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Summer Vacation Camp
When school is out, there’s camp! Camp Sequoia, for grades K-4, is now enrolling for 6-weeks of programming! You can sign up your children for a full week at a time, daily drop-ins, or half-day programs. Each week features a different theme. Activities include active outdoor play, nature hikes, as well as indoor activities such as exploring the mansion, theatrical skits and arts and crafts. Read about each week’s program here! Looking for options for children in grades 7-12? Check out the Counselor in Training program!
Fridays Afternoons for the Family!
Blithewold’s Family Fun Fridays are a great way to enjoy a summer afternoon with your loved ones! Bring a picnic, a blanket to sit on, and enjoy the show that each week features a new act! Dance and sing along with the kids to a variety of educational and interactive musical performances from 11 a.m. to noon. After the performance, enjoy a nature-inspired craft activity, face painting, and pizza from noon to 1 p.m. (Limited to one slice of pizza per person; you may want to bring additional food items for your picnic!) Find out more about each featured musical guest! To register, visit Blithwold’s website.
July 21 – Rolie Polie Guacamole
July 28 – Mud Daubers
August 4 – Matt Heaton & the Outside Toys
August 11 – Toe Jam Puppet Band
August 18 – Keith Munslow
August 25 – Kaleidoscope Theater
Time travel with the whole family!
In the days before cell phones, cable television and the internet, there were huge international fairs which showcased the newest cultural and technological developments around the world. The largest of these was presented in St. Louis in 1904. Hearthside Museum celebrates Rhode Island’s unique connections to this turn-of-the-century spectacle with an all-day family immersion in the sights, sounds, and feeling of history’s greatest World’s Fair. Hearthside’s World’s Fair 1904: Showcasing Rhode Island’s Legacy of Achievement (Sunday, July 23) includes exhibits inside the house and outside on the grounds. Inside you’ll find artifacts and image galleries showcasing innovations of the 1904 Fair. Outside throughout the grounds, continuous entertainment and activities will offer a glimpse of what 1904 Fairgoers would have experienced, including period fashions, cultural performances, old-time brass music, carnival–type games, kids activities, demonstrations, antique cars, art displays as well as food that was made popular at that Fair, such as ice cream cones, hot dogs, and Dr. Pepper.
Among the features will be a circus magic show, belly dancing, brass band music, Chinese cultural displays and a Dragon Dance, and Native American drumming, singing, and storytelling. Artists will be capturing the scenes of the Fair on canvas, while a sculptor will demonstrate how the grand statues and architectural details of the palaces at the Fair were created.
General admission is $10; $5 for students ages 10-17; free for 9 and under. Cash only. Read an article about this amazing event on GoLocalProv.
American Girl Doll Garden Party
An old-fashioned garden party is in store for young girls and their favorite doll! Hearthside House is hosting an American Doll Garden Party for girls ages 5-12, accompanied by a relative. Guests can participate in either two seatings, noon or 2:30, featuring activities that would have been part of a girl’s life at the turn of the century. Join Hearthside for this memorable afternoon of old-fashioned fun and games, along with a dose of history. The party also features prizes, raffle, a favor, and shopping in the gift shop for a special outfit or accessory. Find out more details by visiting the Hearthside House website.
Who: Girls ages 5-12, accompanied by a relative
What: American Girl Doll Garden Party
Where: Hearthside House, under a tent in the garden
When: Saturday, Aug. 5; noon or 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: Call or email 401-726-0597 or info@hearthsidehouse.org
Take the fort by foot
From the top of the fort walls to the depths of the underground listening tunnels, take an hour-long tour of Fort Adams that uses architecture to inspire, delight, and create suspense! Between now and Labor Day (September 4th), tours are offered every day giving visitors the opportunity to view the quarters where officers and families lived, ascend to the scenic overlook for a breathtaking view of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay, delve beneath the walls of the Fort into the underground tunnels, and experience more than 180 years of American history, culture, architecture, and engineering.
Looking through the eyes of history
George Washington is America’s first president and one of the first figures children learn about when beginning their history education. Take a step back in time to visit the home of the artist who captured the spirit of our revolutionary roots by painting the man himself! Taking place on the hour, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum offers a tour that includes the birthplace homestead, the Hammond Gristmill, and a discussion of Stuart’s works and colonial daily life. Situated on a beautiful landscape, nestled in beautiful country gardens, you’ll love seeing behind the scenes of history on this tour!
Shopping for the family, on the coast!
Casey Farm’s weekly Coastal Growers Market was named “one of the five best farmers’ markets in New England” by Yankee Magazine. Easy to get to, and surrounded by the bounty Rhode Island is known for, visitors will find specialty products, including organic produce, pasture-fed meats, locally raised shellfish, baked goods, sweeteners, flowers, and more from the area’s local farmers. Support local farmers and shop for the family, while enjoying the views!
Discover garden & pasture
Join Coggeshall Farm staff for daily programs showcasing the daily lives of 1790s salt marsh tenant farmers. On Sundays, the summer garden takes center stage with activities designed to make children feel engaged and helpful. From watering, feeding, planting, and harvesting, there is something for everyone to do! At 1 p.m., visitors have a chance to get close to the animals on a pasture walk and see Coggeshall Farm livestock graze. Children and adults will love this nature stroll (wearing comfortable shoes and long pants are suggested).
Total eclipse of the heart!
Where else would you want to be for next week’s solar eclipse than at Rhode Island’s very own planetarium! The Museum of Natural History is hosting a celebration with family fun activities, including a reserved common area outside for safe eclipse viewing, a NASA TV MegaCast view of the totality path, education activities, and a planetarium show! The special planetarium show begins at 1 p.m. and prime viewing of the eclipse is at 2:47 on the dot. Receive solar eclipse viewing glasses with the purchase of museum tickets.
The Redcoats are coming!
Join the Newport Historical Society for its largest reenactment to date, the 1777 British Occupation. During this free afternoon event, over 75 costumed re-enactors will recreate aspects of life during the summer of 1777 in the heart of Newport’s Old Quarter. The afternoon program will open with an argument between two gentlemen who favor the crown and will close with the capture of General Prescott. In between are tons of activities and challenges to help you kids see the history of politics in real time! To find out about the full program and all afternoon activities, click here.