Top Twenty-One Date Ideas in Providence, RI
Providence, RI is a small but very charming New England city with a lot to offer, including culture, great restaurants, lots of outdoor activities, and a riverfront modeled after Venice, Italy! After living here for some years now, I’ve compiled a list of my top date “itineraries” in Providence. Some of these ideas are rather expensive, while others are completely free.
I hope you use this list and go on an amazing date with someone special!
1. Enjoy World-Class Cuisine in Downtown Providence
Downtown Providence has some of the best restaurants in New England. One restaurant I love is CAV, which is an acronym for “Cocktails/Antiques/Victuals”. It’s on the outskirts of downtown in a bit seedy area, but it was nevertheless named one of the top five attractions in Providence by about.com. It is a combination antique store and restaurant with strings of lights and knick-knacks hanging from the ceiling. The ambiance is amazing.
The Dorrance also has an excellent ambiance but in a different way. It features palace-like high ceilings and windows surrounding a grand dining room. The Dorrance is especially known for its cocktails, but their food is great too.
A good friend of mine recommended Gracies, and the menu and ambiance there look awesome!
2. See Live Music or a Play
After dinner, you can catch a show at the Providence Performing Arts Center or the Trinity Repertory Company, or perhaps a live band at The Strand Ballroom & Theatre.
The Columbus Theater on Broadway hosts live music and comedy.
Another venue that features local bands is Fete Music Hall, just a short drive from downtown. Note, this is in a not-so-good part of town, just so you know.
3. Go Ice Skating or Roller Skating
In the winter, there is ice skating at the Alex and Ani City Center. They have convenient skate rental, so just show up! This is one of my favorite downtown Providence activities in the winter!
During the summer, the center is open for roller skating! Skate rentals are available at the ticket window.
4. Dine and Stroll at Waterplace Park
Waterplace Park is a really lovely and romantic area for a date. There are charming walkways and bridges along the river and some really excellent restaurants nearby. One of my favorites is New Rivers, which features fine cuisine in an intimate, charming home-style environment.
Other restaurants in the area that I’d recommend include Mills Tavern for steak and Hemenways for seafood. Note these are pretty expensive joints.
After dinner, take a stroll along the river pathways. It’s a great place for quiet conversation (unless Waterfire is going on, which I’ll get to in the next section). Go one street up the hill to Benefit Street to see some of the oldest homes in Providence, and the oldest Baptist church in America. There is a highly-rated Providence Ghost Tour if you’re into that kind of thing.
If you love books, check out the Providence Athenaeum, one of the oldest libraries in the U.S. It’s open to the public.
To round out the night, drive up to Prospect Park for the best view of downtown Providence.
5. Experience Beautiful Outdoor Dining at the Tree House Tavern
Located just outside of Providence in Warwick is the Tree House Tavern and Bistro, one of the most romantic and charming outdoor dining locations in Rhode Island.
You can also dine indoors in their homey tavern area.
Go on a warm summer, spring, or fall evening where you can enjoy the outdoor ambiance. The menu consists mostly of American dishes with some other influences. They offer lunch and dinner, with breakfast and brunch on weekends.
6. Grab a Drink or Sing Karaoke
If you’d like to grab a drink and listen to some cutting-edge DJ’s, check out the Salon or other clubs and bars in the downtown Providence area.
For an outdoor dining (or drinking) experience, check out the Rooftop at Providence G. One warning, however, you pay for the view because the drinks are expensive. What you can do is get drinks downstairs at the G Pub before going up.
If you’re into karaoke, check out Providence’s only downtown Karaoke joint, The Boombox, near the Dean hotel. It features private rooms if you don’t want to sing in front of strangers, or just want a little privacy.
7. See Masterpieces at the RISD Museum of Art
If you’d rather indulge in some culture during the day, one of my favorite hangouts is the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, which has an amazingly large and respectable collection of art for a city of this size.
8. Paint Something at Muse Paint Bar
If you want to actually make art, not just view it, check out the Muse Paint Bar, two doors down from XO Cafe. This is a cool concept where you and your date sign up for a class and they guide you through creating your own painting, no experience necessary! They even serve wine and beer.
A similar concept, but in Pawtucket, is Paint & Vino on Main.
9. Experience Waterfire
Okay, I’ve talked about some pretty pricey dates so far. Here’s one that can be free if you want.
Waterfire is a festival created by artist Barnaby Evans, located in Waterplace Park and the surrounding areas. It features up to a hundred bonfires in the center of the Providence River, along with food vendors and other entertainment. It happens about twice a month during the summer.
Walk along the riverside pathways, then stop and gaze at the fires while listening to the haunting background music. It’s incredibly romantic!
If you’re really ambitious, you can hire a gondola to take you and your date down the river along the bonfires.
A hidden gem not to be missed is the outdoor swing or salsa dancing at the “TD Bank Ballroom”. Often there is a group lesson beforehand, but the large crowds can make it difficult to see the instructors. Still, there is nothing like dancing under the stars! Cross Memorial Blvd. at College Street to reveal a dance floor and live band.
The key to having a good time at Waterfire is avoiding driving anywhere near the area during the festival. Either arrive really early or be prepared to park far away and walk. Do not try to drive or park nearby during the festival. The streets are overrun with pedestrians and traffic is jammed – a total date mood killer.
If you want to eat at one of the restaurants I described in the previous section, make reservations FAR in advance. Another option is to bring your own food and do a picnic. But, be sure to come early to stake out a prime spot.
I like to get food at the food tents there. It’s generally good quality – not just hamburgers and hot dogs. One of my favorites is the Indian food stand.
10. Walk, Jog, or Ride the Amazing East Bay Bike Path
If you want to do an outdoorsy date, I can’t think of a better place than the East Bay Bike Path. It’s not just for biking – many people walk and jog on it. It’s one of the most beautiful and well-maintained biking/running paths I’ve seen anywhere. You’ll go alongside old railroad tracks, expanses of water, marshes, and wooded areas. It’s all beautifully paved – more than I can say for most Rhode Island streets!
On a hot day, a popular stop for cyclists is Dari Bee for soft-serve ice cream, It’s right along the bike path in the town of Riverside. Note that it’s cash-only and they do not refill water bottles.
Another option for ice cream is Riverside Creamery a few blocks east of the bike path off of Turner Avenue. It’s more out-of-the-way but has higher ratings on Yelp.
Just south of the town of Warren is a nature walk on a wooden boardwalk. This is in the Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, only a short detour from the main path:
If you want some refreshment, get a Dell’s frozen lemonade or an ice cream cone at one of the stands along the way. If you are able to make the full seventeen miles to Bristol, RI, have some seafood at the restaurant at the end of the path.
11. Enjoy the Beauty of the Roger Williams Zoo
For a surprisingly romantic date for adults, check out the Roger Williams Park Zoo. What it lacks in size it makes up in charm. Go in the late afternoon so you can see the sunset over the lake – it is really beautiful.
Check for any special events going on. When I went they had performers in whacky costumes. Around Halloween, I would especially recommend the Jack ‘O Lantern Spectacular, which features thousands of professionally carved pumpkins. Go early as the lines get long later in the evening.
Afterward, have dinner at one of the fine restaurants in downtown Providence like CAV. Click the link below to continue.
12. Have Dinner or Drinks at Fox Point
Grab drinks with a romantic view of the Providence River at sunset at the Hot Club, a Providence staple.
For a more formal white-tablecloth evening, have dinner at Al Forno, which the Boston Globe called Providence’s most influential restaurant.
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