Pizza, Plantation, and Pleasure Beach

Road Trip 2018

Here we are....on the road again.  This year's adventures are taking us through New England and Quebec, Canada for 4 weeks.  Traveling is so much easier now that we are seasoned campers, which we are still in love with, and has allowed us to meet interesting people and see amazing things along the way.

Mystic, CT

Our first stop this year was in Mystic, a quaint little sea town on the coast of Connecticut.  We spent an evening walking around the little shops and had some yummy pizza at the iconic Mystic Pizza. The town has a really cool draw-bridge in the center of town and we spent time watching the boats.  It was a great town to slow us down and allow us to relax.

 

This is the Pizza Shop made famous in the 1988 Julia Roberts film, Mystic Pizza, which put the town on the map and has been drawing tourists ever since. 

I have to say, it was a very yummy pizza! 

Providence, RI

Providence was a day trip, 45 mins, from our camp ground in Mystic, CT. (Boy- getting across states sure is quicker in New England than it was when we went out west, where we almost ran out of gas in MT last summer!)  We decided to take a trip to the Capital of RI to see what it had to offer.  A town about the size of Pittsburgh, hosts a beautiful State Capital building, Brown University, shopping and more.  We took a tour of the Capital Building with a very enthusiastic tour guide named Emily.  Never knew that the state of RI hosted such rich history in the formation of the U.S.

 Things we learned: 

Rhode Island is not actually the state's full name, it is actually called Rhode Island and Providence Plantation.  Rhode Island is the name of an island off the coast and the main land is the Providence Plantation, but is commonly shortened to just Rhode Island.  A referendum was put out to change the name to just Rhode Island several years ago but was voted down.

Rhode Island was the first state to accept people regardless of religion.  Many Quakers and others fled from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to flee persecution from the Puritans.  It was how the state was created.

It was the last of the original 13 colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence and they did so kicking and screaming.

Brown University

Providence is also the home of Brown University.  We took a stroll around campus just to say we were there.  Dunovan was impressed with the campus, as college is quickly approaching for him in just 2 short years.  (Yikes!) 

Historic Providence 

The historic district is close to Brown University but, sadly, nothing was open for us to go into when we were there.  

First Baptist Church in the United States was founded by Roger Williams in 1638.   

Stephen Hopkins House, signer of the Declaration of Independence, ten-time governor of RI, first Chancellor of Brown University, and Chief Justice of the RI Supreme Court. 

Brodey thought this little building was out of place among all the tall office buildings in downtown Providence. 

Market Square and Market House was once a landmark of wealth of the Colonial City at the heart of the waterfront. 

Napatree Point, RI

After Providence we drove back towards Mystic and stopped at Napatree Point, a 3 mile peninsula along the southern coast of RI.  It was our intention to walk the peninsula but when we arrived we were  surprised at how cold it was there.  I mean ear numbing, nose freezing, where are my winter boots, cold!   We were NOT dressed or ready for that...although there were plenty on the beach whom it didn't seem to bother.  I like my beach day 90 and sunny, thank you.  So, we took some pictures and hurried back to the truck.  

Brodey put his feet in the water and would have gotten in if we let him.  However, with hypothermia warnings out, we told him it wasn't a good idea! 

Thus ended our time in Connecticut and Rhode Island and Providence Plantation (I will forever keep it formal now).  Off to Massachusetts next, where Plymouth and Boston added to our Great American Road Trip!