2026 Rhode Island Travel Guide | Hotels, Dining & Attractions

Whether you’re a lifelong local or planning your first Ocean State getaway, our 2026 Editors’ Picks spotlight the very best places to eat, stay, shop, and explore for your Rhode Island travel. Hand-selected by the Yankee team—with help from regional experts—these standout spots capture the charm, creativity, and character that make Rhode Island unforgettable.

2026 Rhode Island Travel Guide

2026 Best Rhode Island Attractions

Best Agritourism Stop:
The Farmer’s Daughter, South Kingstown

Follow the winding brick “road” at this sprawling gardening and gifting mecca. Outdoors, find plants, shrubs, trees, statuaries, and garden ornaments, while greenhouses hold native and unusual annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, and houseplants. From summer into late autumn, stroll through pick-your-own flower fields. Fall brings mums and heirloom pumpkins galore, followed by handmade wreaths, ornaments, and farm-grown trees. Be sure to wander through the rustic-chic gift shop sheds, too.

Best Food Festival:
Rhode Island Calamari Festival, Narragansett

Rhode Island is the only state with an official state appetizer. Back in 2014, state legislators signed a bill granting Rhode Island–style calamari—lightly breaded and fried squid rings and tentacles tossed in butter and garlic and served with hot cherry peppers—the coveted distinction. An average of 22 million pounds of squid are harvested in the Ocean State each year, which is what inspired the town of Narragansett’s chamber of commerce to create a whole festival every September that pays homage to the signature dish with samples from local restaurants.

Best Free Family Attraction:
Troll Trail, East Bay and South County

With three additions to Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s eco-friendly outdoor installation finished, the Ocean State’s five-figure troll trail is now complete—and with a car and a bit of planning, you can easily cover it all in an afternoon. Start at the secret coastal spot off the East Bay Bike Path in East Providence to see Mrs. Skipper, one of the newest creations crafted from repurposed wood and natural materials, then hit the road to see four more fantastical characters, including Young Boulder of Browning Mill Pond in the Arcadia Management Area, Iver Mudslider of North Kingstown’s Ryan Park, and Erik Rock and Greta Granite in Charlestown’s Ninigret Park.

Best Free Summer Event:
Bristol’s Fourth of July Celebration, Bristol

In a town where the road stripes are painted red, white, and blue year-round, the Fourth of July fireworks and parade better be good. Bristol’s Independence Day party dates back to 1785 and is considered the country’s oldest continuous celebration. The town makes the festivities a weeks-long affair—especially this year, for America’s 250th celebration—that draws visitors from around the world for free outdoor concerts, a carnival, and a Fourth of July Ball, followed by the impressive two-part fireworks-and-parade finale.

Best Fun Spot for Grown-Ups:
Mishnock Barn, West Greenwich

Line dancing is serious business at this rural red-sided barn, where leather cowboy boots and Stetson hats are part of the dress code. Sign up for a step-by-step lesson, or show off your time-invested skills on the dance floor, where age-18-plus patrons can two-step and grapevine to the latest country hits. Make sure to bring cash for cover and bring your dancing boots. Yee-haw!

Best Home Goods Shop:
Sayles Livingston Home, Tiverton

Jazz up your home at this intimate Tiverton Four Corners shop where interior design mavens peruse heirloom-worthy home decor from local artisans, custom bedding, breezy coastal art, hardy handcrafted furniture, and more. With fresh floral arrangements and a signature candle scent that permeates the two floors of one-of-a-kind goods, the atmosphere inspires designers and clients to dream up different looks for a range of coastal cottages and elaborate estates.

Best Indie Music Store:
Olympic Records, Providence

Fox Point is like what Thayer Street used to be like in Providence, lined with quirky independent shops and multicultural restaurants that draw students from Brown University and RISD, far from corporate chains. This record store still reigns on Wickenden Street, where music enthusiasts buy and sell vintage vinyl while sharing epic stories about live shows from way back in the day.

