Top Providence Historical Tours

Get an in-depth look at Providence from a boat cruise that travels along the waterways of Rhode Island’s capital city. Your guide shares live commentary about historical landmarks and modern destinations as you take in sites including the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier, Providence Industrial Harbor, Providence River, Waterplace Park and the pedestrian paths of Riverwalk. Choose a daytime or evening cruise, and feel free to bring your own refreshments on board.

Come on our chilling ghost tour presented by US Ghost Adventures! Are you prepared to explore Providence's ghosts on a tour of the historic city of Rhode Island? Get ready to expose this abandoned colonial settlement's evil side. Discover the frightening explanations for why Revolutionary War troops, politicians, conspirators, and famous macabre authors still spook along the old streets of the capital of Rhode Island.

Discover many of Providence’s top landmarks—and learn all about the city’s centuries of history—on this immersive walking tour. Pick between morning and afternoon departure times, and explore Rhode Island’s capital in the company of a local. You’ll see highlights like the Rhode Island State House, the first Baptist church in America, Providence City Hall, and much more—and will hear the stories behind the sights as you go.

Discover the smallest state in the US in just one day aboard this exciting excursion that begins in Providence. Join a small group and venture through the 'Ocean State,' stopping at several points of interest along the way. Visit villages, see memorials, walk through parks, and stroll along beaches all while listening to commentary from your guide.

Whether you’re visiting Rhode Island on business or you and your family are making your way from the Roger Williams Park Zoo to the RISD Museum, this self-driving audio tour is a great way to learn more about the city. This flexible activity allows you to go at your own pace, stopping and restarting whenever is convenient for your visit.

Our company has been a member of the Providence community for nearly two decades. Our company is a walking, haunted history tour of Providence's College Hill neighborhood. Our guides lead guests by lantern light as we explore the history, mystery, legends, and lore of our city. Learn about different types of hauntings, our spirits' most current activities, and the dark tales that have been forgotten over time. Our tour is a wonderful blend of history and mystery, perfect for believers and skeptics alike! The tour includes a portion of College Hill. We have chosen the most walkable route, but it is indeed a hill and our streets are old. Please wear shoes that are comfortable and stable. It is also outdoors, so be sure to dress for the weather.

Enjoy a memorable way to explore Providence—and learn all of the city’s spookiest ghost stories and creepiest lore—on this after-dark boat tour. Make your own way to the dock, hop aboard your vessel, and set sail with Captain Peter. Your costumed guide, accompanied by flickering lanterns, will share stories and secrets as you cruise along the water and admire views of the city illuminated after dark.

Join us for this elegant stroll through time! Allow our historically costumed, local guides to lead you down the most beautifully preserved street in all of Providence, RI- Benefit Street! Guests will learn the history of some of Providence's most prominent residents and families, including the Dorr family, Roger Williams, and the Hoppin family. See architectural icons including the John Brown House, the First Baptist Church, the Fleur de Lys Building, and the original State House. Learn about the events that shaped our state and nation, including the suffrage movements (yes, there were two!) and the Civil War. This tour will leave you feeling more connected to the city's past and with a greater appreciation for Providence. Benefit Street is a mostly flat street and is suitable for people of most levels of health and fitness.

Take a boat tour along the Providence waterways to discover 300 years of architectural history. Led by the Providence Preservation Society, uncover the city's stories, sight lines, and subtle details. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, witness historic Providence from the best vantage point in town.

Join guide David Robinson, Director of the MA Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, for a 75-minute exploration of the Providence waterways & Green Jacket Shoal at Bold Point, deemed “Rhode Island’s largest ship graveyard!" Bold Point, located in East Providence, RI, had once hosted the Providence Dry Dock & Marine Railway Company, a shipyard that repaired and maintained vessels in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Its floating dry dock was the first on Narragansett Bay and was used, along with two marine railways, to haul ships out of the water for repairs and service. The vessels off Bold Point were abandoned there “at the end of their working lives.’’ Many were likely transported to the company’s yard from within Providence Harbor, stripped of their valuable machinery and hardware—engines, boilers, paddle wheels, whistles, clocks, navigational instruments, rigging gear, bells, chairs and even chandeliers—and then moved a short distance to Green Jacket Shoal to rest in peace.

Rhode Island has always been a hotbed of dissent and conflict. But for this tour, we'll take a closer look at Rhode Island's internal conflicts, including how Rhode Island's tremendous profit on the international slave trade powered the Industrial Revolution, how the state disenfranchised tens of thousands of immigrant voters in the Progressive Era, all the way through how the state fought but failed to prevent the first Gay Pride parade from taking place in Providence. Providence has also been home to courageous and resilient people who were able to achieve incredible feats despite the deck being stacked against them in every way. Learn about Edward Bannister, a 19th-century Black barber who overcame prejudice to become a painter of national acclaim; Princess Red Wing, a passionate educator, storyteller, and Narragansett and Pokanoket activist; and the 1902 labor strike that stopped Rhode Island's urban core in its tracks.

Enjoy a nautical adventure this Father’s Day as we celebrate Dad with our fun, family-friendly boat tours along the shores of downtown Providence! Join us for a narrated daytime tour or evening cruise throughout the Providence River, Riverwalk, Waterplace Park and the Providence Harbor, and create family memories to last a lifetime. Space is VERY limited with capacity at just (18) seats per tour, so book YOUR seats today!

Cruise the Providence River as you sample a selection of beverages from a Rhode Island winery on this wine-tasting boat tour. Your captain will share information about downtown Providence landmarks while you savor and discuss six different wines. Experienced oenophiles and those new to wine-tasting can both enjoy this fun and festive twist on a sightseeing tour.

“Hi, Neighbor!” We are thrilled to welcome back Jim Crooks of Rhode Island’s iconic Narragansett Beer for a one hour floating beer tasting again in 2024! Hear of ‘Gansett’s celebrated history, from 1890 to today, while enjoying several of their most popular products & latest brews, as our Captains guide you along the shores of downtown Providence. This limited series Brew Cruise with Narragansett Beer is scheduled for TWO DAYS ONLY, so book YOUR seats today! Ages 21+ only.

Rhode Island Spirits is the home of Rhodium brand premium gins, vodkas, and liqueurs; offering creative flavors and distinctive spirits, distilled right here in RI. Fresh botanicals are foraged along the Blackstone River Valley and Rhode Island’s coast and grown by local farmers to create unique spirits that could come from nowhere else. The Industrious Spirit Company produces sustainably sourced vodka, gins, bourbons and specialty spirits, many inspired by their love of the Ocean State. They came to this project with a love for spirits and for making things by hand, inspired by their community. They care deeply about each step of the process—from their regional partners that grow their grains according to regenerative farming practices, to the time spent onsite mashing, fermenting, distilling, bottling and packaging. Join us as we welcome our guest hosts (dates vary) for casual discussion and a special cocktail tasting menu of their spirits along the beautiful Providence waterways!

The success of our NEW walking tours speaks of the commitment of owners & Rhode Island natives, Kristin & Captain Tom McGinn, who want every visitor to love Providence as much as they do. The intention of every walking tour is to enable visitors to not only SEE Providence in all its grandness, but to feel its energy and to know its heart. Walk with us...and come to know the real Renaissance City! Whether it's a limited series tour with the Providence Preservation Society, the Rhode Island Audubon Society, or one of our own, every tour is led by a knowledgeable and experienced guide who is skilled at unraveling the many layers of Providence's art, culture, personality and history. No visit to Providence should be a blur on a bus, join us for a fun and casually-paced, fresh air walk through our capital city!