Want to make some important holiday memories with your family and friends this year?
Think about a day out. Rhode Island has plenty of festive attractions, perfect for a day trip. From ice skating to seeing a show, the state offers many ways to bring holiday cheer to everyone in the family.
Whether you’re coming from in or out of state, here are five holiday attractions worth a day trip in Rhode Island.
Ice skating at the Providence Rink
2022: Enjoying the cold at the Providence Ice Rink at BankNewport City Center.
Located in the heart of downtown Providence, next to the city’s official Christmas tree, is BankNewport City Center’s Providence Rink, an outdoor winter sports venue that offers both ice skating and bumper cars. Skating will be open daily from December 20 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $13 for shared bumper cars, $16 for full bumper cars, $9 for adult skating and $6 for children’s skating. Ice skate rentals and season passes are also available.
Visit the Newport Mansions
The Marble House library in Newport was decorated for Christmas in 2017.
A classic Rhode Island tourist destination, the historic mansions in Newport go all out for the holidays. The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms and Chateau-sur-Mer are all open until January 1 with spectacular Christmas displays, from decorated fir trees to twinkling lights to the 4.5 meter high Christmas star in the Breakers’ Great Hall. Admission ranges from $10 to $16 for children or $25 to $46 for adults, depending on the number of homes visited.
Outdoor Christmas lights are also on display at Sparkling Lights at the Breakers, a half-mile path with Christmas music and thousands of glittering lights. Tickets are available for select days from November 22 to December 29 for $10 for children or $40 for adults.
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See ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Trinity Repertory Company
Joe Wilson Jr. as Ebenezer Scrooge in a 2017 production of “A Christmas Carol.” Trinity Rep presents the Charles Dickens classic annually, calling it a “Rhode Island family holiday tradition,” but this year’s presentation has been put on hold due to COVID cases among the company.
Do you want to see a show? Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story “A Christmas Carol” has been performed by Providence’s own Trinity Repertory Company for more than 45 years. Experience the heartwarming tale of silliness and holiday spirit on select days from November 23 through December 29 at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) – another venue while Trinity Rep undergoes renovations. The show lasts approximately two hours and starts at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays or at 7:30 PM on weekdays. Tickets cost between $47 and $89.
Walk through the Holiday Lights Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo Holiday Lights Spectacular opens for the season on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
On winter evenings, the Providence Zoo hosts the Holiday Lights Spectacular, an experience with more than 3.5 million twinkling lights. Festive lighting designs include sparkling snowmen, reindeer and other scenes from a winter wonderland. Tickets cost $14 for adults or $12 for children ages 2 to 12. The Roger Williams Park Zoo light show is open every evening from 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM from November 29, 2024 through January 4, 2025, except December 24 and 25.
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See Ballet RI’s ‘The Nutcracker’
Ballet RI presents “The Nutcracker” December 19-29 at the Vets Auditorium in Providence.
For art lovers, there’s no better holiday show than “The Nutcracker,” a ballet featuring dancing sugar plum fairies and snowflakes set to music by Tchaikovsky. Ballet RI, Rhode Island’s ballet company, performs its version of the holiday classic with handmade character masks, onstage magic tricks and new this year, a snow-filled surprise.
Ticket prices for this ballet range from $30 to $105 depending on the show and seat selected. Ballet RI’s Nutcracker production will be at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (The VETS) in Providence from December 19 to 29 at 1:00 PM, 6:30 PM or 7:30 PM.
This article originally appeared in The Providence Journal: 5 of the Best Christmas Activities to Do in Rhode Island This Year
