Guided walking tours are an effective tool for connecting visitors to place-based storytelling. They’re engaging, accessible, and historically meaningful. During the upcoming AASLH/NCPH Joint Conference, the Host Committee will offer several walking tours around the city allowing attendees to experience the city on foot and how the Rhode Island Historical Society uses them as an interpretive tool.
Thursday, September 17
Black History on Providence’s East Side
Explore the complex history of Providence’s East Side, including Black communities dating back to the early 18th century. This tour centers on stories of enslavement, racial tension, gentrification, and community resistance. Participants will tour a historic neighborhood while examining how Black residents shaped the city despite systemic inequities and displacement. This walking tour encourages visitors to consider how the legacies of segregation, housing inequities, and community activism continue to influence Providence today. Led by the Rhode Island Historical Society.
Roots of Revolution Walking Tour
Discover Rhode Island’s role in the American Revolution through a walking tour of Providence’s College Hill neighborhood. Led by tour guide Scott Alexander, who’s featured in Nathaniel Philbrick’s Travels With George, the tour traces the colony’s path from the Gaspee Affair to the Act of Renunciation when Rhode Island became the first colony to renounce the king. While standing in the spaces where history debates and actions occurred, participants will hear how 18th-century Rhode Islanders responded to growing tensions and revolutionary ideas. Led by the Rhode Island Historical Society.
Friday, September 18
Sunrise on the River Walk
Since the arrival of Roger Williams in 1636, Providence has alternately looked toward and away from its rivers to define itself geographically and economically. Rivers that had been covered by roadway and forgotten mid-20th century have now been rediscovered and made beautiful again Start your morning with a guided walk to learn more about Providence’s history and revitalization and seeing the play of early morning light on the city’s 18th and 19th century waterfront buildings is a dazzling way to begin the day in Providence. Led by Barbara Barnes.
Saturday, September 19
Avi’s Something Upstairs Walking Tour
Step back in time and explore the streets of Providence through the lens of the book Something Upstairs by Avi. This work of historical fantasy has captivated young readers for three decades with its blend of time travel, ghosts, facts, and fiction. Join the team of the John Brown House Museum to walk the same streets as the characters Kenny and Caleb, visit the waterfront, and see the very house in which the story is set. Guests will learn about life in 1800, Rhode Island’s involvement in the slave trade, and explore questions about the utility of historical fiction and fantasy in school programs to engage and excite often disinterested learners. Led by the Rhode Island Historical Society.
While the content differs significantly, all of these tours share several public history goals that will resonate with museum professionals. They utilize the city as an interpretive tool. Streets, waterfronts, and the historic landscape are a central part of the storytelling process. They emphasize accessibility and visitor experience. Finally, the walking tours create opportunities for continued engagement with Rhode Island history. Participants in the walks held by the Rhode Island Historical Society are also invited to explore the Museum at the John Brown House, which offers a layered interpretive experience connecting outdoor public history with object-based learning inside the museum.
For museums and historical organizations seeking new ways to engage audiences, walking tours offer a flexible and fun model. They encourage dialogue, foster emotional connections to the past, and allow institutions to address both celebrated and difficult histories in public spaces. In Providence, these tours demonstrate how local history can become an active, participatory experience—one that continues long after the tour concludes.
Note: Preregistration is required. Space is limited to 25 participants per tour. The routes cover hilly terrain and uneven streets; comfortable shoes are a must.
