Best things to do in Rhode Island: March 29-April 5
This week: Egg hunts and Easter bunnies, Narragansett’s Spring Restaurant Week, the annual Rhode Island Home Show, old-fashioned barn dance, and more! The best things to do in Rhode Island are March 29-April 5, according to the author's guidebook. Highlights include a variety of activities, including egg rolling, egg decorating for people who can't decorate, a beach luau, and a live broadcast of the Providence Peregrine Live Stream from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. The sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-award winning doc "Food, Inc.," "Fences," starring August Wilson, is set in a segregated 1957 Pittsburgh and runs at Trinity Rep until April 28. Festivalgoers can also enjoy the last of the deals at Narragansett’s Spring Restaurant Week, which runs until March 29. Eight-time Boston Music Award winner Will Dailey will perform at Askew on March 29, with guests Aubrey Haddard and Bethany Killian.
公開済み : 4週間前 沿って Lauren Daley の Lifestyle
I thought March was supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. Opposite year, I guess. But fear not, neighbors. I’ve curated a sunny list of fun in the 401 — from baby goats to whale tales, egg rolling to egg-decorating for people who can’t decorate, a beach luau to a wall of doughnuts. (It’s real.) Let’s rock.
That traditional Rhody rite-of-spring passage: the Providence Peregrine Live Stream is back thanks to Audubon Society of Rhode Island. This is the “thing to do” from your home and you should: I zen out by checking it a few times a day. There are now three eggs! #GoFalcons. Watch here.
In case you’re reading this March 28: “Food, Inc. 2″ — the sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-award winning doc “Food, Inc.,” — screens Thursday night at Newport’s Jane Pickens Theatre & Event Center. Hosted by NewportFILM and Aquidneck Community Table, the event includes post-screening discussion with Adena Marcelino of Black Beans PVD and Pat McNiff of Pat’s Pastured. $15. 49 Touro St. Doors 6 p.m., film 7 p.m. Film trailer and event details here.
August Wilson’s “Fences” runs at Trinity Rep now through April 28. From the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright, directed here by Christopher Windom, “Fences” is set in segregated 1957 Pittsburgh. Troy Maxson is a former Negro League baseball player who is now a sanitation worker. “Fences” focuses on his strained relationship with his wife and two sons. 201 Washington St., Providence. Details here.
Sop up the last of the deals: Narragansett’s Spring Restaurant Week runs through March 29. Find special menus and discounts around the area. For example: Spain of Narragansett offers a $52.34 dinner — perhaps start with chicken empanadas, before digging into pork osso bucco. For dessert? Maybe lemon blueberry cheesecake. Details here.
EGG-DECORATING IF YOU’RE NOT AN ARTIST
Join fellow Rhode Islanders in South Kingstown March 29, when Sons of Liberty Spirits Co. hosts “I Suck At Decorating Easter Eggs” where we’re invited to “embrace our lack of artistic talent and have a blast painting Easter eggs together,” according to billing. I love this spirit. Ticket includes one drink, treats, four eggs and decorating supplies. 21+. $25. 1425 Kingstown Road South Kingstown. 6-9 p.m. Details here.
Eight-time Boston Music Award winner and two-time New England Music Award winner Will Dailey brings the tunes to Askew March 29, with guests Aubrey Haddard and Bethany Killian. Dailey also hosts a podcast, “Sound of Our Town,” and yes, has an episode on PVD. 8 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show. $17.31. 150 Chestnut St. Providence. Details here and here.
Sure there’s baby goat yoga and baby goat hiking — but sometimes baby goats just want to cuddle. Head to Middletown’s Simmons Organic Farm for a “Baby Goat Pet & Cuddle.” (I’m already in line.) March 29-31. Various time slots. $13. 1942 West Main Road. Details here.
Listing all the egg hunts in the state would take up a whole article — and tickets would sell as fast as I could list ‘em. Two quick highlights with tickets available as of this writing:
With admission to Roger Williams Park Zoo on March 29 and 30, kiddos can snag a pic with ol’ EB. (The Easter Bunny, that is.) 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $5. Tickets must be reserved online in advance. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. Details here.
