Cover Story | Summer Fun

The Best Summer Ever

No matter how you like to spend your time in the sun, Providence has you covered

Posted

 

 

 

Nothing compares to that moment the bell rang on the last day of school throughout our childhood. We knew we were about to run out of those confining school doors and into a summer of sport-filled nights, adventure-seeking days and all the ice cream we could eat. While our day-to-day schedules have slightly changed as the years have passed, we can still have the same kind of fearless fun all summer long, with the endless and exciting adult-friendly options offered right in our own backyards.


Eat Your Heart Out PVD

1. Summer is the perfect time to load up on the season’s fruits – and they shouldn’t just be in your glass of sangria. Join Chef Walter’s Cooking School for their Free-Form Fruit Tarts for Summer Hands-on Baking Class with dinner, a glass of wine and mini-pie mastery included.

2. Once, there were ice cream trucks on every corner. Now, there are food trucks hovering in multiplying bunches, serving some of the best bites around. The Food Truck Festivals of America visits our city again this year with their Providence vs Boston Food Truck Showdown. June 6. 11am-5pm. India Point Park. 

3. Mastering a grill is certainly a bragging right, but making the tools to man that grill deserves a summer spot as the house’s head culinary superstar. Check out the Intermediate Blacksmithing Workshop: Making Barbeque Tools with Nick Tomlin. June 6-7. 10am-4:30pm. The Steel Yard, 27 Sims Avenue. 

4. Grown-ups love theme parties, too. Take it back to the 1920s for your next gathering and impress your guests with era-based delights that you learned from the Downton Abbey Cooking Class, by Professor Chef. June 12. 6:30pm. 41 Lookout Avenue, North Providence. 

5. Successful summer dinner parties require three things: good music, great company and a dessert so sweet it will carry you into next week. Knock your guests’ socks off with a classical French pastry that you mastered at Johnson & Wales’ Chef’s Choice class. June 13. 9am-2pm. 333 Shipyard Street. 

6. You don’t have to be a ninja to know how to swing a knife. The Urban Greens Member Knife Skills Demo at Stock Culinary Goods will have you gripping handles, positioning foods and consistently cutting so that your veggie prep time is slashed in half. June 16. 6:30pm. 756 Hope Street. 

7. Riding a bus has never been so tasty. Join the Rhode Island Brew Bus on for their BEEReakfast of Champions Tour. Hop on board at Trinity Brewhouse and travel around to Bucket Brewery, Foolproof Brewing and Ravenous Brewing, exploring each facility and taste-testing their local beers. End the stint back at Trinity with a trivia and prize session and a discounted meal. Saturdays. 10:30am. 186 Fountain Street. 


Get on the Water

8. RD Culler once said, “Boats, like whiskey, are all good.” Enjoy an ocean adventure, and maybe even some post-journey elixirs, with sailing lessons at the Community Boating Center in India Point Park. Learn a lifetime skill of safety, rigging, sail trim and steering, with wind in your face and water by your side. Save the rocks for later. Starts June 3. 6pm. 109 India Street. 

9. An open-water paddling adventure is the perfect alternative to another day at Hot Club. Well, maybe not, but there are plenty of summer hours to sip by the water. Hop into a kayak and jump right into the blue abyss at RiverRomp Family Kayaking Tours at the Community Boating Center. June 6 & 20. 9am. 109 India Street. 

10. If you want to feel alive, swim with the fishes. Sign up for SCUBA diving lessons at Kalipso Dive Shop and you’ll soon be on your way to an underwater palace of peace, color and friendly fins. 375 Putnam Pike, Smithfield. 

11. Stand Up Paddle Boarding is the newest trend in water walking. Take a class at REI and get on board, so that when you hit the waves you’ll be surfing with a stick in no time. 22 Chapel View Boulevard, Cranston. 

12. Grab your bike and venture out beyond the bounds of your neighborhood with a ride along the Woony River. Choose from a 5-mile ride to a 62.5-mile ride – after all, you don’t have to be home by the time the street lamps come on anymore. Waterplace Park. Find all the map routes here

13. Why fly a kite when you can let a kite fly you? Hop on a kiteboard at RI Kiteboarding School and let the wind, and instructors, take you for a ride. Skim the surf, jump the waves and dare to catch some air in this invigorating extreme water sport. Narragansett Terrace, Riverside. 


