Day trips with good/fun lunches from PVD
Here's my challenge. Please come up with five great day trips from Providence that would include a good lunch. By good lunch, it can mean anything as simple as fried clams and a beer at Flo's in Newport or it can be something fancier. I just want it to be good -- and scenic if possible. A friend from Ohio, who loves the ocean and its bounty, is coming for a week in early June. I'm treating it as a vacation and am trying to thinking of great day trips. On my list is Little Compton/Westport, Newport, Boston, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard (fast ferry), but I'm open to all suggestions. If you have ideas for how to fill hours between meals, that would be great too. And I'd like the drive to be somewhat scenic. Also, some rainy day options.
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Let's see if I can give you 5 day trips less than 1 hour from PVD that may or may not include your list.
1) Watch Hill Westerly. Southern Part of RI. Walk around the shops at Watch Hill. Ride the Carousel. Sit on the beach that starts on the other side of the Carousel. Lunch at the Inn at Watch Hill Cafe (usually good although definitely New England Food). If it rains Foxwoods is only 15 minutes further South.
2) Drive down Route 1A (The old Boston Post Road) to Narragansett and end up in Gallalee. Lunch At the Coastguard House in Narragansett. If it is nice eat on the deck out side over the rocks. If it is not nice or raining eat inside in front of the picture . In Gallalee see the fishing boats coming in, negotiate for seafood on the Dock, look at the light house, get a license and go clamming.
3) Cape Cod is more than an hour and it depends on where you want to go. If I had one day...I would book a seal watching trip to Monomoy Island. You will be in Orleans. After the boat ride I would walk around Orleans and eat somewhere in Orleans or nearby on 28. If that is not interesting then a day in Hyannis to me is better than driving all the way down to Providencetown, the shopping is just as good and the food is great. There are so many restaurants and so many other threads about the Cape that I am not even going to suggest where to go. if it rains...there is always CCMNH (Cape Cod Museum of Natural History) all of the wonderful art galleries, and glass blowers (check out our personal fav Fritz Lauenstein in Dennis). Just drive slowly up 6A. If you are on 6A you can do much worse than the Brewster Fish House which might be the best seafood restaurant on the Cape right now. it is not a clam shack.
4) Boston is Boston. Depends on what you want to do. If you go on a Sunday...how about Brunch at Rowes Warf (really pricey but well worth it), then over the aquarium and then finish up at Quincy Marketplace. If you want more scenic walk the Freedom trail, go hang in the Commons or skip Boston all together, drive on to Rockport and go gallary hopping. If it rains there is always the Boston Museum of science, a zillion bars or the eclectic nature of Newberry street.
5) Go to newport, do the tourist thing, walk around Thames street. Have lunch at the Brick Alley Pub. if by this point you are sick of traditional sea food...the sushi at Sea Shai is quite good....so is their kitchen menu actually. If it rains go to a mansion tour or the Tennis Hall of Fame.
Good luck.
