An old city reborn Nestled into Narragansett Bay and bordered on the east by the Seekonk River, Providence is a small, friendly city full of history, culture and diverse immigrant communities. A famous religious freedoms advocate, Roger Williams, founded Providence in 1636, when he purchased the land from the Narragansett Indian tribe. A statue of Roger Williams in Prospect Park on the East Side's College Hill commands a breathtaking view of downtown Providence. In the last few years, downtown Providence has been undergoing a striking renaissance that has added an official Arts and Entertainment district and European style to its classic New England beauty.

The East Side of Providence is home to Ivy League Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and the thriving artistic and intellectual community they attract. Many stately, refurbished Colonial and Federalist mansions can be found in and around Brown and College Hill. The drive down Benefit Street is a visual treat of New England architectural beauty, complete with 19th-century-style streetlights; here you will also find historic churches (Baptist and Unitarian) and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. The East Side ends in the east at River Road, a charming drive by a much-filmed boathouse. Downtown and the East Side are both next to Routes 195 and 95, which can quickly take you to some of the beautiful waterside spots of southern Rhode Island (the Ocean State), or on to Boston, one-hour north.

Comfortably fitting into the picturesque East Side neighborhood are a range of small to medium-sized eateries and cafes to suit many tastes. From the elegant riverside The Gatehouse Restaurant in the east (where River Road begins), and the cosmopolitan Rue de L'espoir on (of course) Hope Street, to Louis' Restaurant's diner-style meals on Brook Street, you can find a surprising range of foods and prices in this one very small area. Oliver's Bar and Grille, right next to Louis', has an upstairs game room and weekend karaoke nights for your amusement, while Louis' offers perhaps the most plentiful, reasonably priced breakfasts and lunches to be found in Providence.

East Side Bed and Breakfasts also are quite luxurious and yet competitive in their pricing with the Holiday Inn Downtown, The Westin, The Biltmore, The Radisson Hotel, the Providence Marriott and the newer Providence Courtyard by Marriot. Anyone with meetings downtown can reach it from the East Side area in just minutes. There are handsome green trolleys regularly conveying passengers between these parts of the city, traveling down Brook and Wickenden Streets to pick up people heading for downtown and other neighborhoods, like Smith Hill?home of Rhode Island's commanding State House, next to the train station?and Federal Hill.

Rivers run through it Downtown Providence, where three rivers now run, is reminiscent of Venice, complete with seasonal gondola rides, Riverwalk's quaint arched bridges, and a waterside amphitheater at Waterplace Park that is the frequent site of cultural events and scenes from the TV show "Providence." Providence Place Mall, containing among other outlets a Nordstrom's, Filene's and Cheesecake Factory, is located right across the street from Waterplace Park, and connects to the The Westin Hotel by a sky bridge. Downtown Providence also boasts the unique multi-level Arcade (shops and restaurants) on Westminster Street. A few blocks down from the Arcade is PPAC, the Providence Performing Arts Center, where many shows are booked throughout the year. Just down Washington Street from the Providence Biltmore is the renowned Trinity Repertory, which has a busy schedule of critically acclaimed plays. South Main Street and Thayer Street contain the Cable Car and Avon Cinemas respectively, which show a range of movies but specialize in art house and foreign films.

On designated evenings throughout the year, wood braziers, interspersed along the riverfront between Waterplace Park and Hemenway's Seafood Grille & Oyster Bar on South Main Street, are lit to create the visually stunning Waterfire, which is often accompanied by strolling musicians and other street performers. Nearby are other popular, upscale restaurants, like Capriccio's and Pot au Feu.

A lively Italian neighborhood, Federal Hill, borders the downtown area on the west side and is full of interesting restaurants boasting world-class Italian food. Marking this community just above downtown on Atwells Avenue is a pineapple sculpture on an arch that overhangs the street.

Multiple environments India Point Park and South Water Street border downtown Providence on the southeast. The park is a pleasant spot for boating and strolling. At its end, in front of the hurricane barrier, is the ferry terminal for Rhode Island's nearby vacation spot, Block Island. South Water Street and nearby South Main Street contain clubs and restaurants providing a variety of environments and meals to suit many tastes in one five-block area. Hot Club is a popular nightspot that sits on the water, offering a view of boats moored at the docks next to it. Just north of India Point Park is the Wickenden Street area, a trendy strip of shops, restaurants and cafes. You can eat dinner at the Tokyo Restaurant or Taste of India, then saunter into Café Zog for dessert and possibly some live musical entertainment. Or you can sit on the porch of the The Coffee Exchange, where students and other hip types pick up coffees and muffins. While gay and straight clientele mix comfortably all over the East Side, (and there are gay bars downtown), if you travel east on Wickenden Street you will come to the gay-oriented Castro Café .

The Wayland Square Starbucks on the East Side has a parking lot and sits directly across from a neighborhood bookstore, Books on the Square, where people come to lounge in comfortable chairs and read newspapers. Au Bon Pain, on the East Side's student-oriented shopping strip, Thayer Street, also sells pastries and the ubiquitous coffee. Geoff's on Thayer and Geoff's on Benefit are two versions of a local sandwich shop, offering delicious sandwiches, many of which have been whimsically named after colorful Rhode Island figures.

The south end of Providence contains the award-winning Roger Williams Park Zoo, a lovely and entertaining spot that is home to more than 600 kinds of animals.

All in all, Providence is a welcoming, colorful and charmingly manageable city that lives up to its name: it will "provide" you with everything you could possibly seek in a vacation or business trip locale.

Top 11 Providence Hotels