The Great Outdoors

14. They say every good deal starts with a game of golf, so it would probably help to know how to impress, both on the course and off. Summer lessons in our capital’s own Button Hole Golf Course will have you swinging clubs and shaking hands in no time. One Button Hole Drive. 

15. Who doesn’t love a little exciting and friendly competition, while checking off a list and contending for a reward? The Rhode Island Fruit Growers Association is sending you off on a statewide farm scavenger hunt. Grab a map, visit the 32 participating farms, match the photo, get a sticker and enter to win some great prize packs. 

16. We may be too old (and big) to jump on our dogs’ backs for a ride, but we’re never too old to climb up onto the humps of a camel for a ride inside Roger Williams Park Zoo. Camel rides are a fun way to get close and personal to a majestic animal that won’t wake you up at 4am for a bone. Daily throughout the summer. 1000 Elmwood Avenue. 

17. Grab your blankets, chairs and refreshments of choice and veg out for a good ole classic (read: movies we’ll remember from our younger days) outdoor movie in Downcity at Movies on the Block. Thursday evenings starting June 4. 260 Westminster Street. 

18. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and in this case, both the man and the organization score. Learn how to repair and recycle abandoned bicycles with the Build-A-Bike program at Recycle-A-Bike. Each participant rebuilds two bikes, keeping one for him or herself and donating one to the program. 12 Library Court. recycleabike.org

19.  It’s a natural-born instinct in all of us to feed someone, whether it’s ourselves, our spouses and children or the cutest animal you’ve ever seen. Roger Williams Park Zoo embraces our need to nourish with giraffe feeding sessions throughout the summer. Daily. 11am-noon & 2-3pm. 1000 Elmwood Avenue. 

20. We may have once wished for a pony at Christmas and gotten Pac-Man instead, but it doesn’t mean we can’t ride like we housed a giant four-legged majestic animal in our backyards. Sunset Stables is an all-seasons horseback-riding mecca and offers trail rides through the woods or lessons for both show and pleasure. 1 Twin River Road, Lincoln. 

 


The Great Indoors

21.  Years ago, we earned our badges in teamwork, leadership and communication with the Girl or Boy Scouts. The grown-up version is a little less cookie sales and a lot more special operations training, and can be found at the GoRuck events across the country. Providence is hosting two events where you’ll spend many hours overcoming adversity and physical challenges as a team, all while carrying bricks in your backpack. June 12 & 13. 

22. Trampolines have come a long way from lawn ornaments and pricier insurance plans. Let your inner-child shine while you bounce away at Sky Zone Trampoline Park. Whether it’s Saturday night Skyjam or a calorie-burning Skyfit, this gigantic bounce house has something for all ages. 70 Pawtucket Avenue, Rumford. 

23. Swap out your sangria for skates and hit up Rock ‘N Skate at Cranston Veterans Memorial Ice Rink. Listen to music from a live DJ, eat some treats that aren’t on your daily allowance list and glide around the rink with friends who make you laugh. Fridays. 8-10pm. 900 Phenix Avenue, Cranston. 

24. Play a grown-up game of tag with a little more verve and a lot more splatter at Providence Paintball. With both indoor airball and outdoor battlefields, your team can graze the space with friendly (and colorful) fire. 199 Thurston Street. 

25. The older we get, the higher we climb. Take that ambition to get to the top directly onto the rock walls at Rock Spot Climbing and test your peak-spot limits. Whether it’s belaying, leading or rappelling, there’s a course waiting for you to surmount. 100 Higginson Avenue, Lincoln. 

26. There is a fountain of youth to be found on every playground, but our fountain of youthfulness is tested every time we try to swing across some monkey bars with the kids in our lives. Lucky for us, there is a 6,000 square foot adult playground and obstacle course at Unleashed, waiting for us to, literally, learn the ropes. 5 Soule Street, Warwick. 

