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Lincoln’s Great Road Day
A great day indeed―with six different museum sites open and free admission for families to tour at their own pace―you can’t go wrong with so much to explore in one fantastically historic place! 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.
There is parking at each site with the exception of the Moffett Mill, which is accessible only by shuttle bus from Hearthside House.
Hearthside, Arnold House, and Hannaway Blacksmith Shop & Chase Farm Park are participating Rhody Ramble sites. Check out overviews of all the Great Road sites. Select the places you want to see, or visit all!
Annual Cider Social
The annual Cider Social is a festive gathering for adults and children, alike! Children will enjoy the yummy cider and donuts, a candy haystack, and corn husk-doll making, while adults will delight in a local vendor showcase and booths sellling vintage and antique items donated by the community. Everyone can take free tours of Wilbor House and have the opportunity to play Cow Pie Bingo, as well as see this year’s special exhibition, “If Jane Should Want to Be Sold, Stories of Slavery, Indenture and Freedom in Little Compton, Rhode Island.”
The highlight of the day will be the Cow Pie Bingo event taking place between 3 and 4pm. A cow will be led onto a gridded field promptly at 3 PM and the first square in the grid to “receive” a cow pie will be the winner. The holder of the winning ticket will receive a $500 prize. If no cow pie is “deposited” before 4pm, the judges will draw the winning ticket from a hat.
The Littles’ Halloween Party
Nothing says Halloween fun like Providence Athenaeum’s annual “Littles’ Halloween Costume Party”!
Don your costumes, bring your smiles, and get ready for a “cute overload” at this delightful event. With dear friend musician Lindsay Meehan of Mary Ann Hall’s Music for Children, there will be sing-alongs and entertainment on this lively interactive musical adventure!
Light refreshments will be served.
Best for ages 3 to 6; younger siblings always welcome.
Free and all welcome!
Please contact Lindsay at 401-421-6970 or lshaw@provath.org to register.
Creepy, Crawly Family Fun Weekend
Spooky fun crafts, Halloween museum quest, museum vault tours, “creature features,” and a trick-or-treat bag full of Halloween fun! There’s so much to do at this Halloween extravaganza to spark the excitement in your little ones. Visitors receive a complimentary treat bag, and there’s a bonus for children who want to parade their costumes: free museum and planetarium admission for visitors dressed in Halloween attire! Check out the two exciting offers, each day, below!
1:00 pm and 3:00 pm: Museum Vault Tours
Come join us for a tour of the Museum’s underworld – the basement vaults. If you are tantalized by what you have seen on exhibit, come visit the 99% you have not seen. See bats, mini-beasts, vultures, spiders, and more… many have never been on public view! Do not miss this rare chance to explore the collections in storage in this behind-the-scenes, underground tour!
Cost: Additional $5.00, includes museum admission/does not include planetarium admission. Children under age 4 are not permitted.
2:00 pm: Strange and Distant Worlds Planetarium Show
Could there be life elsewhere in the Universe? In their search for Earth-like worlds, astronomers have discovered some truly strange worlds! Come experience the newest discoveries in the cutting-edge science of exoplanet astronomy in this unique, visually stunning planetarium show.
Cost: Free admission for costumed visitors or $3.00 (includes museum admission fee), Children under age 4 are not permitted in the planetarium.
Spooktacular Storytime in Downtown Providence
Kidinfo’s Storytime is back to haunt Burnside Park with a “spooktacular” event for all ages. A great family-friendly, not-so-scary event, featuring spooky and funny stories, and tons of fall fun! Guest authors, illustrators and performers will read and perform their own works. Our artists in residence, co-founder Alison Paul and Ricky Katowicz transform the park with art, and “Haunted Art in the Park” kids create work inspired by the pages of a Halloween-themed book. Enjoy a Halloween-y dance party + costume parade, a hay bale maze to explore, mini pumpkins to adorn, and crisp apples to crunch from our local farmers.
Kids in costumes get a treat! But if you don’t have one, you can make one there!
Go behind the scenes of a museum!
On November 16th, join Museum of Work & Culture’s Education & Program Manager Sarah Carr as she presents on Woonsocket Works, the most technologically advanced exhibit ever undertaken by the RIHS. She will discuss the work involved in developing a new exhibit, preview the technology being used, and explain how this new digital space will allow visitors to explore how the explosive growth of mill production transformed the people and landscape of Woonsocket. After learning about the exhibit, you can go and try out this new digital landscape at the Museum of Work & Culture for free! Admission to John Brown House and the Museum of Work & Culture is free on What Cheer Wednesdays.
Coming up: Each week “What Cheer Wednesdays” features a new theme, and these tours are sure to cue curiosity in kids and adults alike!
- Nov. 23: Learn about how John Brown would have set his dinner table.
- Nov. 30: Find out what wintertime was like during colonial times, and how the museum shuts down for the season.
- Dec. 7 & Dec. 14: Yet to be determined! Check back or visit RIHS’s website.
Dinos at the Library!
The Providence Athenaeum Children’s Library is hosting the Audubon Society of Rhode Island for a dinosaur themed story hour. Enjoy the magic of this historic building with your little ones during this story telling adventure—that includes a living example of a dinosaur cousin!
Appropraite for ages 3+. Free and all are welcome!
To register for this event, contact Lindsay at 401-421-6970 or lshaw@provath.org
When Harry met Percy: Kids Trivia!
Let your kids put their wizardry skills to the test! Mythology meets magic when you join the fun at our Harry Potter and Percy Jackson kids “pub quiz.” Friend of the Providence Athenaeum, Sally Ryan, has come up with a vast scroll of questions to challenge the most avid Harry and Percy fans. So grab your friends, make up a team and join the fun! Butter Beer and “Nectar of the Gods” will be served.
Please register so the Providence Athenaeum can provide ample refreshments. Contact Lindsay at 401-421-6970 or lshaw@provath.org
Go behind the scenes of a museum!
- Nov. 30: Find out what wintertime was like during colonial times, and how the museum shuts down for the season.
- Dec. 7 & Dec. 14: Yet to be determined! Check back or visit RIHS’s website.
Behind the scenes of wintertime
On November 30th, see what it takes to close John Brown’s House each night—and for the wintertime! Learn what winter was like in 18th century New England, and how John Brown and his family would have spent the colder months. Free admission to John Brown House and the Museum of Work & Culture (with pop-up programming, too). In addition, you’ll be able to learn more about the Museum of Work & Culture’s fascinating Mill Project in Woonsocket.
Coming Up: Each week “What Cheer Wednesdays” features a new theme, and these tours are sure to cue curiosity in kids and adults alike!
- Dec. 7 & Dec. 14: Yet to be determined! Check back or visit RIHS’s website.