Things to Do in Bristol, RI

The best things to do in Bristol, Rhode Island are mostly on or near Route 114 (Hope Street): Colt State Park's free bayside lawns and paths, the East Bay Bike Path, Coggeshall Farm Museum, Blithewold's mansion and gardens, the Herreshoff Marine Museum, Linden Place, the Audubon nature center and Bristol Town Beach. Bristol is also home to America's oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration, held since 1785.

Colt State Park (free)

RI DEM's 464-acre park on Narragansett Bay is free to enter and open sunrise to sunset all year, with four miles of paved paths, an accessible fishing pier, a boat ramp, picnic sites and the open-air Chapel by the Sea. Picnic tables need a $5-a-day permit from April through October. Start with Colt State Park, then parking and picnic areas.

East Bay Bike Path (free)

A paved former rail line from Independence Park on Bristol Harbor to India Point Park in Providence: 13.8 miles by DEM's count, 14.5 by RIDOT's. It crosses Colt State Park by its entrance. See the bike path guide and where to park.

Coggeshall Farm Museum

A living history farm on 48 acres beside Colt, recreating a 1790s salt-marsh farm with costumed staff and heritage-breed animals. Run by Old Sturbridge Village; $10 adults, $5 ages 4–17; open on set days, mostly weekends; no dogs. See Coggeshall Farm.

Blithewold

A 33-acre bayside estate with a 45-room mansion, gardens laid out in the 1890s and a giant sequoia the estate believes is the largest in the eastern U.S. Adult admission $22 at the Welcome Center; gardens open Tuesday to Sunday from May to October; Daffodil Days late March to early May. See Blithewold.

Herreshoff Marine Museum

The museum of the boatyard that built America's Cup defenders, with more than seventy historic boats, about 500 models and the America's Cup Hall of Fame. Open May to December, Tuesday to Saturday 10–5 and Sunday 12–5; adults $18. See Herreshoff Marine Museum.

Linden Place

An 1810 Federal mansion at 500 Hope Street, now a museum telling one family's 200-year story from the slave trade to Hollywood. Self-guided tours Tuesday to Friday 10–4 all year; adults $12. See Linden Place.

Audubon Nature Center and Wildlife Refuge

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island's Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, at 1401 Hope Street, has an ADA-accessible trail and boardwalk through fresh and salt marshes to Narragansett Bay, plus Audubon's Nature Center and Aquarium. The refuge trails are open sunrise to sunset and connect to the East Bay Bike Path; dogs are prohibited. Audubon posts its nature center hours and admission on its website.

Bristol Town Beach

The town's sandy beach and sports complex on Asylum Road, next to Colt. The town charges for parking from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend ($10–$20 residents, $20–$40 non-residents, cash only) and bans dogs, alcohol and charcoal. See Bristol Town Beach.

Mount Hope Bridge

The green 1929 suspension bridge that carries Route 114 from Bristol to Portsmouth: 6,130 feet long, toll-free since 1998, and on the National Register. See Mount Hope Bridge.

The Fourth of July

Bristol's celebration starts on Flag Day, June 14, with free concerts at Independence Park, and ends with the Military, Civic, and Firemen's Parade at 10:30 a.m. on July 4. Roads close early, including Poppasquash Road by Colt. See the parade guide.

A One-Day Plan

• Morning: walk or bike Colt State Park's bayside paths (free), or ride part of the East Bay Bike Path.
• Midday: picnic at Colt (bring a permit April–October) or visit Coggeshall Farm next door on an open day.
• Afternoon: Blithewold's gardens or the Herreshoff Marine Museum; Linden Place on a weekday.
• Evening: back at the bay before sunset, when Colt and the town beach both close.