Garden City Shopping Center, at 100 Midway Road in Cranston is a great resource for a full day of shopping, dining, and seasonal entertainment. It is a well-maintained and attractive outdoor shopping center, with interesting stores that loop around a central gazebo used for special events. A page on the shopping center’s website gives a summary of sales and special events. The selection of stores ranges from Eastern Mountain Sports to Victoria’s Secret. The lovely Italian restaurant, Papa Razzi, and several other eateries offer rest and good food. From visits with Santa to wedding photos at the gazebo, five generations of Rhode Islands have fond memories of their trips here. Phone: 4021-942-2800.

Beneficial to the Senses

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A walk along Benefit Street, carved high into a ridge along Providence’s East Side overlooking downtown, is a memorable walk among beautiful and immaculately preserved Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian-style houses. The Providence Preservation Society distributes maps with self-guided tours and the Rhode Island Historical Society conducts walks in the summer.

Breathtaking Art of Many Ages and Cultures

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To see a wide variety of spectacular artwork from many cultures and ages, visit the Rhode Island School of Design Museum on Benefit Street in Providence. The RISD Museum houses over 80,000 works of art, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman sculpture to French Impressionist paintings, from Chinese stone and terracotta sculpture to contemporary art in every medium, including textiles, ceramics, glass and furniture. It also serves the general public with a full schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, tours, concerts and other programs. Phone: 401-454-6500.

Colonial Village Still Charms Visitors

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Pawtuxet Village is a small, historic neighborhood at Post Road and Narragansett Parkway on the border of Warwick and Cranston, famous for the annual Gaspee Day parade in June, when dozens of fife and drum corps commemorate the burning of the British revenue schooner HMS Gaspee in 1772. Other times of the year, it is a cozy section of historic buildings on a tiny cove of the Upper Narragansett Bay filled with interesting shops and eateries. Among them are Twice Told Tales Books & Gifts, Libations Wine & Spirits, Village Art & Antiques, Waters Edge Furniture Gallery & Café, and many interesting restaurants, from O'Rourke's Bar & Grill to Rim Nahm Thai Restaurant. Small Pawtuxet Park, facing the cove, is a lovely place to rest with a book or enjoy your purchases.

Cooking History & Cookery Gadgets

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Whether you relate to food by cooking, eating, or watching its preparation, you will enjoy the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University at 315 Harborside Boulevard in Providence. This is the nation’s premier museum devoted to the preservation of the history of the culinary and hospitality industries. Exhibits include a diner museum, a stove museum; a pantheon of chefs; a restored New England tavern, collections of kitchen gadgets and appliances, and other culinary showpieces. An international array of chefs and restaurateurs have contributed to the museum's holdings. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 401-598-2805.

Galloping Dinner

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A very cool and unusual experience for visitors to the capital city of Providence is a chauffeured tasting tour of a half-dozen Providence restaurants over the course of an evening. The Providence Chauffeured Dine Around is a service of All Occasion Transportation. You and your guests may choose six restaurants from a list of more than 15 premier eateries and enjoy featured menu tastings all evening long. One friend reported “...the restaurants rocked; and we felt really special.” Phone: 401-312-0945 ext. 131.

Pass the Parmesan

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Bring your appetite to Rhode Island’s authentic Italian restaurants on Providence’s Federal Hill. There are more Italian restaurants on this mile-long stretch than in Manhattan’s Little Italy. When you are filled to the groaning point, stroll along the neighborhood’s sidewalks and mellow outdoor piazzas.

Talk to the Animals

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A trip to Providence must include a day at Roger Williams Park, a 430-acre Victorian-era park comprised of ponds, walks, gardens, greenhouses, paddle boats and bumper boats, playgrounds, pony rides, a Carousel Village, and the Museum of Natural History and Cormack Planetarium. The park's crown jewel, Roger Williams Park Zoo, is home to more than 1,500 animals of 150 species.

The Original New England Corn Maze

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The Corn Maze at Salisbury Farm in Johnston, RI was the first maze of it's kind in New England. With more than a mile of paths in about five acres of corn, this maze has challenged people’s memories, capacities for team work, and senses of direction for more than ten years. Thousands of people entered the maze last year, most of them got out. Open August 30 through November 2, 2010; see website for hours and fees. Phone: 401-942-9741.

When is a Mall Not Like a Mall?

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The Providence Place Mall, smack in the heart of downtown, is a three-story, full-carpeted retail palace with wonderful views of the river and the city below. With 170 upscale stores, eight restaurants, video arcade, and IMAX theater, a visit to this mall is a great and lively indoor activity any time of the year.