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One thing we love about New England is our four seasons: winter, allergy, hurricane, and (our current season) construction and road work. With Memorial Day and the Fourth of July having been rainy washouts, we are all feeling like summer has been under a dark cloud lately, but RPL has you covered.
We present below a list of fabulous, rain-proof activities for summer in Southern New England. From indoor leisure to water-adjacent excitement, there are many ways to make this time of year fun for the whole family, or at least drier for the whole family.
Here are suggestions for every kind of lousy weather event.
🌧 Drizzle – Find treats at new ice cream shops
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Your taste buds don’t know it’s rainy and windy, so why not sample some of the area’s new ice cream offerings!
Sacred Cow Scoop Shop, helmed by esteemed Munroe Dairy, presents hard ice cream, soft serve, and of course its famous, farm-fresh, glass-bottled milk. Whose day wouldn’t be brighter after a classic sundae topped with their homemade hot fudge?
Another sweet selection is on Providence’s Dean Street, where you’ll find Helado Taiyaki. For the uninitiated (I had to look it up), taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake which here has been paired with delicious, locally sourced soft serve to create what the company calls “A Latin twist on a Japanese dessert.” Its organic confections lend flavor, fun, and color on days when it’s needed most.
Small craft advisory – Ferry boat rides
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Even if you’re a local, the Providence | Newport Ferry has probably been on your list of things to try for the past few years. Its indoor cabin protects from precipitation while providing a new perspective on the coastline from Providence to Bristol and Newport. As a bonus, infants 2 and under ride for free.
Then there is always the option to sail away (sing it with me) on the Block Island Ferry. Taking off from Point Judith, Newport, and Fall River, this ferry ride delivers you to Block Island while taking you back to “carefree times.” If you consider rain among your “troubles,” then leave them behind to sail the ocean blue (or more likely gray).
Downpour – Embrace neighborhood pubs
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As long as we’re stuck in the London fog, go with the UK vibe and take the family out to Aidan’s Pub in Bristol, offering traditional pub fare and a wide beer selection.
If a Matunuck beach day goes awry, step into The Pub right off “the ocean” or stay close to the city with an atmospheric brunch at Sullivan’s Publick House in Pawtucket.
Golf ball size hail – Play indoor golf
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Perhaps golf is in your fore!-cast. Even in wet weather, you can hit the virtual links at Newport Indoor Golf where it’s always raining buckets...of golf balls. Located on West Main Road in Portsmouth ‒ inside the Newport Car Museum no less ‒ they use Trackman 4 dual-radar technology to measure the details and accuracy of every shot you take. Players and coaches receive metrics and analysis for helpful instruction and improvement on your game, you know...should the weather ever clear up.
🗲 Enlightening – Discover intellectual pursuits
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Rain makes a cozy room and a book seem appropriate, so stop by The Providence Athenaeum, which is currently scheduled to reopen to the public next month. If history proves correct, it may well be raining cats and dogs there because The Athenaeum permits well-behaved, leashed canines and felines to accompany you while you absorb an amazing array of rare books, busts, paintings, prints, and sculptures.
Alternatively, why not take your mind off the forecast and instead look back? The Lippitt House, a Victorian home and museum built in 1865, preserves a unique moment in Providence’s industrial history. This National Historic Landmark offers tours exploring how the city evolved and helped shape present-day Rhode Island. Staff share stories focusing on the people who lived and worked in the house, inspiring rich discussions of industry, immigration, design, and civic engagement.
Chance of showers – Try a spa
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On a soggy day, indulge in a bit of healing at a luxurious spa. Hydrotherapy, which involves the application of water in all its hot and cold forms, is available from The Bodhi Spa. A “Water Journey” lets you rejuvenate with a gauntlet of water-based therapies, including a 104-degree epsom salt pool, a 98-degree Dead Sea salt pool, a stimulating 55-degree cold plunge pool, and further steam and sauna treatments with private showers included.
If you’re really craving salt, the Four Elements Salon and Spa in Westport, MA lets you spend a 50-minute session inside their Himalayan salt cave. Salt Therapy is said to alleviate stress, depression, and anxiety, so season this sodden summer to taste. Their zero-gravity chairs help you disengage further from the storms of daily living and reboot relaxation.
Rain-fall – Get a start on your autumn wardrobe
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The cure for a tropical depression is shop therapy. Early, pre-fall shopping in not-too-hot weather may well get your next-season wardrobe juices flowing. Consider a trip to Cranston’s Garden City Center or to the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets® for deals on scarves, pullovers, and jackets.
⛈ Scat-tered showers – Support local jazz musicians
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For the past 40 years, Chan’s has been a unique fixture in Woonsocket. Step inside and enjoy four schools of Chinese cooking, including Cantonese, Szechwan and Hunan, Mandarin, and Shanghai, as you watch shows from prominent musical acts. Its dining room, Horseshoe Bar Lounge, and 130-seat Four Seasons Jazz and Blues Club create three magical atmospheres to enjoy a dry martini on a rain-drenched night.
Check out the regularly updated WRIU jazz listings to find all the ways to savor and support Southern New England musicians. Song recommendations: “Stormy Weather,” “Over the Rainbow,” and “Misty.”
Cooler on the coast - Visit the aquarium or whaling museum
Sometimes taiyaki just isn’t enough. Rhode Island is bookended by two terrific options to explore and experience marine life.
To the west in Mystic, CT sits Mystic Aquarium, where you can skip the damp and dive into undersea virtual reality, view an indoor gallery of colorful fish from a 35,000-gallon tank, and touch the silky cownose stingray at the Ray Touch pool (not yet part of the Bodhi Spa Water Journey).
To our east, discover The New Bedford Whaling Museum, which provides a special mix of local history, art, culture, and science. Five enormous whale skeletons, the world’s largest ship model, and America’s longest painting are just some of the unusual spectacles on offer. Learn important lessons on conservation, connect with area whaling history, and buy an umbrella in the gift shop.
Isolated thunder – Enjoy time alone
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Whether it’s a visit to a local art gallery, a Newport Mansion tour, or just people-watching at a coffee shop, rain sets the right mood for letting your thoughts and ideas wander when wandering outside is not ideal.
Just because the weather isn’t glorious, it doesn’t mean you have to take a raincheck on summer. Get out there and enjoy New England!
