOUR PERFECT GETAWAY

February 04 / 2024 A Guide to the Top-Rated Newport Mansions Tours

January 02 / 2024 2024 Culinary Tourism Forecasts

December 09 / 2023 Must Have Sweets & Cookies for Christmas in Rhode Island

November 11 / 2023 15 Unique Rhode Island Local Gift Ideas for Foodies and Cooks

November 09 / 2023 A Culinary Journey Through November’s Bounty in Rhode Island

October 05 / 2023 19 Things to Do in Rhode Island Giving All the Fall Vibes

September 03 / 2023 Brewing Up a Buzz: The Coffee Scene in Rhode Island

August 01 / 2023 The Best Pizza in Rhode Island and Most Loved Pizzerias

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‘Expect a party’: Motown legend Smokey Robinson says Providence show will be ‘everything’

At 84, he’s still excited to be making music and, on his current tour, sharing not only old standards but new music off his first album in nearly a decade, “gasms.”.

If you ask legendary Motown singer, songwriter, record producer, and music executive Smokey Robinson about the length of his career, he’ll say that age is just a number. When interviewed last year in advance of his scheduled performance at the Providence Performing Arts Center — a show that was postponed to Saturday — Robinson was 83. He is now 84.

And at a time when someone of his stature might rest on their laurels and enjoy retirement, the prolific songwriter balks at such a notion.

“I tried retiring once when I left the Miracles in 1972. That lasted about three years; I was climbing the walls,” he said during a phone call from his home in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Frances, an interior designer. “I love writing music and I love performing live. I get a chance to go and be with the people. I cannot find anything that replaces that for me. I can’t find anything — as far as work goes — that I love that much.”

Born William Robinson into a working-class family in Detroit in 1940, he would soon count among his neighborhood friends Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross — artists with whom he would work as an adult. A fan of cowboy movies, Robinson was nicknamed Smokey Joe by an uncle when he was young. By his teenage years, he had dropped the “Joe” and went by Smokey Robinson.

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He founded The Miracles in 1955, and, as the band’s frontman, co-wrote hits for the group that included “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” and “Tears of a Clown.” By the 1960s, he had also co-written and produced numerous top-10 songs for artists such as Mary Wells, the Temptations, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and the Marvelettes.

In addition to having the distinction of being part of the team that launched Motown (along with close friend Berry Gordy), he’s earned numerous honors — including multiple Grammy Awards — and was inducted into the Rock and Roll and the Songwriters halls of fame.

He attributes his decades-long career in large part to his perspective, which emphasizes humility about his success and appreciation for it.

“Sustaining it is the hardest part. You can sustain it if you recognize what it is and how you got to be there — that you didn’t start it and you ain’t going to finish it,” he said. “You can’t be all hoity-toity and be all full of yourself — especially someone in the recording part of the entertainment industry, where you need people to have a career.”

The father of three adult children called being in the music industry a “privilege,” but said it’s in a “state of chaos” right now — especially for young people trying to break into it and signing deals with record labels that are often heavily weighted in favor of the label rather than the artist.

“It’s not like it used to be. Everything is streaming and online. … It’s just another world,” he said. “I don’t know right now of any record stores. We [used to] go in, browse, and find something we weren’t even going there to buy.”

Industry challenges aside, Robinson said music serves a greater purpose than mere entertainment.

“Music is a barrier breaker. When we first started Motown … there were places in Detroit that, as a Black person — especially a Black man — you just didn’t go,” he recalled. “But we started getting letters from kids in those areas, from white kids, who said, ‘We’ve got your music and we love your music.’ We didn’t get to save those letters. They would be invaluable now. But we were very happy to get them. They said their parents didn’t know they were listening to our music, because they would throw them [the records] away.”

Then, a year after that, Robinson said he and fellow Black musicians started getting letters from parents saying that they had heard music their kids were listening to and they loved it.

Another welcome change that came to pass was the removal of roped-off areas for Black people, which had been used by concert halls in the early days of his career.

