Downtown Providence Self-Driving Audio Tour

Providence Trip Overview

Explore all that Providence, RI has to offer, from beautiful architecture to foodie havens! With this self-guided driving audio tour, visit historic Federal Hill, Brown University’s campus, and the vibrant downtown. Providence features beautiful architecture, like the State House, Barnaby Castle, and the Wedding Cake House. This tour allows you to explore Providence with maximum flexibility and value.

Recommended: Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

Within 30 min, we’ll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone, enter the password, and download the tour. When you arrive, drive to the first stop, launch the app, and follow the instructions! Stick to our recommended route and speed limit for the best experience.

THIS IS NOT AN ENTRANCE TICKET TO ATTRACTIONS ALONG THE ROUTE. CHECK PANDEMIC RULES AND OPENING HOURS BEFORE YOUR VISIT.

NO EXPIRATION — THE TOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MINUTE YOU BOOK UNTIL FOREVER!

Additional Info

Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Starts: Providence, United States
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours



Explore Providence Promoted Experiences

What to Expect When Visiting Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Explore all that Providence, RI has to offer, from beautiful architecture to foodie havens! With this self-guided driving audio tour, visit historic Federal Hill, Brown University’s campus, and the vibrant downtown. Providence features beautiful architecture, like the State House, Barnaby Castle, and the Wedding Cake House. This tour allows you to explore Providence with maximum flexibility and value.

Recommended: Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

Within 30 min, we’ll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone, enter the password, and download the tour. When you arrive, drive to the first stop, launch the app, and follow the instructions! Stick to our recommended route and speed limit for the best experience.

THIS IS NOT AN ENTRANCE TICKET TO ATTRACTIONS ALONG THE ROUTE. CHECK PANDEMIC RULES AND OPENING HOURS BEFORE YOUR VISIT.

NO EXPIRATION — THE TOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MINUTE YOU BOOK UNTIL FOREVER!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin St, Providence, RI 02903-1841

Our Providence adventure sets off from the Convention Center downtown! We first head into the historic Federal Hill area — home to both history and the city’s best restaurants.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Garibaldi Square, 99 Atwells Ave, Providence, RI 02903, USA

We enter through the Welcome Gateway, featuring the iconic pineapple. We’ll learn about how this neighborhood grew & changed over the years — including the infamous Macaroni Riots and the secret of the Coin-O-Matic!

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Federal Hill Heritage Exhibit, 286 Atwells Ave, Providence, RI 02903-1530

As World War I was breaking out, food prices spiked. A mob attacked wholesale grocer Frank P. Ventrone’s business block here, smashing windows and hurling macaroni into the street. Commonly known as the “Macaroni Riots,” five violent clashes over two weeks manifested the desperation of Providence’s immigrant working poor.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: De Pasquale Square, Providence, RI 02903, USA

Our journey takes us past Providence’s DePasquale Square and we’ll learn about this “beating heart” of Federal Hill.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Holy Ghost Church, 472 Atwells Ave, Providence, RI 02909-1088

We’ll approach the historic Holy Ghost Church and learn about the diverse communities it serves.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Luongo Square, Providence, RI, USA

Next, we’ll explore two small but historic squares — Luongo and Canonicus.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Cranston Street Armory, 310 Cranston St, Providence, RI 02907, USA

This brings us to one of the most beautiful stops on our tour! The yellow-brick, copper-crenelated Cranston Street Armory is one of the most monumental structures in Providence.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Dexter Training Ground, Parade St & Willow St, Providence, RI 02909, USA

Our journey continues past the Dexter Training Ground. Here we’ll learn about the Dorr Rebellion, Ebenezer Knight Dexter, and more.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Barnaby Castle, 299 Broadway, Providence, RI 02903, USA

We’ll also pass the eclectic Barnaby Castle and learn about the unique visionary behind it’s design. This is Providence’s only “castle”!

