The Breakers - this is the Rockefeller’s summer home in Newport. It’s open for tours, and though I don’t recall the prices being crazy, it’s definitely been a while.
It’s so ostentatious and over the top, but beautiful, and full of wonderfully made things.
I think it’s interesting to consider our modern billionaire class as equivalents to Rockefeller’s gilded age.
Oh, and while you’re in RI make sure to get a Del’s frozen lemonade.
If you only have one day, and it’s open, I would recommend visiting Rhode Island School of Design’s museum and campus. The RISD museum was surprisingly nice. Small but uncrowded - it was the type of place I could bring a sketch pad and draw for hours. There are probably other museums and attractions nearby, along with nice places to eat and drink. I don’t know much about outside of Providence though.
Rhode Island School of Design is one of the top art schools in the US. They have an art museum on campus that houses pieces like you’d find at actual city museums plus works by their students. https://www.risd.edu/
Newport has some interesting shopping. Get some stuffies (stuffed quahog clams) if you like seafood. They should be eaten with a squeeze of lemon and the cheapest vinegar and cayenne hotsauce you can find.
Came here to say stuffies. There is also Rhode Island clam chowder. All the other seafood was good too. Stopped at a public house that had free oysters that changed my mind about raw oysters.
The Breakers mansion tour was also cool.
HP Lovecraft's grave is there. I enjoyed looking around Providence at night thinking about it as part of his fictional universe.
I went to the Roger Williams Zoo.
There is a vampire grave people leave stuff at.
Also went to some museums and Block Island, but they just had a fire so that may be closed or difficult to get to right now.
Theres a killer arcade called Freeplay in Providence. One fee <$10 to get in and all the games are set to free play. Great pinball selection if you're into that. Cheap beer and okish food while you're there. 21+ most days.