Best New Cultural Attraction:
AAPI History Museum, Providence

The first-ever Asian American Pacific Islander history museum in the United States opened in Providence to tell the untold stories of the AAPI community. Exhibits involving images, videos, and audio change periodically to highlight AAPI migration journeys across the diaspora—including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Nepali, and Southeast Asian refugee communities such as Cambodian, Lao, and Vietnamese Americans. Research and displays cover four overarching themes, including activism, identity, immigration/migration, and solidarity while amplifying AAPI voices and fostering cross-cultural understanding.

2026 Best Rhode Island Dining

Best Breakfast Spot:
Irregardless, Providence

You’d have to travel down south to have biscuits as good as these. Thankfully, Irregardless co-owner and North Carolina native James Dean brought his grandmother’s recipe up north for sharing. The tiny corner nook’s kitchen works with the same flour that Dean’s family used, bringing it up to Providence by the truckload. These buttery, crisp biscuits are the base for spectacular bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, including the favorite, Howard’s Biscuit, with extra-thick maple-and-pepper-glazed bacon.

Best Burger:
There, There, Providence

There’s no ego involved with the Dream Burger, which stars two stacked smash patties with cheese on a sesame-seed-studded bun finished with patty sauce and onion jam. But the Oklahoma is all about showing off with a crown of griddled onions, sweet mustard, and pickles. When locals need a lift, There, There’s burgers are like a full-body hug wrapped in a comfort food fix. Add a side of house fries or the signature buttery Central New York Salt potatoes for the full embrace.

Best Coffee Shop:
Coastal Roasters, Tiverton

While many coffee shops obsess over creating the latest viral latte and quirky Wi-Fi passwords, Coastal Roasters sticks to its beans. The eclectic respite has been hand-roasting its own coffee beans since 2002, serving specialty, organic, and fair-trade blends. The line might stretch out the door from the standing-room-only shop, but guests can soak up waterfront views at picnic tables and colorful Adirondack chairs, brew in hand.

Best Craft Cidery:
Sowams Cider Works Company, Warren

Owner Spencer Morris cultivates 40 heirloom, European, and traditional apple varieties at Touisset’s Long Lane Orchard for his handcrafted ciders fermented at his tasting room location. He harvests apples on an idyllic stretch of land where native pollinators are abundant, then grinds the fruit and squeezes the mash using two hand-cranked, antique rack-and-cloth system presses. Morris depends mostly on natural yeast for fermentation and ages the juice until it’s ready to represent itself as a taste of fall in a glass.

Best French Bistro:
Audette, Newport

Take a trip to Paris in Newport at the new French-inspired bistro, Audette, located alongside the Bouchard Inn. In warmer months, opt for a casual seat on the patio in the charming seasonal side area between Audette and Thames Street Kitchen—called Sarah’s Bar—or go more formal in the white-tablecloth dining room. Audette’s chef de cuisine Jasmine Watson (a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for best emerging chef) interprets a deconstructed Caesar salad with a crisp parmesan topping, along with other classic French dishes like tender escargots with garlic herb butter, rich duck with local beets, roasted onions and verjus, and delicate quenelles de halibut.

Best Leisurely Lunch:
The Carriage House at The Elms, Newport

Live like they did in the Gilded Age with a lavish lunch at the newly restored Carriage House at The Elms. The Preservation Society of Newport County teamed up with Kirby Perkins Construction to transform the gorgeous historic building into a restaurant and café overlooking The Elms’ sprawling gardens and gurgling fountains. Stoneacre Hospitality Group, whose portfolio includes Newport’s popular Stoneacre Brasserie, supplies the food, including salads, sandwiches, and pasta; beer, wine, and cocktails are also available. It brings “ladies who lunch” to a whole new level of sophistication.

Best New Restaurant:
Claudine, Providence

How fitting that this 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for best new restaurant is right across the street from the Providence Performing Arts Center, since getting a dinner reservation here is akin to snagging a backstage pass to an exclusive show. Moody lighting sets the stage for an open-kitchen culinary performance led by chef-owners Josh Finger and Maggie McConnell, both alums of Thomas Keller’s Per Se. Costarring in this production are New England’s finest seasonal ingredients, beautifully showcased in an eight-course chef’s tasting menu.