“Eventually, we’d go there and you’d see white boys with Black girlfriends and Black boys with white girlfriends and all the kids were dancing together and having a good time,” he said. “And that is because the music gave them a common love. It broke down those barriers.”

And those barriers are still being broken, he maintained.

“I think music is still doing its job — even the music that’s been negativized. I mean, there are kids out there making some great hip-hop music and some great rap music,” he said.

And even though his music is a different genre, and he is of a different generation, Robinson said he is still excited to be making music and, on his current tour, sharing with audiences not only old standards but new music off last year’s album “Gasms,” his first in nearly a decade.

“I named it that because I wanted the controversy,” said the music icon. “It’s whatever you think when you hear the word ‘gasm.’ The first ‘gasm’ that comes to mind for most is ‘orgasm,’ but I looked it up before I completed the song and ‘gasms’ is any good feeling that you might have about any subject.”

And while there are numerous staples he plans on performing on the Providence stop of his “Soulfully Yours” tour, the one song that Robinson said is most requested: “My Girl.”

“It’s my international anthem as a songwriter,” he said. “We can be in a country where 65 percent of the people in the audience don’t speak English and as soon as they hear ‘bom bom bom, bom bom bom, bom bom bom …’ they know what’s getting ready to happen and they sing all the words to ‘My Girl.’”

When he’s not on tour, Robinson said he works at staying fit by doing yoga and walking.

“I do the things that are going to keep me mobile and keep me moving, because I don’t ever want to be old,” he said with a laugh.

He is also a golf enthusiast who plays twice a week and practices often.

“Golf is my dope,” he said. “I played football, baseball, and basketball for my high school. I’ve loved sports all my life, but there is nothing like golf.”

“If somebody calls me at 5 in the morning and says, ‘Hey Smoke man, let’s go play some baseball,’ I’m going to hang up. If someone calls and says, ‘Let’s go play some basketball,’ I’m going to hang up. If they say, ‘Let’s go play some golf,’ I’m going to say, ‘Where?’ It’s just the nature of the beast,” he added.

When asked what audiences in Providence can expect of his upcoming show, Robinson — who will be backed by a 10-piece band — said, “Everything.”

“They can expect a party. They’re coming to a party. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour party where we will sing some songs and enjoy ourselves,” he said. “I’m excited, and I can’t wait.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ppacri.org

'The nation is watching us': RI got millions in opioid settlement. Here's how it's spent.

PROVIDENCE – Recovery from a substance-use disorder is an imperfect process, fraught with pitfalls and relapses.

Knowing that, Lisa Peterson conceived of a program to capture Rhode Islanders kicked out of treatment for drug-seeking behavior, or who overdose and land in the hospital.

Rather than returning to the streets, or to the environment that led them to relapse, people will have a new option: Safe Landings, a short-term residency program expected to open in the coming months at 166 Pawtucket Ave. in Pawtucket.

“Essentially, we don’t care when your last use was, as long as you're safe,” said Peterson, the chief operating officer at VICTA, an addiction treatment center that provides substance-use, mental health, and primary-care services in Providence.

With 10 beds, the program will serve as a landing spot for people as they consider the next steps in their recovery, with peer-recovery specialists and help securing housing, a job or even a treatment bed. It's being supported by $350,000 from the state's opioid settlement money.

“Our model is going to be more of restorative justice. Our goal is the safety of the community," Peterson said. "We expect people to have symptoms of the illness they’re seeking treatment for.”

So far, $30M from opioid settlement funds have been spent

Safe Landings is just one of the new initiatives launching across Rhode Island as a result of the estimated $300 million the state will recoup over time from settlements resulting from a lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioid painkillers. Under then-Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, the state sought to hold companies liable for damages resulting from the opioid crisis, including skyrocketing accidental overdose deaths and opioid prescriptions that exceeded the national average.

The settlements are split 80%-20% between the state and municipalities, respectively.

In the last two fiscal years, more than $30 million from the opioid settlement funds has been spent by the state.

How does the state decide who gets money?

