Providence Walking Tour: The River at the Heart of the City

Distance: 1.5 miles

Time: 2 hours or less

Parking: Meters on South Main Street and South Water Street

Degree of Difficulty: Generally flat (some ramps); surfaces include wood, grass, and pavement; several short flights of stairs.

Price: Regularly scheduled tours are FREE of charge, although tips are gratefully accepted and reservations are required.

The river has always been at the heart of Providence but it lost its way (literally and figuratively) in the twentieth century. Work over the past 40 years has restored the river to its rightful place.

This historic tour begins and ends near the east side of the beautiful 2019 Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge near the corner of James and South Water Streets, across the street from 334 South Water Street. The route will take you along the riverfront on its eastern shore (the original seventeenth and eighteenth century settlement), across the river and through the market and customs area downtown, back along the west side of the river, and across the pedestrian bridge to the starting point.

So please join us as we walk in the footsteps of the original residents of the city, and learn about the role rivers have to play in the development and prosperity of a city. We’ll look at historic buildings and compare old photographs and paintings with the current appearance of the city. We’ll learn about the city’s inhabitants over the past 500 years. And we’ll explore how and why the river almost disappeared from view, and what’s been done to bring it back.

Visit our website at the following address for more details and photographs.

https://providenceonfoot.com

Tours currently scheduled through August 29, 2026; September-November tours will be scheduled later in the summer.

NOTE: Reservations close 24 hours in advance of the tour.

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Host or Publisher Catherine Hurst