27. Back in the 5th grade, we learned how to swing around our partner and do-si-do, but now we can take that awkward square dance to a whole new level of swag with Ballroom, Latin, Country and West Coast Swing lessons and more at TwirlTheGirl Dance Studio in North Providence. Rock the dance floor and master some moves. Monday and Wednesday nights. 15 Bassett Street, North Providence. 

28. Street dance has thrived since we couldn’t touch MC Hammer’s sideway crab walk, so sign up for some fun adult hip-hop dance classes at Jean Deluca Dance Studio and create your own legendary pops and locks. Mondays. 8:30-9:30pm. 1665 Hartford Avenue, Johnston. 

29. If it’s your dream to nail a handstand without breaking a limb or the glass door out to your deck (don’t try it so close), there is a class for you. Ocean State Gymnastics hosts adult classes, open gym and gym fit for the inner-gymnast in all of us. 3 New England Way, Lincoln. 


Take It To The Stage

30. Some of us once had a diary. Others of us now have a blog. And the few daring ones take our innermost thoughts and feelings to the stage. Let your creative and courageous voice be heard at AS220’s Providence Poetry Slam. June 4. 8-11:30pm. 115 Empire Street. 

31. Kids say the darnedest things, but most adults could give them a run for their money. Test your own cleverness, quick-wit and comedic courage by taking a class or workshop at the Providence Improv Guild. This may be the only time you won’t have to think before you speak. 393 Broad Street. 

32. Do you secretly want to be Jason Mraz and find yourself playing a guitar while singing to anyone who will listen? If so, the Providence Acoustic Campfire Sessions meetup group is for you. Bring your instrument, voice and performance enthusiasm, and share the lyrical love with like-minded musicians at monthly campfire sessions.

33. Remember the days of sleepover parties, where you stayed up late, ate popcorn and pretended you could sing and dance like Bret Michaels from Poison (yes, even if you were a girl)? Relive the past with your friends by booking a private room at the only karaoke lounge in Providence, The Boombox. Let loose, belt out a tune and have nothin’ but a good time. 122 Fountain Street. 


Explore Your Creative Side

34. Staying in the lines isn’t a requirement for this non-representational, creative form of painting. Join Richard Harrington in his two-day workshop for an Introduction to Abstract Painting and let your inner creative-self splash shapes, forms and colors with acrylic paints on watercolor paper. June 5-6. 9am-4pm. Slater Memorial Park, Armistice Boulevard, Pawtucket. 

35. How often do you get to say that you used the skeleton of a fish to create a custom piece of jewelry? Here’s your chance, at the Cuttlefish Casting Jewelry-Making Worskhop with RISD Alumni Heather Guidero. Carve a design into the molds, melt and pour metal, and sand your piece, by using one of the oldest casting techniques in the world. June 6. 10am-4:30pm. The Steel Yard, 27 Sims Avenue. 

36. If social media and blogging has taught us anything, it’s that we love to talk about ourselves. Write the story of your life with style, form and a perfect amount of family references with the Memoir Writing class at Providence Public Library. June 6. 10am. 150 Empire Street. 

37. Without the deep expression and distinctive rhythm of poetry, we wouldn’t have endless prophetic moments from history to measure our Instagram posts against. All joking aside, this beautiful linguistic form takes some know-how, and you can immerse yourself in that knowledge with Frequency’s Digging for Gold: Mining Your Obsessions & Writing Linked Poems. Saturdays. June 6-27. 186 Carpenter Street. 

38. If you’re looking to take your video skills beyond ten seconds of Snapchat, register for the one-day Video Editing Basics workshop at AS220. Lay out, edit, adjust and export your full video project and graduate from social sharing newbie to videographer extraordinaire. June 13. 6-10pm. 115 Empire Street. 

39. Observe, twist and distort to create something silly, outrageous and clever. In other words, pretend you’re four with mad drawing skills. RISD Continuing Education offers a Caricature Workshop that teaches the technique of exaggerated portrait sketching for the creative, and slightly crazy, among us. Begins July 22. Wednesdays. 6:30-9:30pm. RISD Campus. 

40. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if that beholder has an iPhone camera, maybe they should know how to use it. RISD continuing Education offers an iPhone photography class that will instruct how to compose, calibrate and capture breathtaking imagery. July 31. 6:30-9:30pm. RISD Campus.

41. Bob Ross’s trees may have been happy, but how your trees look won’t matter because your soul will be smiling with wine, beer and bites while you paint away at Muse Paintbar. Create your own masterpiece with friends or on a date night. Check calendar for upcoming events. 117 North Main Street. 

42. There comes a time in every adult’s life where you sort of wished you knew how to sew a button back on the $600,000 jacket you bought online after too many shots of tequila. Kreatelier can help. Register for one of their various sewing workshops, where you’ll learn tips and techniques from the pros. 804 Hope Street. 

43. I imagine the adult golden years to be much like the teen years: avoiding boredom at all costs. Luckily, there are plenty of options for both generations. The Hamilton House offers a large variety of older adult learning, from painting classes to free foreign language lessons to discussion forums on international topics, plus more. 276 Angell Street. 

44. Whether you’re a bustling artist or bustling with good conversation about your love for the arts, Providence’s Gallery Night is the perfect way to spend your summer evening. The tours feature 23 galleries, museums and historical sites, while offering wine, cheese and live music. Every third Thursday. 5:30pm (bus leaves every 20 minutes). One Regency Plaza. 

45. Sometimes we talk about making a difference in others’ lives, but we don’t always know where to start or what to actually do. Take the volunteering plunge with The Elisha Project. Make and prepare 250+ lunches, decorate lunch bags and take them to people in need. Saturdays. 10am-1pm. 65 Newport Avenue, Rumford. 


Celebrate Summer In Style

46. Check out CityArts MOD Party to celebrate art, culture and style of the modernists, 20th century artists who broke away from classical and traditional forms, while supporting CityArts’s free arts education youth programs. The event includes live music, interactive art installations and much more. June 5. 62 Prospect Street. 

47. Want to live Miami without having to travel south? Providence will come alive with the pulsating sounds and vivacious vibes of Miami for Home & Hospice Care of RI’s Gala: Miami Vice. The event will help support HHCRI’s Free Care Fund. June 20. 1 Citizens Plaza. 

48. Part of going to the beach involves wearing the most stylish swimwear. Models will show off trendy bathing suits at StyleWeek Swim, hosted by Hotel Providence, to help get you ready for summer. June 7. 139 Mathewson Street. 

49. Providence will come to life when FirstWorks’ Providence International Arts Festival and its world-class talents hit the city. The four-day event will include arts, culture, music, food and spectacle arts in Kennedy Square. June 11-14. Kennedy Drive. 

50. A beer, wine and spirits garden, kids’ zone, vendor marketplace and an illuminated night parade highlight the events for this year’s RI Pride Fest. About 30,000 people are expected to attend the fest, which aims to create opportunities for integrating and promoting visibility for the LGBT community. June 20. South Water Street. 

the steel yard, chef walter cooking class, providence vs boston food truck showdown, dowton abbey cooking class, professor chef, knife skills demo, stock culinary goods, johnson & wales chef's choice class, the rhode island brew bus, community boating center, scuba lessons, kalipso dive shop, stand up paddle boarding, bike rides, woony river ri kiteboard school, button hole golf course, rhode island fruit growers association, roger williams park zoo, camel rides, giraffe feedings, movies on the block, build-a-bike, recycle-a-bike, goruck, sky zone trampoline park, rock 'n skate, cranston veterans memorial ice rink, rock spot climbing, unleashed, twirlthegirl dance studio, jean deluca dance studio, ocean state gymnastics, as220, providence poetry slam, providence improv guild, providence acoustic campfire sessions, the boombox, dean hotel, karaoke, introduction to abstract painting, the steel yard, cuttlefish casting jewelry-making workshop, memoir writing class, providence public library, frequency writers, video editing basics, RISD CE, risd continuing education, caricature workshop, iphone photography, muse paintbar, kreatelier, sewing workshops, teh hamilton house, providence gallery night, the elisha project, cityarts mod party, home and hospice care of ri gala, styleweek swim, firstworks, providence interbational arts festival, ri pride fest

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here



X