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Step outside to sight see history
The guided walking tours of Newport are a great way for parents to explore while herding little ones. Learn about the history and walk the same streets as our forefathers while expert guides from Newport History Tours spin tales of entrepreneurship, African American heritage, and religious diversity during Newport’s colonial period. These excursions are a great outing for kids of all ages, and a perfect setting for Instagrammable snapshots! To join the tour, meet at Brick Market & Museum of Newport History at 127 Thames Street, Newport.
Afternoon Concert at Old Slater Mill
Explore the intersection of nature, science, the arts and humanities, and the environment through music. Slater Mill is hosting an event featuring the rich sounds of Aurea. As part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival, this afternoon concert will feature chamber music and spoken word. Before and after the concert, there are tons of events and exciting things going on for kids and families! Have fun at the fest!
A harvest fest for family!
Two full days of old-fashioned fun and games, with live music, yummy food, games, fun crafts, hay rides, pony rides, and much more! Against the backdrop of a working 18th century living history farm, Coggeshall Farm, visitors of all ages can try their hand at more than a dozen competitions (inspired from the 18th-century!) including corn shucking, sack races, and French & English (better known as tug-of-war). For music, enjoy award-winning duo, Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly, who will perform traditional American and Celtic folk songs. Julio Amaro will also perform with classical guitar, creating flamenco, Latin, and world music. In addition, grab some quintessential Rhode Island treats provided by a variety of food vendors, along with Coggeshall Farm’s own famous jonnycakes.
Admission: Entrance to Harvest Fair is $7 for adults; $5 for kids 5-12 years of age, seniors, and active military; free for children under 4 and Coggeshall members. The entrance fee includes games, competitions, performances and selected craft activities.
Kids Concert with Foxtrot Music
As part of the Hunter Music Series, head over to the lawn of Lippitt House Museum for a free afternoon concert with Foxtrot Music. The genius behind Foxtrot Music is Kirsten Murphy, who plays guitar, piano, ukulele, and sometimes the banjo. She uses puppetry, storybooks, singing, dancing, and lots of hands-on time with instruments to create lessons that engage curiosity, joy, and participation. The concert will be a whole body, mind, and heart experience! And lots of hands-on instruments for the kids!
Windmills and garden tips
Do you have a garden? Or are you planting seedlings with your children? Whether you’re growing lettuce or lupines, it’s important to know who to turn to for advice – and the URI Master Gardeners are here to help! Bring your questions, your little ones, and even a soil sample from your garden for free analysis. Explore the grounds, see the ducks in the pond, and check out the old Robert Sherman Windmill. Prescott Farm is a gem!
The Great Road Day
Six historic sites along seventeenth-century Great Road (Route 123) in Lincoln, Rhode Island, host special tours and displays! All sites are open free to the public: Arnold House, Blackstone Valley Historical Society, Hannaway Blacksmith Shop, Hearthside, Saylesville Meeting House, and Valentine Whitman Jr. House. You can pile your family into the car and take a short jaunt between all the sites, or just make it a destination day! Explore the area and discover how local residents and visitors lived and worked from the seventeenth century through the twentieth century. Taking place during late September when leaves start to change their colors, a day trip along this route is sure to be beautiful. The historic homes, farms, and mills create a rolling landscape along the Great Road Historic District, which retains much of the Blackstone Valley’s early 19th-century rural character.
Cider Social & Cow Pie Bingo
Little Compton Historical Society will be hosting a cider social with local vendors, a Cow Pie Bingo Fundraising event, and a booth selling vintage and antique items donated by the community. Complimentary cider and donuts will be available while supplies last, free tours of the Wilbor House Museum, a candy haystack, corn husk-doll making, and the last opportunity to see this year’s exhibition, “Little Compton’s 20th-Century Artists,” for free. The highlight of the day will be the Cow Pie Bingo event taking place between 3 and 4 pm. Oreo, a Belted Galloway, will return for his second year of Cow Pie Bingo. Oreo will be accompanied by his farmer, Pete Dellasanta of Pete’s Farm. Pete, who began his own farm in high school and is now a college freshman, will lead Oreo onto a gridded field promptly at 3 PM and the first square in the grid to receive a cow pie will be the winner. Tickets corresponding to each square on the grid are on sale now at the Historical Society for $10 each or three for $25 and will also be sold the day of the event until 2:55 PM. The holder of the winning ticket will receive a $500 prize. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Historical Society.
Battle Of Chase Farm
For the first time, Chase Farm Park will be hosting Revolutionary War re-enactors. For kids with active imaginations, this brings the history of our country to life, in the way no movie can! More than 200 or so re-enactors will be portraying camp life, performing drills, and acting out different scenarios. For children, this is a chance to see, feel, hear, and experience the past and engage with new ideas and situations; understand history by being part of it! While Hearthside wasn’t even around during the Revolutionary War, the great-great-grandfather of Arnold Talbot (owner of Hearthside 1904-1926) was Silas Talbot of Providence, a courageous hero who distinguished himself as both an army colonel and as a highly successful naval captain during the American Revolution. Silas’ portrait hangs over the dining room fireplace at Hearthside as the patriarch of the Talbot family.
FarmFest 2017
Head over to the FarmFest Celebration at Mount Hope Farm for tours, Native American storytellers, militia re-enactments, viewing of farm animals, hayrides and much more. Held at the Farm, in the historic buildings and grounds, the FarmFest will have tons kid-friendly activities, including games and scavenger hunts, plus free face painting, balloon animals, and crafts. Halloween costumes encouraged! Bluegrass music will put a spring in your step, and kids will have a chance to meet a real beekeeper and see a marine life exhibit on view. Enjoy fresh cooked food, including hamburgers and cold drinks for purchase. Fall foliage and pumpkin patches aren’t the only way to celebrate autumn!
(And if you have a grocery list that needs to be checked off, catch the last outdoors Farmers Market of the season from 9 am to 1 pm on the same day!)
Holiday Lantern Tour
Fridays & Saturdays at 4:00 pm
Hear the history of early American holiday traditions on an evening walk. Learn how Newporters did — or didn’t — observe the holidays. Reservations encouraged as space is limited, 401-841-8770. Purchase tickets and depart from The Museum of Newport History and Shop.
Tour Fee: $15 per person, $10 for Society members and active duty military with ID. Add $5 to your ticket for a keepsake lantern!