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Wedding Cake House, 514 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909, USA

This brings us to the extravagantly embellished “Wedding Cake” house which reflects the euphoric froth of new money.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: AS220, 115 Empire St, Providence, RI 02903-3217

Next, we’ll see AS220, an arts organization that grew from a single room to three buildings and helped define Providence as “The Creative Capital”.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington St, Providence, RI 02903-3226

This brings us to Tony Award-winning Trinity Rep, one of the last resident acting companies in the U.S.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Rhode Island State House, 82 Smith St, Providence, RI 02903-1105

Our journey continues to the Providence State House: one of the grandest statehouses in the U.S. belongs to the country’s smallest state!

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Providence City Hall, Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI 02903

This brings us to the Providence City Hall, made of cast iron and masonry.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI 02903, USA

Then, we’ll continue through Kennedy Plaza, Providence’s transportation hub.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Waterplace Park, Memorial Blvd, Providence, RI 02903, USA

We’ll pass by Waterplace Park, which represents a vital part of early Providence history.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: The Arcade Providence, 65 Weybosset St, Providence, RI 02903, USA

We’ll pass the unique Arcade, which features two slightly different facades.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Grace Episcopal Church, 300 Westminster St, Providence, RI 02903, USA

Among the banks and businesses of bustling Westminster Street, we’ll see Grace Episcopal Church. Its bells ring every day on the half-hour… since 1861.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St, Providence, RI 02903-3707

Our journey takes us past the vibrant Providence Performing Arts Center, innovative Wexford Science & Technology Building, and historic Doyle House.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South St, Providence, RI 02903-4749

We’ll also pass the eye-catching Providence Children’s Museum – you definitely won’t miss this!

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: John Brown House Museum, 52 Power St, Providence, RI 02906-1012

Success, ambition, and glamour dominate Benefit Street. We’ll see John Brown’s house next. The Brown family became wealthy from the shipping business, which included privateering, the Triangular Slave Trade, and the China Trade.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: First Unitarian Church of Providence, 1 Benevolent St at Benefit St., Providence, RI 02906-1102

This brings us to the Providence First Unitarian Church, a Federal-style building with classical arches and urns combined with soaring pointed Gothic-style windows with delicate tracery decoration.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit St, Providence, RI 02903-2709

We’ll also see the Athenaeum, once frequented by Edgar Allen Poe.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: The Stephen Hopkins House, 15 Hopkins St Corner of Benefit & George Sts., Providence, RI 02903

We’ll also see the Hopkins House. Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence, a ten-time governor of RI, and Chief Justice of the RI Supreme Court bought this house in 1743.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Memorial Park, S Main St, Providence, RI 02903, USA

This brings us to memorial park, featuring WWI, WWII, and Holocaust memorials.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: RISD Museum, 20 N Main St, Providence, RI 02903, USA

We’re now near RISD, the Rhode Island School of Design. This acclaimed school also features a truly unique museum.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Brown University, 1 Prospect St, Providence, RI 02912-9127

Our journey brings us to the peaceful greenery of Brown University’s campus! We can admire this Ivy League’s quaint architecture as we drive by.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Lippitt House Museum, 199 Hope St, Providence, RI 02906, USA

This brings us to the Lippitt House. Textile merchant Henry Lippitt, his wife, and his six children lived in this opulent Italian Renaissance Revival house. It was a testament to the burgeoning wealth of industrial Providence.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Providence Art Club, 11 Thomas St, Providence, RI 02903-1314

Providence’s tightly-knit community of artists and collectors created this art club to congregate, create and display art. It’s the second oldest art club in the country; the Salmagundi Club in New York City is the first.

Among the founders was Edward Mitchell Bannister, a celebrated African American landscape painter.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Providence Preservation Society, 24 Meeting St, Providence, RI 02903, USA

The progressive idea of promoting education to all in support of a free society was at the heart of this old brick schoolhouse. By 1800, Rhode Island had one of the earliest public education systems, housed in this building.

In its long history as host to innovative educational initiatives, it served as a school for African American students, an early fresh air school for children suffering from tuberculosis, and site of the Meeting Street School, a pioneering organization for children of all mental and physical abilities.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Swan Point Cemetery, 585 Blackstone Blvd, Providence, RI 02906-5034

Fittingly, we’ll end the tour at Providence’s historic Swan Point Cemetery. You’ve now covered every part of this historic city!

Duration: 5 minutes



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