Warwick: Recreation

Warwick: Recreation

Sightseeing

Each of Warwick's 30 distinctive villages has something to offer the sightseer—historic Pawtuxet Village is the oldest in New England and was home to the rabble-rousers who burned the British customs ship, The Gaspee, at the start of the American Revolutionary War. Pawtuxet also served as a stop on the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves prior to and during the Civil War. Warwick City Park is located in the Buttonwoods district, with more than 120 acres of nature trails, beaches, and bike routes. Buttonwoods beaches hosted parties in the 1800s that made New England clambakes popular. The Oakland Beach neighborhood provides access to more beaches and seashore activities, while the Conimicut Village features Conimicut Point Park and Lighthouse. The lighthouse is still operational and in use, thus not open to the public; however, it remains a picturesque and historical structure in a wild and beautiful setting. Apponaug Village once abutted the western wilderness beyond the original Warwick settlement but now is considered the downtown and houses the Victorian-era Warwick City Hall with its six-story clock tower. The Warwick Museum is located in Apponaug as well, with historical exhibitions and displays arranged in the circa-1912 Kentish Artillery Armory building which was built with two wall openings for its Revolutionary War-era cannons.

The Warwick Neck Lighthouse is the last traditional lighthouse built in Rhode Island. Located at the bottom of Warwick Neck, the 1827 lighthouse is still in use today, and also not open to the public. Regardless, its history, dramatic location, and charming exterior continue to attract visitors. The John Waterman Arnold House is a fine example of architecture in the late 1700s; the clapboard house has two stories containing a beehive oven, wall niches in the winding stairwell, a fireplace, and paneled walls. This structure is now home to the Warwick Historical Society.

The Industrial Revolution started spinning at Slater Mill in nearby Pawtucket. A living history museum acknowledges the contribution Samuel Slater made to the manufacturing industry locally when he constructed the first cotton mill in the state. Demonstrations of nineteenth-century water-power, arts, crafts, and gardening take place during daily tours from March through October.

The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence is the third oldest zoo in the country and now contains a polar bear habitat, a collection of bison, and the Marco Polo Trail. The Trail recreates Marco Polo's three-year exploration through Asia and combines the zoological experience with history and culture.

The State of Rhode Island has developed a Heritage Trail system that provides sightseers with efficient, educational, and fun routes to follow throughout the state. The Warwick Heritage Trail runs from the upper Narragansett Bay into the western hills of Rhode Island, encompassing a number of the historical sites mentioned above. Trail maps can be obtained from Warwick City Hall. Tours by water can be an excellent way to get the big picture of Warwick and can be arranged for small or large groups.

Arts and Culture

The Warwick Museum of Art in the downtown Apponaug Village coordinates showings by Rhode Island painters, sculptors, photographers, and ceramicists in addition to exhibitions by artists from across the nation and the globe. Performance art shows also are held in the museum, including poetry and prose readings and comedy troupe acts. The Museum School provides art workshops and classes for students of all ages throughout the year. Complements Art Gallery in Warwick offers art consultation services, exhibitions, and art sales to private individuals and corporations.

In nearby Providence, the Waterfire exhibit must be seen to be believed. The award-winning "fire sculpture" consists of 100 bonfires suspended just above the surface of the three rivers that run through downtown, illuminating an expanse of urban public spaces and parks. Fire tenders silently maintain the blazes, dressed all in black for increased drama, and the entire experience is a feast for the senses. The Rhode Island School of Design in Providence is home to an eclectic collection of art ranging from antiquarian times to the contemporary. The nearly 80,000 works are international and are in every variety of media, including sculpture, textiles, painting, and photography.

Also in Providence and recently restored to its original 1928 opulence, the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) was originally a Loew's Movie Palace and now is home to touring Broadway shows, theatrical offerings of all sorts, current and classical movies, and concerts. The PPAC contains a rare Mighty Wurlitzer organ to accompany screenings of silent films. The Providence Black Repertory Company stages performances year-round at its theatre center, with professional productions that celebrate the creativity and unique view of black theatre in the U.S. The Trinity Repertory Company in Providence produces annual performances of A Christmas Carol and a summer Shakespeare Project, along with seven other shows throughout its season. The Trinity stages its productions in the restored 1917 Majestic Theatre and provides educational outreach programs to local schools.

The Narragansett Bay Chorus makes its home in Providence at the Providence Performing Arts Center, but the group sings throughout Rhode Island and neighboring states. Performances are a capella in the barbershop quartet style. Opera Providence is in its sixth season as a professional-level opera company, staging comic and tragic operas such as Carmen, La Boheme, and Porgy and Bess. Festival Ballet of Providence puts on four performances per season in addition to its annual production of The Nutcracker.

Arts and Culture Information: Providence/Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, One West Exchange Street, Providence, RI 02903; telephone (401)274-1636; toll free (800)233-1636

Festivals and Holidays

BrightNight Providence is the biggest New Years party in Rhode Island, with more than 160 performers such as jugglers, acrobats, musicians, and magicians. At the end of March or in early April, Shawomet Baptist Church's Easter sunrise services are held at the Warwick Neck Lighthouse. The Warwick area then kicks off summer with frequent clambakes, seafood festivals, and the Gaspee Days Festival, held over the Memorial Day weekend. The colonial history of Pawtuxet and Warwick's other villages is celebrated with costume contests, fireworks, an arts and crafts fair, reenactment of the burning of The Gaspee, and a golf scramble. The same weekend, Oakland Beach puts on a festival as well. Pawtuxet hosts a Kayak Regatta in mid-June, with prizes awarded in several categories. The June Festival Del Sanchoco in Providence showcases the Latino community in a party centered around a flavorful stew. Recipe competitions, music, booths, crafts, and entertainment make this a family-friendly event. Warwick's Summer Concert Series is held on Wednesday nights from mid-June through mid-August. Also in mid-August, cinema buffs can cool off in an air-conditioned theater while enjoying the Rhode Island International Film Festival, a six-day juried art show with entries from across the planet in categories such as animated short, documentary, and feature presentations. The festival is accompanied by the Providence Film Festival, which acknowledges local film producers.

