According to Wikipedia, The Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park is a 1,000 acre state…read morepark managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Blackstone River and Valley is where the industrial revolution was born in America. Toward the middle of the park you will find The River Bend Farm Visitor Center with access to canoeing, fishing, trails, and snowmobiling or cross-country skiing. If you walk southerly on the beautiful canal walkway, you arrive at the historic Stanley Woolen Mill, currently being redeveloped into offices and shops. The Stanley Woolen Mill is the common name applied to a defunct company based in southeastern Massachusetts and to the company's buildings. The Stanley Woolen Mill is the centerpiece of the Central Woolen Mills District which is part of the National Historic Register. There is a plaque at the end of the canal walkway which provides historical information about the mill. The mill is made of wood and brick, and is an interesting, though hardly spectacular structure. That said, there are some very cool views from the canal bridge, and great walking, canoeing and biking trails in the park. There is a public parking lot if you want to begin your hike here, a nice antique shop in the mill, and you can catch bass and carp in the canal here or near the visitor center.

In 2009, Richard Gere starred in a movie called Hachi: A Dog's Tale. The movie is a bittersweet…read moretale of a dog so loyal that it spent almost ten years waiting at a train station for its master, who had died at work. This actually happened in Japan in the 1930s (The dog, Hachiko, passed away -- still waiting -- on March 8, 1935). The historic old Woonsocket, Rhode Island railroad depot was the 2009 American movie stand-in for the 1930s Japanese station where Hachiko waited for his master for ten years. The Japanese erected a statue of Hachiko at their Shibuya train station and the mayor of Woonsocket thought that his town should have one too. The statue is in the same spot that the dog appeared in the Richard Gere film. After watching Hachi: A Dog's Tale and visiting the statue of Hachiko in Tokyo, I had to come and visit the Statue of Hachiko at the Woonsocket Depot. There are several free parking lots in the downtown Woonsocket area. We parked at 170 Main Street and walked over. Hachi was right there and a little informational plaque next to him. Staff were setting up the Christmas Village for the Polar Express train ride. An Army veteran who was working on some construction across the street offered to take our photo and was very friendly. The Woonsocket Depot is a decorated brick building which was the finest on-line passenger depot on the Providence and Worcester Railroad line. It replaced the original 1847 depot which was destroyed by fire. The Depot also serves as office space for RI DOT staff and is home to the Blackstone Valley Polar Express.

The house is beautiful and full of original furniture. Our guide Elizabeth was very professional,…read moreknowledgeable and friendly. She loves history and answered all our questions. Enjoyed the tour immensely! I would recommend this tour as a DONT MISS!

Last Friday, we had the pleasure of touring the historic Lippitt House in Providence--and it was…read moreabsolutely amazing! What made the experience truly unforgettable was our guide, Elizabeth Gilbert (not the author of Eat, Pray, Love, but THE Elizabeth Gilbert who brings history to life). Her tour was informative, engaging, and full of fascinating details that transported us straight into the elegance of Victorian times. If you're visiting magical Providence, don't miss this gem. It's a beautiful step back in time, guided by someone who clearly loves what she does.

Recently went to a murder mystery event here and had a blast. It was so much fun walking through…read morethe museum, which I never knew existed. Seeing the historic importance, the displays and fascinating information. I really loved just looking at the displays, absorbing the culture and history and seeing the varied rooms (loved the church!!!) So thrilled they held this event here so I could see this lovely museum!

Coming from Pawtucket, the home of the American Industrial Revolution, I'd never made the trek all…read morethe way out to Woonsocket to check the museum out. But my now LA-based daughter was visiting, and wanted to see the Welcome blanket exhibit since her friend had one on display. (I'm not certain how a museum here is the recipient of 330 handmade quilts and blankets - 99 of which are on display - that will be distributed by Dorcas House to new immigrants, but it's pretty cool right? Maybe because southern New England was the center of US cloth manufacture through the early-mid 20th century?) Ad for the Museum itself: the cultural component of this mill community is front and center. The space is set up in a number of immersive dioramas - rooms and areas visitors walk through to get an experience of those who lived there. The first stop is a farm cabin in Quebec in snowy winter where (push the doorbell) a family decides to move south in the hope of a better life working in the mills. In the replica of a French Canadian Catholic Church we read about religious life in America, and sit in pews near the actual mosaic altar boys to learn a bit about the wave of immigration and the mill worker experience, there's a credit union (kind of explains the Bailey Savings & Loan in It's a Wonderful Life). There's a school room, complete with a teacher/priest and books in the desks in French and English. On the stairs to the second floor, pass posters and stories about others groups of immigrants to the area, along with the rooms upstairs: Woonsocket baseball players, tenement houses, mill and factory memorabilia, and a room set up with the equipment workers toiled at. Oh - dint miss the display of a union hall! My daughter buzzes through art museums. We were here for about 2 hours. And then we got to the room with the blankets. Quite a relevant history lesson here!

Staff were so friendly, welcoming and so insightful. I love when tour guides are so passionate and…read moreare engaging. Would highly recommend!! I forgot to add they have great pieces in their museum and a memorial section for all of those officers who lost their lives

The people leading the tour were very nice. The museum is also great for kids because they hand the…read morekid a radio and they will have to answer, also the kids can do a scavenger hunt and get to put on a Massachusetts state police hat. The museum also has great things on display and just is a very great place in all and I highly recommend it.

I paid a deposit $1700+ for my mother's headstone to be put down by Mom's anniversary (which they…read morepromised would be done) to only get a call days before that it could not be put down. I understood due to snow! So no fuss! I get an email days later (1/23/2024) saying the headstone is complete (red flag - it should have been complete when they told me it could not be put down) and to confirm everything was correct. I replied with the changes I wanted immediately (1/23/2024) and I have not heard a word from them. Several email messages, phone calls (voicemail full), visits to the office and even a call to the cemetery - NOTHING! Even the folks at the cemetery say something is going on. DO NOT consider these folks for service. I'm ready to take legal action

Lawn hardly ever mowed! Thank God wet to graveside to only find our picture on ground in grass how…read moreit came unglued don't no been going & calling no response! Paid for picture to be on stone should last long time! Not a few yrs!

I'm challenging myself to visit all public libraries in the state of Rhode Island this year. This…read morelibrary was the fourth one I visited, but this time with a friend who grew up in Woonsocket. She mentioned they had new furniture such as the big personal armchairs. I really liked that at the back of the library they have lots of natural light coming in through the windows and lots of plants right below. I was also entertained by the book they had with maps of all the cities in Rhode Island--I was able to find my house and see the landmarks they had years ago and are still around today. They have a good selection of books and movies. The outside of the building looks really nice and there is plenty of parking.

A moment in…read moretime The Woonsocket Harris Library was the very first library in the state of Rhode Island. It was built in 1868 and occupied the bottom floor of the old Harris Building. The library was founded by Edward Harris and Abe Lincoln actually gave a famous anti slavery speech in this building in 1860. It became obvious that the venerable old library was far to small to meet the needs of the people of Woonsocket so a new library was built in 1973. A much more modern facility that was extensively renovated in 2001, the library is clean, friendly and very efficient. Not the fanciest or most aesthetically beautiful library but the Harris Library does posses it's own unique charm. Nicely laid out and spacious, it has more of a small town library feel rather than one in a city. On the side of the library is a time capsule and monument meant to be opened in about one hundred years. I'm not sure what exactly was put in the capsule but I suspect the contents will give a good chuckle to the future library patrons that happen to be around when the capsule is finally opened.