Egg roll: Not dinner, the old-fashioned game. The Preserve Resort & Spa in Richmond hosts an egg roll race “where children push an egg through the grass with a long-handled spoon.” There’s also an egg hunt, treats and pics with the Easter Bunny. March 31, 10 a.m. $35 per child. Details here.
I can’t wait. You’ve never heard classical instruments played like this. For the uninitiated, viola player Wilner Baptiste (aka Will B) and violinist Kevin Sylvester (aka Kev Marcus) are Black Violin: a duo from Florida known for their unique merging of classical and hip-hop. The two-time Grammy nominees defy genre: They’ve opened for Wu-Tang Clan and Tom Petty, performed with Alicia Keys and with Aretha Franklin, and gigged for Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Ball. See here for a sense of their live shows. YouTube “A Flat.” It’s earned 14 million views since 2012, and shows, in a nutshell, their vibe. You will move. March 30 8 p.m. at the Vets. Tickets from $30.50. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. Details here and here.
Unleash your inner artist with Slow Bloom Ceramics. Paint-your-own ceramic cup and sip wine March 30. No experience required, just bring your imagination. Nonalcoholic drinks available. 4 Aurora St., second floor, Providence. 3-5 p.m. From $40. Details here.
I love that that subhead could be from 1790.
For some old-fashioned fun, head to Tiverton’s historic Four Corners for a Barn Dance at the Meeting House March 30 “to celebrate the coming of spring and the daffodil bloom in the tradition of New England’s earliest settlers,” according to billing. No experience is necessary to join in the contra dance, complete with caller and live tunes. 4-6 p.m. at The Meeting House. 3850 Main Road, Tiverton. $15. Details here.
As a Rhody book lover, I started this subsection because every week, there are great Rhode Island author and book events. This week in Rhode Reads…[cue my Rhode Reads jingle.]
PVD SEQUEL: In 2022, I interviewed PVD’s Vanessa Lillie about co-writing the 1980s-Providence-set audiobook-only, “Rich Young Widows,” written with other genre writers Kimberly Belle, Cate Holahan and Layne Fargo. Guess what? They wrote an audio-sequel. “Desperate Deadly Widows” is on Audible now.
Meanwhile, that first book is headed to print April 2. All four authors appear at Warren’s Ink Fish Books for an ‘80-themed book launch April 3. Expect themed drinks, ‘80s costume contest with prizes and ‘80s tunes. 6:30 p.m. 488 Main St., Warren. Details here. My interview with Lillie here.
BRISTOL’S WHALE TALE: Bristol’s BookFest selection this year is Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.” BookFest is April 5 at 5 p.m. at Colt School (570 Hope St., Bristol) and Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Linden Place (500 Hope St.) April 5 events are free — including a keynote speaker and reception at Rogers Free Library (525 Hope St.) April 6 program is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., $40. Registration and details here.
No, not the Tim Allen TV show. I’m talking about the 74th Annual Rhode Island Home Show April 4-7 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Billed as the largest home improvement and consumer show in Southern New England, it’s essentially five shows rolled into one:
The 11th Annual Energy Expo, a Garden Experience, the Inspiration Showcase, the Specialty RI Flower Show, and the brand-new House of Brews, in partnership with the Rhode Island Brewers Guild. Find hundreds of exhibitors and vendors to get your gears turning on interior design, decorating, landscaping, and more. Thursday and Friday noon to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adults $12, seniors $10, kids 15 and younger free. Tickets good for all four days with wristband. Details here.
It’s luau on the beach in April. The Misquamicut Business Association hosts its 19th annual Aloha Luau at The Windjammer Surf Bar with food, music, raffle and silent auction. Proceeds benefit beach area cleanup and events, according to billing. April 5, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. $25 advance, $30 door. 321 Atlantic Ave., Westerly. 401-322-0504. Details here.
Until next week, Rhody: Keep rockin.’
Lauren Daley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.