Distribution of the state's settlement money is overseen by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, working with the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee . Here's how it works:

• Settlement money must be used to expand access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.
• A 17-member committee, made up of state and municipal representatives and experts, works with stakeholders in the treatment and recovery arena.
• The committee makes suggestions to Richard Charest , secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
• If Charest accepts a recommendation, it goes to lawmakers and the governor for inclusion in the state budget.

“I think the important thing is that we keep getting input from the community about what they’re thinking about and what they’re seeing on the ground,” said Marti Rosenberg, director of policy, planning and research at the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services. “We will continue to use that public input process to make decisions about how the settlement dollars should be spent.”

The process follows principles established by Johns Hopkins University to avoid the snags seen in earlier tobacco settlements, when very few dollars went to health care. These are the principles:

• That the money be spent to save lives.
• That the state rely on evidence to guide spending.
• That investments be made in youth prevention.
• That the focus is on racial equity.
• And that spending decisions be guided by a fair and transparent process.

How RI's first-of-its-kind overdose prevention center will work

One of the largest allotments – $3.25 million – will go to opening an overdose prevention center at 45 Willard Ave., near the Rhode Island Hospital campus in Providence. Project Weber/RENEW and VICTA are teaming up to create space for people to safely use illicit drugs under oversight with the goal of edging people toward treatment.

VICTA will have medical providers, nurses and counselors onsite to provide access to services as soon as an individual is ready for treatment. 

In 2021, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to authorize overdose prevention centers.

The three-story brick building is right off Eddy Street, an easy walk to nearby hospitals and just off a bus line . It used to house Care New England’s executive offices.

“The location is wonderful,” Colleen Daley Ndoye, executive director of Project Weber/RENEW, said on a recent tour. 

With the space coming together, here's how it will look inside:

• Project Weber/RENEW’s drop-in center, now at 640 Broad St., will move to the first floor, along with VICTA’s medical offices and a pharmacy.
• The overdose prevention center will be a secure site on the second floor so that people in recovery, or even considering treatment, will not be exposed to people actively using substances.
• The prevention center is spacious, with a U-shaped desk so managers can keep an eye on clients and be ready to intervene.
• There will be one staff member per four occupants, with the center serving a maximum of 16 people at one time.
• It will be open on weekdays to start.

Easing people into treatment in the quiet moments

“They trust us, so they’ll open up to us,” overdose prevention center director Dennis Bailer said. “In those quiet moments, they say this isn’t the life I want to live.”

It’s then that the center hopes to ease people into treatment.

“We’re trying to keep people as safe and healthy as possible,” Ndoye said.

Two overdose prevention centers were launched on Nov. 30, 2021, in New York City. According to the Cato Institute , those centers have averted 1,008 overdoses and served 3,700 participants nearly 84,000 times.

“We can intervene immediately,” and cut down on rescue runs for overdoses, said Bailer, who will be co-director of the center with Project Weber/RENEW deputy director Ashley Perry.

In 2022, Rhode Island experienced a record 436 accidental overdose deaths , 323 of which involved fentanyl.

Project Weber/RENEW continues to raise money to support the center, which is expected to open this fall.

“The nation is watching us,” Ndoye said.

How else is the money being spent?

In addition to Safe Landings and the overdose prevention center, the state has :

• Added 82 treatment beds through contracts handled by the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals. Zinnia Health, Galilee Mission and Bridgemark Addiction Recovery Services all received a share of $1,057,827 .
• Expanded its partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation to create a new grant program with $1 million for trauma support for peer specialists and first responders to help them combat post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and burnout.  
• Will spend $3.3 million in the coming two years on housing support projects focused on equity, landlord incentives for priority populations, and providing subsidies for people with a substance-use disorder.
• Awarded $526,492 to Westbay Community Action for homelessness prevention services; Hallworth House Medical Respite, a program that cares for people who are experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness and have acute injuries and illnesses; and support for a mobile trauma-informed wound care project to address the impact of the animal tranquilizer xylazine in the illicit drug supply .
• Awarded $50,000 apiece to six recovery centers, five mobile outreach operations and other support organizations to help meet people's basic needs, including clothing, food, transportation vouchers and equipment, such as tents.
• Allocated $1.5 million to four agencies to provide mobile outreach and harm-reduction measures, such as supplying naloxone, clean needles, fentanyl test strips and other materials, as well treatment and recovery support. Those organizations include Project Weber/RENEW, the Parent Support Network , AIDS Care Ocean State and Community Care Alliance .

