How to See the Trolls in South County
Easy directions on visiting the first portion of recycle artist Thomas Dambo's "Troll Trail" at Ninigret Park.
Greta Granite at the Troll Trail in Ninigret Park. Photo by Jamie Coelho.
The weather was iffy last weekend, but I decided to take a chance on it and drive down to South County with my kiddos to see the magical trolls at Ninigret Park. I knew what the outdoor wooden sculptures looked like, but I didn’t quite know what to expect. I refrained from telling the kids what we were doing because I wanted it to be a surprise and to see their firsthand expressions since they have never seen pictures or videos of the trolls before. When the trolls were first announced, my social media feeds blew up with images of them, which can take away the wow factor once you see them in person. I wanted to preserve that effect for them.
World-renowned Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo created the trolls from repurposed materials like wood, quahog and conch shells, straw, rocks and other natural items. His trolls have been built all over the world, in twenty countries on five continents, including Denmark, China, Australia and Maine, so it is very special that we have our own pair of trolls right here in the Ocean State. The trolls are a symbol of Dambo’s mission to recycle and reuse materials to help cut down on waste and preserve our planet. There are 125 Thomas Dambo trolls in the world, and forty-four are in the USA, including several at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Maine. Local volunteers helped Dambo construct the trolls in Rhode Island.
Erik Rock in Ninigret Park.
We set the GPS to Ninigret Park (5 Park Ln., Charlestown) and drove past the playground to the side of the road, where we noticed people were heading down a walking trail near Little Nini Pond. We followed the signs and other people to search for the trolls in the wooded area. There was one big one, Erik Rock, right at the entrance to the path, which is great for individuals with limited mobility or kids who can’t do the longer hike.
Then we meandered along the trail to find the second troll, Greta Granite, maybe less than a half mile in. You go off the path for a minute and then there’s a sign that redirects you on where to go back into the woods. A string of shells hanging overhead between the trees told us we were heading in the right direction along the trail. Greta Granite is even more magnificent than Erik Rock. Greta is adorned with numerous beach stones and quahog shells, which are part of our native flora and fauna. It’s what makes this sculpture uniquely Rhode Island.
Dambo used what looked to be parts of wooden pallets, straw, sticks, stones, quahog and conch shells and other natural items to create the trolls. In a press release, he explained his thoughts behind the gathering and building process in Rhode Island.
“There are a lot of stones in Rhode Island so I would like to use them to bring people around to see the area. The stones are sacred because they survived from once being mountains. To the trolls, the stones are special, so they collect them but one of them is holy and that is the Thunderstone,” he says. “The project will highlight some of these stones and the beautiful landscape of Rhode Island. I am hoping to do five sculptures over the next few years. These first two are a couple living in Ninigret Park. One is near the lake and the other is hidden in a secret location. It will be a little easter egg hunt where the stones will be the easter eggs, and the trolls are the bunnies leaving the clues.”
It was definitely worth seeing but didn’t take too long, maybe about an hour or less, so we fit in a few other things to do in the area, too.
Ninigret Park is located right next to the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, so you can pack in a few other attractions into a day trip. The Lavender Waves Farm in Wakefield (cut your own lavender begins on June 22) is also right on the way.
Pizza at Pasquale’s.
We started our day trip with a late lunch Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana, and a visit to Neapolis Italian Emporium for Italian goodies and dessert (they have cannoli, Napoleons, chocolate tarts and a whole case of creamy gelato). It’s the most darling Italian food market stocked with Italian provisions for your home kitchen, including importated pastas, olive oils, balsamic vinegars and fresh burrata flown in from Italy, plus prepared foods like Sicilian-style pizza (go across the street for Neapolitan and New York style), calzone, and much more for takeout.
The interior at Neapolis.
The pizza takeout counter at Neapolis.
After the trolls, we went for a nice walk on Charlestown Town Beach to hunt for shells and crabs, and to enjoy the quiet off-season vibe on the coastal stretch. I’m glad we found time to visit the “Troll Trail” in South County, and no I didn’t pack an overnight bag.
Charlestown beach.
Dambo has scouted several locations while in Rhode Island with plans to install several more trolls by next year. The locations have not yet been decided, but they will spread throughout the state to create a true Rhode Island, “Troll Trail.”
