Providence: The Small City With a Big Art Scene and Even Bigger Food Culture

Providence, Rhode Island, is a small city in the smallest state in the United States. But this small city packs a punch when it comes to art and food culture.

Providence’s education scene, Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, and Johnson and Wales College, makes it one of the most culturally rich small cities in the United States.

For travelers interested in art and food, Providence is an affordable city with as much to do as cities many times its size.

A Strong Foundation in the Arts

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has helped to turn Providence into a city that embraces art. RISD consistently ranks among the top art and design schools in the world. 

The RISD Museum has more than 100,000 works of art, including collections of textiles, ancient artifacts, modern American painting, costumes, and contemporary installations. If you love art, you will love this museum.

Providence is also home to Brown University, whose arts programs, theater productions, and film festivals have helped create an excellent merging of the arts, allowing visitors to enjoy art in one form on either of the two campuses.

Public Art and Performances

Art in Providence is not limited to museums and schools. The city invests in  some amazing public-art projects, theater, and music.

• Annual events such as the PVDFest bring artists from around the state to display their art, street performances, and outdoor galleries.
• The award-winning Providence Riverwalk and pedestrian bridges have rotating art, including student displays.
• The Providence Performing Arts Center brings Broadway touring companies to downtown Providence.
• Nearby Trinity Rep Theater is a Tony award-winning theater offering plays and musicals throughout the year.

One of the city’s most recognizable art events is WaterFire, held multiple times a year between May and November. During WaterFire, more than 80 braziers are lit along the rivers downtown, accompanied by music and live performances. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and is considered a core part of Providence’s cultural identity.

You would be hard-pressed to visit Providence and not experience some type of art.

A Culinary Scene Large Cities Covet

Providence’s food reputation packs a punch much bigger than the size of the city. It is well known in the Northeast as the little city with excellent food.

Providence experienced a food renaissance in the late 1990s when large parts of the downtown were revitalized. The Italian food that was predominant in the city gave way to farm-to-table restaurants that celebrated the coastal bounty of Rhode Island. Since then, tourists have flocked to Providence to eat amazing food.

Part of the secret of Providence’s success in the food world is its connection to the Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts, a local culinary school that is one of the best  in the country. Many chefs trained at Johnson & Wales stay in the area, making Providence a great city full of independently owned restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops.

Fine Dining and Award-Winning Restaurants

Providence consistently appears on national “best food cities” lists. Several of its restaurants have received James Beard Award recognition. Two of the best examples are:

• Oberlin was named one of the best new restaurants in America by Bon Appétit.
• Persimmon is a New American restaurant known for modern, technique-driven dishes.

The city’s fine-dining scene is all about seafood, and because of Rhode Island’s coastal location, you don’t have to go far to get the freshest of ingredients. Raw bars, oyster tastings, and seasonal seafood menus are widely available. Or you can go for more traditional fare in Federal Hill.

Federal Hill All Italian All The Time

Federal Hill is one of the oldest and most well-known Italian-American food neighborhoods in the Northeast. You will find Italian markets, bakeries, delis, and restaurants that date back to the late 19th century, when the area was packed with Italian immigrant families.

It’s a major draw for visitors seeking a reliable, authentic food district. If you love Italian food, you will love the taste of Federal Hill.

Global Cuisine in Providence

Providence has more than just Seafood and Italian Restaurants.

As immigration has continued, the food scene has expanded, and for the better. You can go way beyond traditional Federal Hill Italian fare and Rhode Island Seafood without venturing out of the city at all.

The Broad Street Neighborhood is a great place to find restaurants serving Dominican, Cambodian, Guatemalan, and Middle Eastern Food.

There are also small restaurants near Brown and RISD that are fusion restaurants that bring the flavors from around the world to students. It is a great place to try something new.

A Walkable, Accessible Cultural Destination

Providence’s compact layout is one of its greatest advantages. Both the cultural experiences on offer and the amazing restaurants.

RISD Museum, WaterFire, Providence Performing Arts Center, and other theaters, galleries, and top restaurants sit within a one-mile radius.

It is a great weekend trip city, you can stay in an awesome downtown hotel like the Aloft (which is right across from the Providence River), visit the museum, see a musical, and eat well the entire time. All on foot, and without rushing all over a large city. Plus, you have time to enjoy the journey, stop at a local independent coffee shop and grab a drink, or go to one of a number of microbreweries and enjoy some local color.

A City That Creates Its Own Magic

Providence isn’t trying to be Brooklyn or Boston or Portland. It doesn’t need to. It has its own unhurried rhythm — thoughtful, slightly quirky, and decidedly artsy.

Here, culture isn’t an occasional treat, it’s part of every day life, and waiting for you to come and visit.