RHODE ISLAND

This 45-room mansion was built in 1908 as the summer home of coal magnate Augustus Van Wickle. The property features gardens, and arboretum on 33 acres overlooking Narragansett Bay. A variety of different gardens on the property can be viewed year-round. The mansion and gardens host many special activities and tours throughout the year.
Hours: The Mansion is open mid-April through Columbus Day, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Gardens & Grounds are open year-round, daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $11; seniors, $9; Youths age 6-17,$3

Linden Place mansion was built in 1810 by the seafaring General George DeWolf in the historic district of Bristol. The property includes the mansion, a ballroom built in 1906, a barn built in the 19th century, and an 18th century summer house. The grounds include historic sculpture and gardens. Live music performances are offered throughout the year.
Guided tours of the estate, featured in the film The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, are given May through Columbus Day, Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and occasional Sundays. Tours by appointment are available November through April by calling 401-253-0390.
Tour highlights include tales of DeWolf family exploits, from their privateering and slave trading to their financial ruin and triumphant return to prosperity during Victorian times. At the tour's end, visitors are welcome to stroll the sculpture-filled gardens where they will find Greek bronzes and an 18th Century gazebo. Hours: Mansion and museum store, May 1 through Columbus Day, Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; office open daily, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Feel history come alive at this charming country setting with an 1812 windmill and other historic buildings. Explore the open green space and walking trails. Featured buildings are the Robert Sherman Windmill, the Guard House (mid-1700s), Hicks House (c.1715), a simple structure of two rooms and a loft; and Sweet-Anthony House (c. 1730), an excellent example of an 18th century, middle-class farmer’s house.
Prescott Farm’s kitchen and herb gardens are living laboratories that showcase period horticulture as well as contemporary gardening practices. The plant varieties grown in the gardens represent what many Aquidneck Islanders may have used for food, medicine and other purposes in the Colonial era. Although certain design features evoke the historic time period, the gardens are maintained using 21st century sustainable techniques.
Workshops are offered at Prescott Farm during the summer and fall each year. Past workshops have included: stonewall building, blacksmithing, open hearth cooking, a beehive tour and tasting, and wind energy past and present. Hours: Grounds are open daily dawn to dusk. See a schedule of upcoming programs at Prescott Farm and our other sites.

The Whitehorne House features some of the best examples of Newport and Rhode Island furniture from the late 18th century. View examples of work by craftsmen from the renowned Townsend and Goddard workshops, including artisan Benjamin Baker. Known as cabinetmakers, these craftsmen created some of the most highly regarded examples of American furniture. Enjoy this remarkable collection in a completely furnished Federal-style mansion along Newport’s waterfront. Stroll through formal gardens featuring a beautiful array of period flowers and plants.
One of the highlights of the Whitehorne House is its beautiful garden. This inviting space is filled with antique roses, blueberry bushes and fruit trees, and a dazzling array of perennials and annuals. Despite its refined geometry, the garden still maintains a rustic quality. From the precious balloon flower to the flamboyant castor plant, this garden will delight you. This space is an interpretation of a Federal period garden for an affluent, urban family.
Hours: Open for tours May 1-October 31, Thursday-Monday

The oldest restored home in Newport, built in 1675. The house is the site of the Stamp Act Riot of 1765 and was home to Colonial governors, justices, and patriots. Property also contains a Colonial herb garden.
Hours: Open during the summer or by appointment. Call for times.

Roger Williams Park is a 430-acre Victorian park with a zoo, a museum of natural history and planetarium, a carousel, a casino, landscaped grounds, and historic buildings. Known as the jewel of Providence, the park attracts more than 3.5 million visitors per year. Among lavish trees, stunning rose gardens, rolling hills and emerald lakes, the Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens is the first of its kind in Rhode Island and one of only a few in the region. The exquisitely designed gardens is a multi-level glass and steel conservatory, rising from a complex of visitor and education facilities. During a visit to the Botanical Center, visitors can relax by a waterfall, enjoy the wonderful fragrance of flowers from around the world, take a child on a scavenger hunt or bring a camera or sketch pad.
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Last ticket will be sold at 3:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $3; children age 6-12, $1. Group rates can be booked for 10 or more people with 10 days advance notice by calling 401-785-9450 ext. 263.

Since the 1890s, Roger Williams Park has been the premier playground for Rhode Island residents. Designed in 1874 by landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland, the park's 435 acres feature over 100 acres of ponds throughout the rolling landscape. The landscape includes specimen trees, the famous Rose Garden, and outdoor sculptures. Major attractions include the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, the Botanical Center, the Casino, the Carousel Village, the Temple to Music, tennis courts, and baseball fields. The park attracts 1.5 million visitors a year and is the site for numerous festivals.
Carousel Village is a popular amusement area located in Roger Williams Park. The main features of the area are a beautiful Victorian-style carousel, the Hasbro Playground, the Depot Cafe, and seasonal outdoor rides. Open April-Columbus Day.
The Casino at Roger Williams Park, built in 1896, features a brick exterior and verandas adorned with Ionic columns, porticos and railings with turned balusters in the Colonial Revival architectural style. A Rhode Island landmark, the casino hosts score of special events each year.
The Zoo at Roger Williams Park includes the exhibits Australasia, Fabric of Africa, a wetlands trail, a farmyard, the Marco Polo Trail, North America, and Tropical America. Open year-round, with many special events for adults and children.
The Museum of Natural History and Planetarium at Roger Williams Park is Rhode Island's only natural history museum and is home to the state's only public planetarium.

James Mitchell Varnum was one of George Washington’s generals. His mansion was built in 1773, and visitors can enjoy the Colonial garden, the paneled walls, and period furnishings.
Hours: June-August, Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Donation suggested.

Prime example of a turn-of-the-century park, designed and constructed by Warren Manning in 1898. The park features dozens of specimen trees, shrubs, and flower beds, along with a pond, fountain, and monuments. Botanical arrangements include a dwarf conifer collection, daylilies, and perennials. Breathtaking in May through fall and the perfect spot for a stroll.
Hours: Open year-round, dawn-11 pm.