Rhode Island Town 9: East Greenwich - 7/1/2020

This post is brought to you by Aoife.....

My mom and I visited East Greenwich together since Aemilia & Tarynn were busy fixing up their bedrooms, and my dad stayed home with them. (We recently switched rooms so now Aemilia & I are sharing a room and Tarynn has her own room.) It was a little bit rainy,  which was nice because there weren’t many crowds around. ​

Smiling in the rain at Briggs Boesch Farm

So many ducks!

The first place we went to was the Briggs Boesch Farm. At the farm there were hiking trails that if you went on them you would walk by different farm animals. As we were walking to the trail we passed a field full of about 100 ducks. After we passed the ducks we went by a barn and a vegetable garden, and that was when the skies opened up and it began pouring rain. We were hoping to do a real hike there, but we decided that it would be better to come back to Briggs Boesch Farm another day.  The buildings and signs around the farm were really cool, and they also had a farm stand run by Pat's Pastured.  (which was closed when we were there). ​

The beach at Goddard Park

Our next stop in East Greenwich was Goddard Park, and it stopped raining just a few minutes after we arrived. Goddard Park was really nice to walk around and look at the water. At Goddard Park there was a golf course, a horse barn, trails to hike on, and a beach that would be especially good for little kids since there were not big waves there. We went on a trail down near the beach. As we hiked we found some geocaches and enjoyed the view of the waves crashing up against the bank. The trails at Goddard Park are nice and wide because they are used for horses as well as hikers. One thing we noticed as we drove around the park was that there were lots of bathrooms, and they were all still open even though it was close to 7PM. ​

After we had hiked through Goddard Park we went to the downtown area of East Greenwich. As we walked along the town looking into the little shops we heard some music being played from the street above Main Street. We walked up a side street to find the music and saw that it was The Kentish Guards practicing. We stopped and watched them play as well as going into their armory. We talked to them for a few minutes, and learned that due to COVID-19, they were not going to be able to participate in any 4th of July celebrations since blowing into the fife is like a continuous sneeze for spreading germs. We walked back down to the town and continued going down King Street until we were at the water. ​

Railroad Bridge on King Street

Beautiful doorway in downtown East Greenwich

Cute house in downtown East Greenwich

There we saw lots of sailboats at the boat yard. When we walked back up to the main street we went under a cute little bridge.  When we got back up the main street we got some delicious pizza at the Frank & John from Italy Restaurant, which is a place that my mom's friend says makes the best pizza he's ever had. We got half cheese and half pepperoni and it was thin, crispy, and delicious. We sat outside on a bench at the town hall and ate our dinner. Afterwards,  we walked around the town and saw paintings on the sidewalk and little breakfast shops. 

Frank & John from Italy Pizza Restaurant

Picking up our pizza

Cheese for Aoife, pepperoni for Heidi

Crispy and Delicious!

Sidewalk paintings on Main Street

Jigger's Diner

Our last stop in East Greenwich was at Clementine’s Homemade Ice Cream.  We waited in the short line outside of the shop because only three people are allowed inside at a time.  When the man in front of us came out, he announced that Clementine’s was all out of ice cream!  Fortunately, he was just joking and we were able to order waffle cones of delicious ice cream that we ate in the car as we drove home.  ​

Clementine's Homemade Ice Cream

On our way home

Other places we've enjoyed in East Greenwich:

• The Greenwich Odeum - Great small theatre where the employees & volunteers are friendly and every seat is good.  We've seen numerous shows here - Dar Williams, Arlo Guthrie, The Berkley Harry Potter Orchestra, and Cherish the Ladies are a few that we've seen in the past year or so. 
• The Trap & Safehouse Restaurants - Located on the same property (on the way to Goddard Park), The Trap is a brew pub & grill, while Safehouse is a more fancy and is a great place for a girls' night, date night, or special dinner.  We've enjoyed delicious food & drink at both venues and the Trap's outdoor patio with fireplaces is especially enjoyable in the evening. 
• Scalloptown Park - During colonial times, Greenwich Bay was full of scallops & oysters, and East Greenwich was the scallop capital of Rhode Island. Now, this waterfront park has a bikepath running through it. 
• MainStreet Coffee - This is a great place, and in my opinion, is a model for all coffee shops.  It is a coffee shop by day, bar by night.  What a great way to maximize the use of a commercial space!  We've enjoyed pastries and beverages here, and it is the perfect place to grab a drink before or after a show at the Greenwich Odeum. 
• Frenchtown Park & Frye Nature Preserve - 125 acres of trails to explore on the grounds of the former Tillinghast Thread factory.  Lots of geocaches here!
• Jigger's Diner - Open for breakfast & lunch, the dining car atmosphere at Jigger's is really fun!