Coventry, RI Road Trips

1 Paine House, 7 Station Street, ☏ +1 401 826-0021. Saturdays May-Sep. Paine house is a historic house museum that has been furnished to reflect the Colonial era. The Paine House was once a Colonial house and inn and has been restored by the Coventry Historical society in the period-style. 2 Nathanael Greene Homestead Museum, 50 Taft Street, ☏ +1 401 821-8630. Known as Spell Hall, it was the home of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene from 1770 to 1776. Tours run from April 1st - October 31st. 3 Read School House, 1670 Flat River Road, ☏ +1 401 821-0546. Built in 1831 and used until 1951, Read School House is a one room school that is still furnished with desks and chairs. The Coventry Historical Society encourages groups to visit by appointment by calling the number above.

Audubon George Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge, 1670 Maple Valley Road. Part of the Rhode Island Audubon Society, this park offers free admission to 860 acres of hiking trails and nature scenery. The caretaker's house was built in the 1700s and is noted on the National Register of Historic Places. There is also a converted nature center. The trails are located at the western side of the town where restaurants and stores are quite sparse, so make sure to bring your own food and drinks. Cell phone service is also questionable depending on your service provider. Herbert F. Paine Memorial Park, 1277 Main Street. Lighted softball and baseball parks. Lighted basketball courts and four tennis courts. There is also a street hockey court and a playground. Seasonal concession stands run by the parents of the children registered in any of the leagues. Restrooms available. Plenty of parking all over the park.This park also incorporates a skatepark open to the public. The Skatepark boasts a halfpipe, two rails, and several other ramps. It is open from dawn to dusk, and rules and regulations can be found at the town of Coventry website. The park is accessible by the Coventry Greenway. Foster Memorial Park, 1/4 mile north on Station Street from intersection of Main Street in Washington village. There are four baseball/softball fields, three soccer fields, a hiking trail, and a volleyball court. Seasonal food concession and restrooms available. It is also accessible through the Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School of Coventry. Rice Field, 7 Knotty Oak Road, (Rte. 116).

Chain restaurants are well represented including Applebee's, Burger King, Cracker Barrel, Denny's, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's and Subway. Depetrillos Pizza and Bakery, 797 Tiogue Avenue, ☏ +1 401 828-4300. Casual, homey pizza joint which attracts customers from all over New England. Pizza comes as the cold white and red single pizza strips and in party trays (full, $14.99 or half, $8.50). They also sell hot pizza, calzone rolls, over ten kinds of small calzones, and even homemade biscuits and cookies. Just about everything is under $20.00. Michael's Gelina's Ice Cream, 975 Tiogue Avenue, ☏ +1 401 826-7374. This is the best service and ice cream in the state. Soft serve or hard, slushies, sundaes, ice cream cookies, yogurt, cabinets and milk shakes in over 50 flavors. $3-5 for a cone of ice cream. Some outdoor seating, but they are on a main road. Plenty of parking. Newport Creamery, 781 Tiogue Avenue, ☏ +1 401 821-2265. Stop in for some ice cream, or stay a while and have a fresh cooked meal in the family-friendly atmosphere. The Olde Theater Diner, 33 Sandy Bottom Road, ☏ +1 401 828-1810. Su-Sa 5AM-1AM. Owned by the same owners as the Middle of Nowhere Diner in Exeter, The Olde Theater Diner offers great food and drinks at reasonable prices, with pool and arcade games. Thursday nights are open mic nights, where people can sign up to play music, recite poetry, or perform comedy. The diner was once an actual movie theater in Coventry. Inside, customers will be treated to a movie theater decor. Borelli’s Pastry Shop, 765 Tiogue Ave, ☏ +1 401 821-0130.

Del's Lemonade, 465 Tiogue Avenue, ☏ +1 401 822-0344. The local instance of the popular Rhode Island chain.

Hampton Inn, 850 Centre of New England Blvd. (Exit 7 off Interstate 95), ☏ +1 401 823-4041. Residence Inn, 750 Centre of New England Blvd., ☏ +1 401 828-1170. Offers spacious rooms with free Wi-Fi. Holiday Inn Express Coventry S - West Warwick Area, 4 Universal Blvd., ☏ +1 401-821-3322. Formerly the Wingate Inn. Camp Westwood, 2093 Harkney Hill Rd (Take Exit 6 off Route 95 and travel North on Route 3. Proceed one mile to stop light at the intersection with Harkney Hill Road. Take a left onto Harkney Hill Road and travel 4.25 miles. Westwood is on the left.), ☏ +1 401 397-7779. Check-in: 3-6PM, check-out: 11AM. A rural campground and YMCA facility for family recreation; cabins and lodges can be rented and RVs are welcome. There is a playground, athletic fields and courts, hiking trails, and a lake for swimming, boating, and fishing. Recreation for all ages. The campground is open from late Spring to early Autumn. Water's Edge Campground, 119 Peckham Lane (From Exit 7 off I-95: Head southwest on New London Turnpike toward Tiffany Road, then take the 2nd right onto Arnold Road. Continue onto RI-33. Turn left at Main St/RI-117 W. Continue to follow RI-117 W 3.9 mile, then take a slight right at Peckham Lane.), ☏ +1 401 397-4614. Located in Western Coventry on RI's largest pond; Johnson's Pond. This campground offers 69 campsites from May to September. Amenities include: boating, fishing, water skiing, swimming, rest rooms, hot showers, dumping station, electric hookups. Hiking trail and golfing nearby and pets are allowed.

T.F. Green Airport is roughly a 20-minute drive to Coventry. Follow I-95 South and take exit 7. RIPTA (Rhode Island Public Transit Authority). Bus transportation from anywhere in Rhode Island. Visit the RIPTA website to see rates and bus schedules. If you are traveling from the northern part of Rhode Island or from Boston, take I-95 South toward Providence and take Exit 6 to enter the Coventry/West Greenwich area (Route 3), exit 6a to enter onto Hopkins Hill Road in Coventry, and exit 7 to enter the Coventry/West Warwick area (New London Turnpike). If you are traveling from the south take I-95 North from any of these exits.

There are five major roads in Coventry: Route 3 (Nooseneck Hill Road), Route 102 (Victory Highway), Interstate 95, Route 116 (Knotty Oak Road), and Route 117 (Flat River Road). I-95 skirts the edge of downtown and has exits to most prominent areas in town. Route 3 runs through downtown Coventry and sees considerable traffic, but is still the easiest and quickest way through downtown. Route 102 runs through the Western end of town, from West Greenwich to Foster/Scituate, and intersects both I-95 and Route 3 near West Greenwich. Route 116 runs through the northern end of town, from Coventry to Cumberland. Route 117, one of the state of Rhode Island’s original highways, runs from Coventry to West Warwick, Warwick, and Cranston.