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Summer Time!

We’ve assembled a guide to all that awaits, inside and (mostly) out, at the beach and in town, and whether your wallet’s feeling thin or thick. The sun is shining. The living is easy. Go have fun.

Photography by Chris Vaccaro

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Free Stuff

Here’s to Art

I made some great friends at a photo exhibit. One’s an artist; the other an art buyer. I’m neither. But there’s no proof of purchasing power or artistic judgment required — just the willingness to yak it up and gulp it down (the free food and wine). Which I can pretty much handle.

Gallery openings, then, are like free cocktail parties with built-in conversation starters. Meet friends, cadge pinot grigio and hummus, and ogle the goods. Someday I’ll buy; meanwhile, I’m developing my eye.

Rhode Island is a grand state to develop this slightly parasitic philosophy. Galleries are scattered liberally throughout the state, with clusters in the eight arts districts, which offer tax breaks. Obvious places to start include Newport, where you can stroll between twenty-five galleries, including Newport Scrimshanders (handmade engraved whale bone) on Bowen’s Wharf, and park free at the Visitor’s Bureau during Gallery Night, the second Thursday of every month (newportgallerynight.com). In Providence, it happens the third Thursday (gallerynight.info), and buses will buzz you around twenty-one galleries from the free parking at Regency Plaza, including the Rhode Island School of Design, where instructors give free art lessons.

Other arts districts are in Pawtucket, Westerly, Woonsocket, Tiverton, Little Compton, Warwick and Warren, where Yes! Gallery on Water Street charms in its historic building, while potters work at Mudstone Studios & Gallery on Cutler Street. Some day soon I’ll raise a glass to them.

Pippa Jack is an unashamed sometime art-gallery malingerer.
 

Walking Boots

Sure, we love the beach. But there’s plenty more to explore in the Ocean State — just not in flip flops.

The starter hike...

Nordland Farm
50 South Killingly Rd., Foster
Length: Cover this easy nature trail in a lazy forty-five minutes.
You’ll see: Fields, woods, farm animals, and an awesome view of the Moosup Valley from one of Rhode Island’s highest points.
Bring: The kids and a picnic lunch.
Parking: Free, call ahead to schedule a visit
(397-7404) nordlandfarm.com.

The seaside hike...

Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge 
Sachuest Point Rd., Middletown
Length: An easy coastal trail loop about two miles long.
You’ll see: Rocky coastline, meadows teeming with birds and wildlife, spectacular ocean views.
Bring: A hat and sunscreen; not much shade here.
Parking: Free, get there early on weekends; visitor center, restrooms.
fws.gov/refuges.

The challenging hike...

Beach Pond Recreation Area
Route 165, Exeter
Length: Miles and miles of wooded hilly trails at the Connecticut border.
You’ll see: Old forests, plentiful ponds and rivers, maybe a beaver dam or a bald eagle.
Bring: A map and compass, or buy a local hiking book, to plot a course and find your way.
Parking: Free in a small unpaved lot. 
riparks.com.

No need to go solo – Rhode Island Families in Nature leads easy hikes for all ages once a month; learn more at rifamiliesinnature.org. The Appalachian Mountain Club Narragansett Chapter leads hikes for beginners to advanced; go to amcnarragansett.org for a listing. Always use bug repellent and check for ticks when hiking. For more info, go to tickencounter.org.
 

Playtime

Let’s face it — your kids will like pretty much any playground. It’s you who appreciates a little something extra (while they take their fiftieth turn on the slide).

Rotary Park
Across from 90 Airport Rd., Westerly
Vibe: Beachy families, new equipment.
They’ll like: Tunnels and slides, wide steps and platforms, and walls with cut-outs for peek-a-boo. Big kids get adventurous with six slides, a zip line, rolling log and obstacle course.
You’ll like: Toddler and school-age sections are fenced off separately; cool-down spot the Children’s Garden includes gazebo and kid-friendly information about plants.
Snack time: Water fountains, plus tables for a picnic from nearby Sandy’s Fine Food Emporium.
 
Impossible Dream Park
575 Centerville Rd., Warwick
Vibe: So fun they’ll never notice it’s wheelchair accessible.
They’ll like: Imaginary playhouses, a multicolored wooden train, and a miniature golf course. Creative elements like King John’s Castle compete with a new puppet theater for kids’ attention.
You’ll like: 1 suggested donations support wish program for chronically ill kids. Full restrooms; pavilions for party rentals.
Snack time: Picnic at the koi pond with water-spraying animals and figurines.

Glocester Memorial Park
52 Adelaide Rd., Glocester
Vibe: Uncrowded, smaller playground next to baseball field.
They’ll like: All the basics plus trapeze rings, ladders with curved rungs, bridges and a zip line. Skate park for older kids.
You’ll like: The varied options satisfy all ages—you could even hit the tennis courts yourself. Playground is par-tially open to baseball fields and stands, so close watch advised. Bring your own lawn chair.
Snack time: Grab a slice at the nearby Aegean Pizza.

Lippitt Memorial Park
1015 Hope St., Providence
Vibe: All ages and skin colors meet at East Side hangout.
They’ll like: The abundance of swings plus seesaw, climbing dome, kiddie telescope and vertical chimes for playing a tune. A nearby water fountain fascinates.
You’ll like:  Bring chess pieces for the checkerboard tables. Or pop your child in a stroller for a nap while you stretch your legs on Blackstone Boulevard.
Snack time: Three Sisters across the street has sandwiches and homemade ice cream.
 

Cool Kids

The best spot for smart cookies to seek out the shade? It’s a no-brainer.  

For kids, the local library might be the coolest place around (literally) come summer. Summer reading programs include many festivities, from craft-making to mad science, that tour the state as part of the statewide “Be Creative @ Your Library” series; all of them make us wish we were kids again.

Ten notables:

1 Hula with the Napua O’Polynesia dance troupe.
2 Laugh at Keith Munslow’s storytelling-music-cartooning extravaganza.
3 Pull up a log bench at Brown Street Park for the Providence Athenaeum Wednesday afternoon story hour.
4 Make stuff disappear with the Great Baldini.
5 Give yourself a henna tattoo at the Teen Art Café [Peace Dale Library].
6 Cover the Robert Beverly Hale library steps in sidewalk chalk [Matunuck].
7 Fall under the spell of local storytellers.
8 Invent a wild whirligig with Mad Science.
9 Learn all the words at a Julie Garnett sing-a-long.
10 Read!

 For a schedule of Be Creative @ Your Library events, visit olis.ri.gov/services/srp/index.php or contact your local branch. For information on Wed-nesday story hours at the Providence Athenaeum, call children’s librarian Lindsay Shaw at 421-6970.