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Tour of the
Week - Blackstone River Valley
Rhode Island, New
England, USA
February 17,
2009
The Blackstone Valley
Heritage Story |
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Sample Packaged Tour Itinerary |
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The Blackstone Valley
Heritage Story |
The Blackstone River, one of 14
American Heritage Rivers, flows between Worcester,
Massachusetts and Providence Rhode Island. The John H.
Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage
Corridor tells the story of the river's role in starting
New England's textile industry and the American
Industrial Revolution.
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9:30 am A River's
Rebirth |
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Our tour begins at the Central Falls
Landing, in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Enjoy a riverboat
cruise on the Blackstone Valley Explorer with your morning
coffee and muffin as a narrator tells the remarkable
comeback story of this America Heritage River whose powerful
waterfalls turned the waterwheels of the nation's earliest
factories. Herons, fish and other wildlife are returning to
the shores and waters of the river that once was heavily
polluted during the height of the industrial revolution. |
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11:00 am Stories
in Stone |
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Your next stop is the Kelly House in
Lincoln, RI. You will tour fascinating exhibits in the Kelly
House museum, housed in a former mill superintendent's
cottage, where an expert guide will bring the Valley's canal
era to life for you and where you can enjoy a quick stroll
along a section of the canal towpath now, a bike path. |
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12:30 pm Lunch at
the Falls Restaurant |
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Located in historic Market Square, the
Falls is a modern restaurant in an old mill building located
on the banks of the Blackstone River in Woonsocket, RI. Here
we will enjoy a light lunch and a beverage before we
continue our tour. |
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1:30 pm From
Quebecois Farmhouses to the Mills |
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We will return to Market in Woonsocket, RI
to visit the Museum of Work and Culture. Hear the story of
the hopes and dreams of the millions or so people who left
French Canada to work in the textile mills of the Blackstone
Valley. Explore a 19th century farmhouse, parochial school
classroom, parlor of a 1920s New England three-decker
apartment house and the shop floor of a textile mill as you
step into their everyday world |
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2:30 pm An Elegant
Industrial Village
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We will continue with a brief driving tour
of Slatersville, RI. Its appearance is deceptive; it looks
like a classic New England village, however it was America's
first planned industrial village built between 1803 and 1807
completed with a town common lined with lovely old homes. It
also includes views of early worker housing, a company store
and a dam that provided waterpower to the local mills. |
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4:00
pm End on a Sweet Note |
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We will travel to Wright's Farm Dairy in
North Smithfield, RI where you can enjoy (and take along) a
homemade baked treat from one of the Valley's best bakeries
located at a working dairy farm.
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Tour Operator
Price: $32.00
The price is
based on a minimum of 40 people.
For more
information and/or assistance with hotel accommodations and
restaurant reservations contact:
Patti McAlpine
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
patti@tourblackstone.com
800-454-2882 |
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