Benefit Street and College Hill - The tree-lined Benefit Street contains an outstanding collection of 18th and 19th century houses and mansions. Additionally, a popular overlook of the Downtown Providence skyline and Rhode Island State House is available at Prospect Park on Prospect Street. Popular with visitors to the city, Benefit Street is also host to the seasonal Providence Ghost Walk (below under "do"), where one may see the ghost of poet Edgar Allan Poe, who was said to spend extended amounts of time in the city, strolling down Benefit.
Federal Hill: This famous Providence area is located just west of downtown, and is quickly and easily accessible from downtown by walking, biking, or trolley ride. This area is known for its Italian heritage, and is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. Some have even compared it to Little Italy in NYC. In 1994, the movie “Federal Hill” was filmed here. At present, Showtime is filming its second season of their critically-acclaimed series "Brotherhood" in and around the Federal Hill area; a neighborhood referred to in the series as "The Hill", a fictitious Providence neighborhood representative of Federal Hill. There is plenty to do in Federal Hill, including shopping, dining, and nightlife. There are many nationally renowned Italian restaurants here, including Andino's, Old Canteen, and Cassarino's. There are also a number of retailers whose specialty is “Authentic Italian Food,” such as Venda Ravioli, Via Roma, and Tony's Colonial. Gasbarro's Wines is also located on Atwells, and carries an extensive variety of wines, both local and international. Impressive bakeries and pastry/confection shops also in the Federal Hill area are Scialo Bakery, Pastiche, and Ocean State Chocolates. Running roughly parallel to Atwells Avenue is Broadway. Broadway has been referred to as the "Bellevue Avenue" of Providence due to the number of large Victorian mansions lining both sides of the street, in reference to the famous mansion-lined Bellevue Avenue of nearby Newport, Rhode Island.
The East Side- The East Side (not to be confused with East Providence) starts on the east side of Waterplace park and sits atop College Hill. Within the East Side, lies the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. One of the oldest parts of the city, the East Side is home to historical houses and buildings and a plethora of unique areas including, the Blackstone District, College Hill District, and the India Point district. The East Side is great for walking around, visiting eclectic shops along famous Thayer Street, and viewing other parts of Providence from the East Side's Prospect Park, located on Congdon Street (between Benifit and Prospect).
Thomas Street - Between Benefit (to the east) and North Main (to the west).
Westminster Street - Between Memorial Boulevard (to the east) and Empire Street (to the west).
North & South Main Street - Between Planet Street (to the south) and Meeting Street (to the north)
Weybosset Street - Between Westminster (to the east) and Dorrance Street (to the west).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Providence
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Providence - updated May 2024
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Providence Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
