Summer is the perfect time to discover new experiences whether traveling with the family, your girlfriends/buddies or looking to explore something new and a weekend getaway is the way to do it.

Three hours from New York and only an hour from Boston, Providence is a New England city with an up and coming music and art scene as well as becoming a foodie town as well. Home to the prestigious Brown University as well as the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence is very much a college town, but we got to discover it when school is out and realized how much there is to do there.

Where to Stay: Providence Biltmore

The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and immensely proud of the hotels history and are eager to make the sure the guests are catered to and try to instill the history of the hotel in the minds of visitors.

The Providence Biltmore has hosted numerous weddings as well as business conferences with a rooftop level ballroom that can hold up to 750 guests, with spectacular views of the city and City Hall. The Garden Room can accommodate 250 seated guests and up to 300 for receptions.

Home to the only on-site hotel spa in Providence, the full service spa offers traditional services such as massage, mani- pedi, and other body treatments and offers specialty bridal packages and services.

The Providence Biltmore is home to McCormick and Schmicks seafood restaurant providing top notch seafood to visitors as well as currently serving breakfast to hotel guests as well.

For more info on the Providence Biltmore and to book your stay visit www.providencebiltmore.com

Where to Dine:

With so many choices now in Providence our clear favorites were:

1.) Hemenway’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar. The raw bar is awesome and the stuffed lobsters are delicious. www.hemenwaysrestaurant.com

2.)Bluefin Grille at the Providence Marriott Downtown www.marriottprovidence.com/dining.aspx

3.) Circe Restaurant & Bar. Try the fresh burrata mozzarella and for the main course the angus meatloaf is not to be missed. www.circerestaurantbar.com

What to do:

Providence is a great walking city where new cafes and boutiques abound. A visit to Brown University and it’s rich history and architecture are worth a day to itself.

For a unique experience and to learn about the history of Providence, a boat tour is highly recommended through the Providence River Boat Company. The 45 minute guided tour of the Providence waterways explores the Providence river, Riverwalk, waterplace park and the Providence harbor. Captain Tom will shower you will knowledge in a very entertaining way. Sunset and waterfire rides are also available.

www.providenceriverboat.com

A visit to the RISD Museum of Art is a must see experience. The museum is six levels of Asian, European, Egyptian, Contemorary, Renaissance, and much much more! www.risdmuseum.org

Providence is home to the very first indoor shopping mall in the United States. The Arcade, was originally built in 1828 and while it has been renovated to modern times, it is still a shopping center today with the upper level now being transformed into micro apartments. Many of the shop owners/ keepers live upstairs and are part of a vibrant community and partnership within the shopping center.

www.arcadeprovidence.com