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Tour of the
Week - Blackstone River Valley
Rhode Island, New
England, USA
June 1, 2007
Blackstone
River Valley - A River Story |
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Sample Packaged Tour Itinerary |
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Blackstone River Valley - A River Story
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The Blackstone River is the centerpiece
of the 400,000 acre Blackstone River Valley. One of 14
American Heritage Rivers, the powerful Blackstone flows
between Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence Rhode
Island. As a special kind of place called a national
heritage corridor, it tells the story of the river's
role in starting New England's textile industry and the
American Industrial Revolution.
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9:00 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 andother 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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10:30
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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12:00 pm
Lunch at the Vintage Restaurant |
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Located in historic Market Square, Vintage
is a modern restaurant in an old mill building located in
Woonsocket, RI. Much like America's melting pot, so are
culinary influences at the Vintage restaurant. Here we will
enjoy sandwiches and a beverage before we continue our tour. |
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1:30 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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2:30 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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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 working dairy farm |
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This is a guided tour.
Tour Operator
Price: $36.
The price is based on a minimum of
37 people.
To schedule a tour contact:
Lilly Kayamba
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
BVTCLilly@aol.com
800-454-2882
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