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Rhode Island Historical Society Walking Tour

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

John Brown House

The "Benefit Street: a Mile of History" walking tour is offered by the Rhode Island Historical Society Tuesday - Saturday at 11am. The tour begins at the John Brown house and museum. It lasts about 90 minutes and takes visitors down Benefit street to some of the nearby historical sites.

I like history, and didn't know much about the history of the area. I was looking forward to learning more about Providence and its history. Unfortunately, the tour was boring and disappointing. Our tour guide gave us some information about each house and its original owner, but wasn't able to weave these stories together into a more coherent historical narrative. It could be that Providence just doesn't have much very interesting history.

Compared to other tours in the area, the Roger Williams memorial museum was free and more interesting than the walking tour. The Trolley Tours of Providence was just as informative as the walking tour, was more entertaining, and you saw a lot more. The tour cost $12/person when we visited and offered a combination tour with a tour of the John Brown house for $16.