5 RI Road Trips: Leaf-Peeping, Lighthouses, Carousels, Purgatory Chasm

RHODE ISLAND — At only 1,214 square miles and the smallest state in the country, Rhode Island is perfect for day trips. But there’s so much to see and experience, road trippers may want to spend a couple of days exploring it all.

As one of the original 13 colonies, the state is full of historical sites that help tell the story of the birth of a nation. The state is known as the sailing capital of the world, and Newport is often an America’s Cup stop. The state’s coastline is staggeringly beautiful, and autumn is one of the prettiest times of the year in New Hampshire.

Below are five road trip suggestions; add your own in the comments.

Fall leaf-peeping: One of the best things about living in Rhode Island, or New England in general, is the autumn splendor. This 123-mile road trip starts at Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln and winds through Sprague Farm in Chepachet, via US-44; George B. Parker Woodland in Coventry via US-44/RI-116; Big River Management Area in West Greenwich via RI-3S; and Arcadia Management Area in North Kingstown via RI-102S. From there, take US-1S to Burlingame State Park in Charlestown.

Late September or early October is usually a great time to plan your trip. The Fall Foliage Predictive Map can help you plan your trip to see the leaves at their most brilliant.

• Related: Fall Foliage Map: When Is The Best Time For Rhode Island Leaf-Peeping Tours?

Be a keeper of the light: The Ocean State boasts 21 working lighthouses. Any one of these stalwart sentinels, some elegant and pristine and others weathered workhorses, have guided mariners to the shore since the 1800s. They’re all worth a peek, and the Rose Island Lighthouse at Newport is even a bed-and-breakfast that can be reserved for a night or two or even a full week. Guests will be able to “walk in the steps of a lightkeeper” to the top of the lighthouse

While in Newport, check out the Ida Lewis Rock Lighthouse, the only one in Rhode Island named after an individual; the Newport Harbor Lighthouse, the first to guide mariners into the bustling Newport of the 1800s; and the Castle Hill Lighthouse, all in Newport.

Don’t miss the Beavertail Lighthouse at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It’s located in Beavertail State Park, which offers some of the best ocean views in the state and is worth a visit on its own. The lighthouse dates back to 1856 and sits on a 153-acre site at the southern end of Conanicut Island. It’s one of the most photographed landmarks in the state.

Roadside attractions road trip: This quirky Rhode Island road trip is courtesy of Only In Your State. It starts in Charlestown at The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, billed as a “nineteenth-century farmyard shopper’s paradise and international bazaar.” There’s no actual umbrella factory, though. From there, head to Exeter on RI-2N and see a giant metal scorpion at the entrance to Exeter Scrap Metal.

Next, hop on Interstate-95N and head to Providence and take a gander at Nibbles, the Big Blue Bug (actually, it’s the mascot of Big Blue Bug Solutions). While in Providence, don’t miss the Gun Totem, artist Boris Bally’s 12-foot-tall sculpture constructed in 2001 with guns obtained during a firearm buy-back program called Guns for Goods, founded by Dr. Michael P. Hirsch.

Jump on I-95S and continue to Portsmouth, where you’ll find the Green Animals Topiary Garden, which has more than 80 topiary animals and other figures. Colorful flowers at the gardens continue through Oct. 1. Also, the exhibition “Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects” continues through Sept. 10.

About 10 miles south via RI-138 is the Newport Tower Museum. The stone tower is what remains of a windmill built in the mid-17th century. There have been multiple theories about who built the windmill and why. One of the most recent is that the tower was a grand time-keeping device.

To reach the final stop, travel via RI-138W and RI-1A to the Narragansett Indian Monument, a 23-foot sculpture carved from a single Douglas Fir by Peter Toth. It is one of 74 such monuments in the nationwide Trail of the Whispering Giants to honor Native Americans.

Take a whirlwind carousel tour: Among multiple reasons to visit Westerly is to see the Flying Horse Carousel, also known as the Watch Hill Carousel, a nod to the affluent coastal neighborhood where it’s located. The National Register of Historic Places-listed carousel is believed to be the only surviving flying horse carousel in the United States and the longest continuously operating carousel in the country. Historians believe it was built in 1867 and acquired in 1883 by a carnival company that later abandoned it.

About 50 miles away on I-95N, the circa 1895 Crescent Park Looff Carousel awaits in Riverside, where the nationally recognized wood sculpture stands as the official state symbol of folk art. In 1985, the Rhode Island General Assembly proclaimed the Carousel as the State Jewel of American Folk Art and in 1987, the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, designated the Carousel as a National Historic Landmark.

The two carousels are among seven in Rhode Island. To see them all, map a route that starts in Pawtucket at Slater Park Looff Carousel and continues on to the Roger Williams Park Carousel in Providence, the Crescent Park Looff Carousel in Riverside, Easton’s Beach Carousel in Newport, Poppy’s Carousel at Adventureland (its animals range from anteaters to penguins), and finally to Westerly, to see the Flying Horse Carousel and Atlantic Beach Carousel.

Spend a day in Purgatory (Chasm): Carved by glaciers thousands of years ago, Purgatory Chasm in the town of Middletown is considered a natural wonder with a deep, 120-foot-long by 10-foot-wide fissure that extends from two cliffs into the seawater below. Second Beach, the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, Easton’s Beach and Easton Bay are visible from the cliffs.

While you’re in the area, head over to the 325-acre Norman Sanctuary on Aquidneck Island, which has 7 miles of hiking trails through diverse habitats and beautiful ridge vistas, including the iconic Hanging Rock Trail overlooking Sachuest Point and Second Beach.

There are oodles of things to do in Middletown, including helicopter tours; a stop by Prescott Farm, the site of the capture of British General Richard Prescott, the commander of 6,000 troops occupying Newport during the Revolutionary War; or sampling one of the multiple dining options.