I was so excited for my first National Park visit of the year! We had to delay our first scheduled park visit due to government shut down in January. So, I was ready to go and the experience was well worth the wait…the trip to Roger Williams Memorial Park in Providence, Rhode Island was full of surprises!!
The first surprise was that our mutual friend Lisa joined Cristi and I on our National Park adventure. I enjoyed getting to know Lisa better and she added a lot of fun to the day. And it is always blessed day, when it is spent with Cristi. She was a trooper during this trip, she had just flown in that morning from SLC!!
The second surprise was that I found a new appreciation for the city of Providence. To be honest, I have been to Providence many times and I didn’t think the city had too much to offer. Well, I was WRONG and I had a great time exploring the east side of Providence.
Part of my appreciation came from learning about Roger Williams and the settling of Providence. No worries, for those who are now dying to know more about Roger…I will provide a little more about the Roger Williams Memorial Park below.
The third surprise was that it rained!! Obviously, I did not pay attention to the weather report! But, the rain did not ruin the day! The last surprise was finding Harry’s Bar and Burger and eating during happy hour…1/2 off hamburgers!!  We were all starving and the amazing burgers and fries defintely hit the spot!!
It was an all-around wonderful day. A day full of learning, beautiful things to see, and great company and food! As always, I can’t wait for the next National Park adventure. 10 sites down only 407 to go…

Roger Williams National Memorial commemorates the life of the founder of Rhode Island and a champion of the ideal of religious freedom. Williams, banished from Massachusetts for his beliefs, founded Providence in 1636. This colony served as a refuge where all could come to worship as their conscience dictated without interference from the state.
His ideals, incorporated into the Rhode Island Charter of 1663, laid the foundation for the laws that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison would eloquently affirm in this nation’s defining documents: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (nps.gov).

A few highlights from our walk in the east side of Providence:

Quotes on the windows of the Visitor’s Center.



A couple of street views in the College Hill area.

Rhode Island State House.

Rhode Island School of Design.

Stephan Hopkin House. A few fun facts: he is a signer of the Declaration of Independence, ten-time governor of RI, and first Chancellor of Brown University.

Originally, the First Congressional Church, now the First Unitarian Church.

The oldest Baptist Church in the US and was founded by Roger Williams in 1638.

Cristi and Lisa in front of the Baptist Church.