Bristol, RI Summary

With its upscale eighteenth- and nineteenth-century waterfront houses, this city of about 21,900 residents between Mt Hope and Narragansett Bays recalls its prosperity as a seaport, and its role in the “triangular trade” among New England, Africa, and the West Indies in slaves, rum, and molasses.

Bristol was incorporated in 1680 as part of Plymouth Colony, and was annexed to Rhode Island in 1746. It has been a sailing and shipbuilding center since the seventeenth century, and is known for construction of America’s Cup contenders and winners. Its downtown is noted for examples of Colonial and Federal-style architecture.

The city holds the oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration in the country.

Along its 15-mile coastline are facilities for boating, swimming, and fishing. The western side of Colt State Park overlooks Narragansett Bay. The park has playing fields, picnic areas, walking and jogging trails, boating, and fishing. Nearby is Coggeshall Farm, a replica of an eighteenth-century working farm.

The 125-acre campus of Roger Williams University overlooks Mt Hope Bay. Other places of interest are Blithewold Mansion and Gardens, a 45-room summer home built on 33 acres in 1908 (picnicking is allowed); the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, which exhibits Native American arts and cultural items; and the Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame, which exhibits 35 classic yachts built between 1859 and 1947.

The city is on Hwy 114 southeast of Providence, and can be reached from Boston via Hwy 24.

Ferry service operates year-round to Hog and Prudence Islands.