classic New England Homes and businesses all identified by plaques with names of original owner. walking tours available.
Benefit Street is an intact Colonial neighborhood with views of downtown Providence. Many of the homes have signs that tell when the house was built, who lived there, and some even name the architect. Benefit Street is a "real life" community, and is not made up, like Colonial Williamsburg.
Providence doesn't have much to see or do. The main attraction is the area around the campus. The streets are filled with old but well preserved houses. It's a charming neighborhood that reminds me a lot Boston and London.
My wife loves to look at old house so we spent a Sunday afternoon slowly walking down Benefit Street. All the houses a different and interesting. She took many pictures of the different homes as we stooled down the street. A well worth while self tour.
As you walk thru benefit st. you can visit, Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, is a historical place, nice area to be. Only a short walk away from Down Town. I know because I live here, and love the city of Providence.
One can walk along this street and feel like they are walking in different parts of historical Boston. The history is tangible, and the homes are amazing. Great representation of early Americana.
This was impressive as the most authentic concentration of original Colonial homes still in existence. One house was more impressive than the next. It's know as the Mile of History and it's so true. Even the gardens are breathtakingly beautiful!
You don't have to travel to Williamsburg, VA to see a whole bunch of historic, mostly 18th-century homes. Just drive or walk along the one+ mile stretch of Benefit Street to view lovely homes painted mostly in pastel hues, and nearly all with a plaque on them from the Providence Preservation Society giving the date each house was constructed and the name of the original owner or builder. It really is a spectacular step back in time, all at the base of the hill on which Brown University sits, another place worth exploring.
Park your car and wander around the streets. Definitely best viewed on foot. The streets are clean and attractive and there are some wonderfully restored buildings.
Loved this street. We wandered along both sides taking in the varied architectural styles. Took us a while as we kept stopping to take photos. Still very unspoilt. Just beautiful.