Downtown Warwick welcomes fall with the Apponaug Festival, held in the historic village at the center of the city in September, followed by the three-day St. Gregory the Great Parish Festival. Providence welcomes the Halloween season with the Rhode Island International Horror Festival in late October. Short films, documentaries, and scary cinema of all varieties are screened at the Columbus Theatre, with a juried competition among entrants. The Great International Beer Competition and Festival takes place in November; Providence is home to this celebration of the grain, in which more than 50 local, regional, national and international breweries compete for top honors in 10 categories. November is also the month for the Warwick Annual Indoor Powwow, featuring dances, costumes, and foods of the native people who first populated the region. The weekend of Veterans Day features the historical remembrances of the Warwick Heritage Festival.

Sports for the Spectator

Baseball fans may need to commute a short distance to get their fix, but just north of Providence is the home of the Pawtucket Red Sox, a AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise. The stars of tomorrow (and sometimes yesterday) play home games at McCoy Stadium. For fans who want to see the baseball stars of today, the 2004 champion Boston Red Sox and storied Fenway Park are a mere 50 miles to the north.

The Providence Bruins compete in minor league hockey in the American Hockey League. An affiliate of the Boston Bruins, the Providence team plays its home games in the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The Boston Bruins play in the National Hockey League and over the years have featured standout players such as Bobby Orr and Ray Borque, who went on to win the Stanley Cup as part of the Colorado Avalanche. Other professional teams in Boston are the Celtics (NBA basketball), the New England Patriots (NFL football and winners of three recent Superbowls), and the New England Revolution (Major League Soccer).

Brown University in Providence competes in the Ivy League of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, with men's and women's programs in basketball, crew, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, fencing, track, and swimming. Boston's universities and colleges also sponsor varsity sports.

Sports for the Participant

Warwick boasts 39 miles of coastline and dozens of marinas, making boating one of the major recreational activities. Anchorage is good in Greenwich Cove and Warwick Cove, where sailors can pilot their own vessels, rent a boat, or take instruction. Rental canoes and kayaks can also be obtained for exciting or leisurely outings on the bay or rivers, depending on the section attempted. Many of the city and state parks are excellent spots for fishing, and anglers can either go after marine varieties like swordfish, bluefin tuna, and striped bass or freshwater fish such as black bass, rainbow trout, and yellow perch. Saltwater swimming, surfing and boogie boarding can be enjoyed at Goddard Memorial State Park, Oakland Beach Park, and City Park Beach. For a more leisurely water experience, take a lazy float down the Providence River on a gondola, leaving from Citizens Plaza in Providence.

The City of Warwick coordinates more than 850 acres of recreational facilities, including bike paths, 56 ball fields, 39 tennis courts, 32 basketball courts, 2 ice rinks, 8 parks, 53 playgrounds, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The Mickey Stevens Sports Complex alone houses two bocce courts, two basketball courts, a baseball field, two indoor ice rinks, an indoor pool, six tennis courts, and a jogging track. Local golf courses are located at Goddard State Park (a nine-hole public course), Potowomut Golf Club (an 18-hole private course), the Seaview Country Club (nine holes that are semi-private), and the Warwick Country Club (private course with 18 holes).

Hiking and bird-watching can be had both at Goddard State Park near Warwick and across the Narragansett Bay at the Prudence and Patience Islands Wildlife Management Area in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Shopping and Dining

Warwick has become a retail trade monster, home to two of Rhode Island's largest malls. The Warwick Mall on Bald Hill Road is anchored by four department stores—Macy's, JCPenney, Filene's and Old Navy. An expansive food court and hundreds of national chain shops draw shoppers from throughout the New England region. The somewhat smaller and more discount-oriented Rhode Island Mall next door on Bald Hill Road contains a WalMart and a Kohl's department store. Pontiac Mills adds a historical touch to the shopping experience—an eclectic mix of shops, boutiques, galleries, antique stores, art dealers, and custom furniture purveyors are now resident in the renovated former textile mill that once housed the Fruit of the Loom company. Pawtuxet Village has also cultivated a quaint feel in its shops, coupled with an unbeatable harbor view. Ann & Hope Outlet Plaza is a Warwick original; opened as the first discount self-service store, Ann & Hope has evolved into a collection of deep-discount retail outlets. Other shopping meccas include Bald Hill Commons, Bald Hill Plaza, CompUSA Plaza, Greenwich Village, Marketplace Center, Summit Square, and Warwick Commons.

Seafood is big in Warwick, both literally and figuratively—chowder houses, fish 'n' chips stands, clam shacks, and lobster eateries abound. A local delicacy, the quahog is a large and tasty hard-shell clam that is often featured in Warwick clambakes. As a reflection of Warwick's immigrant past, a wide menu of ethnic cuisines are served, with an emphasis on Chinese fare and Italian dishes. Restaurant ambience ranges from fast-food sites to fine bistros in upscale settings. Several locally-owned coffeehouses round out the offerings, and a visit to Johnson & Wales' fine culinary institute in Providence might yield the opportunity to get a foretaste of great chefs to come.