Best Pizza:
Twin’s Pizza, North Providence

The thick Sicilian-style square pizza at Twin’s is well done in more ways than one. Rhode Island natives have been singing the iconic family restaurant’s praises since it was opened more than six decades ago by the same family that runs it today. The crispy-edged pies with caramelized cheese and thick focaccia-like dough can be dotted with pepperoni curls or peppers and onions. Each pie is best left in the oven for a few extra hot seconds to elevate it from well done to outstanding.

Best Restaurant with a View:
Coast Guard House, Narragansett

Built in the late 19th century as a station for the United States Life Saving Service—today’s U.S. Coast Guard—this impressive granite edifice designed by architectural icons McKim, Mead & White stands strong against the sometimes tumultuous but mostly gentle surf along Narragansett Beach. Converted into a restaurant in the 1940s, the Coast Guard House is now known for serving impeccably fresh, locally harvested seafood inside its elegant dining room, across sprawling seaside decks, and from a rooftop perch with sweeping views of Narragansett Bay.

Best Seafood Restaurant:
Dune Brothers, Providence

The beloved outdoor seafood shack finally has a full restaurant location with a roof over its head. With nautically inspired interior design to match its Rhode Island–sourced seafood theme, the indoor spot with an outdoor patio has all the familiar shack favorites like fish and chips, lobster rolls, and clam cakes and chowder as well as elevated options like brown butter roasted skate with capers and a complete raw bar with oysters, clams, crab claws, and crudo. They also have a fish market out front where you can buy fresh seafood for home cooking. More sea fare awaits at two seasonal outdoor shacks in Providence and Riverside and the year-round outpost at Track 15 food hall.

2026 Best Rhode Island Lodging

Best New Hotel:
Gardiner House, Newport

This 21-room waterfront hotel in downtown Newport comes equipped with sumptuous spaces and its own top-level restaurant, Flora. Arriving guests are greeted by a curved staircase with a spellbinding mural that is a re-creation of a hand-painted masterpiece by renowned American artist Howard Gardiner Cushing, who is the hotel co-owner’s great-grandfather. (The 1905 original still exists at the family’s Newport estate, The Ledges.) The hotel’s handsome yet cozy Studio Bar is decorated with vivid jade green walls, a wood-burning fireplace, velvet and leather seating, and a fine art collection worthy of a museum.

Best Pet-Friendly Hotel:
The Beatrice, Providence

Providence’s The Beatrice has a Pampered Pup Package, through which man’s best friend scores perks like a doggy bed and bowl in the room and a pet treat from a local bakery. Leashed four-legged friends are welcome in public areas, and the hotel’s just a quick jaunt from Grant’s Block dog park on Westminster Street. Ideas for other nearby dog-friendly destinations are provided by the concierge. Human companions soak up luxury digs and dining.

Best Reading Retreat:
The Brenton Hotel, Newport

Perhaps the only hotel with a resident “booktender” on staff who handpicks a list of good reads each season (available for lending in the lobby), Newport’s Brenton Hotel just launched a Bed, Breakfast & Books package for bibliophiles. It includes daily breakfast for two, a hand-selected book from the booktender’s current curation, and a noon checkout, for those who wish to linger longer on the page.

Best Romantic Inn:
The Cliffside Inn, Newport

The Cliffside Inn was once a private residence, but its 16 rooms have been converted into jewel-toned private hideaways with their own distinctive personalities. Lark Hospitality put its signature design spin on the quarters with quirky wallpapers, colorful prints, and plush fabrics. The Victorian manor, built around 1876, is steps away from Newport’s famed Cliff Walk, where couples can take a romantic stroll followed by a champagne-sipping session at the outdoor firepit or on the deck surrounded by stunning coastline views and stately gardens.

Best Solo-Travel Escape:
Alayne White Private Weekend Retreat, Bristol

Take a digital vacation and let Alayne White do all the planning for once. The spa owner and beloved wellness expert will design every bit of a two-night, three-day escape, customized by a phone call, that includes lodging in White’s private residence or in a nearby Airbnb, most meals, and personalized itineraries for every personality. Travelers who are flying solo can explore the Ocean State’s most beautiful places with built-in relaxation rituals and a little mental and physical therapy in between to restore you back to your best self.

Honorees were selected by Yankee editors with contributions from Jamie Coelho, editor in chief of Rhode Island Monthly and author of the recently published travel guide Rhode Island Food Crawls.

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