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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.
The Museum of Work & Culture’s Annual Labor Day Open House
The MoWC’s free annual Labor Day Open House kicks off the 20th anniversary celebration with some special friends and radio personalities. Along with Rhode Island PBS – the event will welcome Julia, a new friend from Sesame Street! A sweet and curious four-year-old girl with autism, Julia made her onscreen debut in April. Families have the opportunity to visit, interact, and have their photo taken with Walkaround Julia. Three meet-and-greet sessions will take place at 10am, 11am, and 12pm. All participating families will also receive copies of We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3!, a storybook featuring Julia.
While the MoWC does offer award-winning low-sensory programming for visitors on the spectrum, the Labor Day Open House will not be a low-sensory environment. However, tools and services – including color communication badges, hands-on activities, and trained staff from the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment – will be available to visitors.
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!
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!
Find Rhode Island sites participating!
What makes Museum Day Live so awesome? It’s an opportunity for families to visit cultural institutions across the country (and in Rhode Island) for free! Not only is it encouraging to visit places you might have been holding off on, but many places will be hosting special activities and interactive exhibits as part of the nationwide event. And did we mention it’s free?
Visit Museum Day Live to find all sites in Rhode Island participating. In addition, see below for Rhody Ramble sites and events participating too!
Blithewold Mansion, Garden & Arboretum
Peer into the basement
The John Brown House Museum will be free and open to the public for Doors Open RI and Smithsonian Museum Day Live. There will be special curator-led behind-the-scenes tours of the basement, which itself has been a subject of myth and rumor. Learn about the history of how the basement was used by past owners while peering at the Rhode Island Historical Society’s object collections storage. Basement tours will take place at 10:30, 1:30, and 3. Space is limited for these tours and will be first come, first served.
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.