Millions going to school-based interventions

• The state has allotted more than $4 million for school-based services , with $2.3 million going to Coastline EAP for its program to prevent and reduce substance use among students ages 12 to 18. 
• Another $2.5 million is going to a grant program through the Rhode Island Foundation to create community-based youth prevention programs.

These equity-focused programs will also get funding

• The Health Department is providing $1.25 million to several agencies to carry out mobile outreach to communities of color, which are at higher risk for fatal overdoses.
• $525,000 is being dedicated to Building Futures to develop a recovery community within the construction industry, with a focus on workers of color. The program is encouraging treatment and developing an intervention strategy with unions and employers in Rhode Island.
• The Executive Office of Health and Human Services wants community input to allocate $300,000 this fiscal year to address health disparities associated with Rhode Island’s overdose crisis. Data show significant racial and ethnic disparities in fatal overdoses, treatment access and other services in Rhode Island. 
• The Health Department received $620,000 to upgrade its surveillance and data collection systems.

The state will build out its tracking mechanisms going forward to gauge the effectiveness and reach of the initiatives. The results will be posted on a public dashboard at PreventOverdoseRI.org this year.

“We need to figure out what works and what we need to sustain,” Rosenberg, of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, said.

What comes next?

“What we want to do is change things,” said Linda Mahoney, program administrator of behavioral health/substance use conditions at BHDDH.

Expanding recovery housing options is a critical next step, she said.

“People on the recovery side don’t have a place to live,” Mahoney said. “That’s our next goal.”

Plus, providers of recovery housing face obstacles, such as discrimination against people with substance-use disorders, as well as low Medicaid reimbursement rates in Rhode Island, that make it hard to stay afloat.

“These are people who want to live a better life,” Mahoney said.

The settlement money is a game-changer in Rhode Island, she said. 

“We started turning it out almost immediately. This money is for long-term system change,” she said. ”It’s coming right from the community. The community is screaming, this is what we need.”

For his part, Thomas Joyce, director of East Bay Recovery Center and co-chair of the Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force, wants to see more money dedicated to treatment and long-term recovery. He observed that $2.7 million is going to governance.

"I would like to see more parity," Joyce said. "We need to look at the continuum of care. Once they're out of treatment, how do we continue to support them?"

Upping the state's Medicaid reimbursements seen as crucial

Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates is absolutely crucial to the state’s use of the settlement money, according to Rosenberg, of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and others.

“We know that the increase in rates introduced by the governor … should really help,” Rosenberg said. “They can get the infrastructure dollars, but if the rates don’t support the ongoing provision of services, the providers have expressed that that’s a problem.  We really look at rate increases to go hand-in-hand with the infrastructure dollars.”

Peterson, of VICTA, agrees that the rates must be hiked.

“The reimbursement rate is really, really poor,” she said. “Everyone agrees that it’s absolutely necessary. Hopefully, this will be the year.”

“I want to pay my counselors what they’re worth,” she added.

New providers will need to think outside the box

The state is looking to broaden its reach in the years ahead. A request-for-proposals was put out earlier this year for recovery housing for gender-diverse, family-focused and LGBTQ+ people, but there were no responses, according to spokesman Randal Edgar.

There are approximately 400 recovery housing beds for men and 125 for women under contract with the state. There are nearly three times more beds for men, because women are less likely to seek recovery housing, often because they cannot bring children.  

The state has reposted the request for women’s residential treatment and plans to issue another for recovery housing.

“I need new players. I really need new providers to think outside of the box,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney remains optimistic and urges people to call 942-STOP (7867) if they are seeking help with substance use.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s a lot more help out there than there was even a year ago,” she said. “People do recover.”