Experience RI: The Tour Company That Changed How I See My State

When I first discovered Experience Rhode Island (who I’ll be calling Experience RI, for short), I honestly had no idea they existed. I’ve always associated tours with foreign places and new cities. Why would I need a tour company to show me my own state?Turns out, I’m pretty clueless about Rhode Island.I used to think that I knew the best things to do in the fall. I knew the best views, where to get the best donuts, and I definitely thought I had been to the tallest place in RI.Seriously, did anyone else know it’s in Foster? Was I the only person surprised by this?Last Saturday, I collaborated with Experience RI to create some really beautiful photos and memories and, today, I want to share some of them with you.Are you ready?

The Tour

We made eight different stops throughout the day. The first was the Scituate Reservoir. This tour was called the Autumn in New England tour, so we were constantly surrounded by changing leaves and beautiful colors. The Reservoir was no exception. After a quick stop to grab some beautiful photos, it was on to the next stop: the oldest covered bridge in Rhode Island.Also known as the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge.Apparently, it’s a popular spot for senior photos (parents, take note)...Continuing the fall foliage fest (I’m copywriting that, no one steal it), we made our way to the tallest point in Rhode Island. Now, I honest to God thought this would have been in Newport or Jamestown. My brain associated the cliffs with penultimate height, apparently.Nope.It’s in Foster.As in “no school Foster Glocester” Foster.After that, we stopped for lunch, ate some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted, and I made friends with some bales of hay.Now, if you’re an antique lover, you definitely would love the stop in Chepachet. We stayed there for around a half hour because the oldest country store in the state is there, but I counted at least three other antique shops during my little walk.Small stores still scare me. So I stayed outside and stretched my legs.Where do you buy the best apple cider donuts in Rhode Island?Wrong.The answer is Appleland Orchard.Holy apples you guys, these donuts were the best I’ve EVER tasted and, if you know me well, you know how much I love donuts.(More than anything.)After donut heaven came wine heaven. Seriously, can you ask for anything better?We spent over an hour at a local vineyard learning all about the process of how wine is made here in New England and how it differs from wines produced in other parts of the world. Plus, we even got to try some of the wine.In fact...I may go crack open the bottle we brought home with us right now…

One Wine Break Later...

Better, I’m less cranky now.Our day ended at Dame Farm and Orchards where we got a hayride tour of the property and some of the best apple cider I’ve ever tasted. Although their apples are picked for this season, their orchards are full of beautiful flowers to create your own bouquets. A couple people in my group did it and their arrangement was stunning.Perhaps what I loved the most about this tour (and Experience RI in general) was our tour guide. His name was Ted. Ted is awesome.He knows so much about Rhode Island and was constantly throwing fun facts at us. For example, he told us that if every state were the size of Rhode Island, there would be over 3,000 states in the US.Can you imagine putting those in a song?

Would I Do It Again?

Honestly? Yeah! I had so much fun during my day with Experience RI that I would do this again in a heartbeat.There are, however, a few things you need to know beforehand…Tip #1 - Wear your f#%&@!g masksI can’t believe we still have to preach this. Guys, there is a global pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States alone. We had a family on our tour that was very put out that they had to wear their masks but, thankfully, our tour guide was super on top of it after he noticed what was happening. I definitely felt safer for it.Tip #2 - Maybe bring a hatWe had a lot of time in the sun, which I hadn’t considered before the tour. A hat not only helps to protect your skin, it can also help with any mask tan lines you may or may not receive…Tip #3 - Definitely bring waterWe didn’t have a ton of access to water after lunchtime so be sure to bring a reusable water bottle from home! You save money and the environment at the same time! Double win!Tip #4 - Bring lunch or be prepared to buy itI definitely overlooked this when I was planning my day but I realized an hour into the tour that we were eventually going to have to stop for lunch. Which meant buying lunch. This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s always good to know ahead of time ;) Are you from the Ocean State or plan on visiting soon? Shoot me an email at lauren@wherethesuitcaseis.com with any and all of your Rhode Island questions OR head over to experienceri.com to learn more about this awesome company :)