Rhode Island Town 2: Woonsocket (and a taste of North Smithfield) 6/23/2020

The Blais girls at Market Square - Woonsocket, RI.

RI’s mills have always interested me.  I love the architecture of the mill buildings, and whenever I visit a mill town, I always wish I could travel back in time to see what it was like during its heyday.  Woonsocket is a northern RI city that was famous for its mills along the Blackstone River.  There were numerous French Canadians who emigrated to Woonsocket, and there is still a French Canadian influence on the culture of Woonsocket today.  ​

Aoife & Tarynn at the Hachiko Statue

Heading down the stairs.....

Upon arriving in Woonsocket, we drove to the downtown area and parked near the Visitor’s Center, which transforms into the Polar Express station at Christmastime.  We walked along Main Street to the Visitor’s Center to see the statue of Hachiko, the faithful dog in Japan who spent 9 years waiting for his owner to return from work. This statue is an exact replica of one in Japan, and was placed in Woonsocket because the movie “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” was filmed in Woonsocket.  After petting the statue, we continued walking through the downtown area, noticing many food venues serving hot wieners, fish and chips, Del’s lemonade and other tasty treats.  

At the edge of the Blackstone River

Woonsocket Falls

Pride flags on the Bike path in Market Square

After returning to our car, we were pretty hot and feeling ready for lunch.  Although Woonsocket is well known for its French Canadian food, we opted instead to try the Krakow Deli Bakery & Smokehouse which we have heard rave reviews from several sources.  All I can say is WOW!!!!!  We ordered the house made kielbasa, pierogies with bacon & onion sauce, golabki, croquettes filled with cabbage, beef & mushrooms, and baklava.  The two ladies working in the deli were super friendly and helpful, and while we waited we were very intrigued by all of the imported Polish food on the shelves.  Rather than eating inside, we took our food to go and drove over to the World War II Park for a picnic lunch.  Everything we ordered was delicious, and the food also came with delicious sourdough bread and sweet & spicy pickles. Not many leftovers today…..

Krakow Deli Smokehouse & Bakey - Woonsocket, RI

Imported food - Krakow Deli

Bakery items - Krakow Deli

Kielbasa & Prepared Foods - Krakow Deli

Picnic at WW II Park, Woonsocket, RI

Delicious Kielbasa over Cheese & Potato Pierogies

We finished our tour with a stop at Wright’s Dairy Farm, just over the city line in North Smithfield.  This has been a favorite place of ours for many years, and it is where we purchase all of our cakes for special occasions.  When the girls were younger, we used to visit Wright’s to see the baby cows, and to see the adult cows being milked in the afternoon.  Wright’s cream filled pastries are the absolute best, and their milk is so much better than grocery store milk.  They also have homemade ice cream, which is amazingly delicious as well.  Due to COVID-19, Wright’s is operating a little differently.  Rather than having customers enter the store, they have implemented an online ordering system.  You can place your order for pick up at a certain time, or in our case, place an order online while sitting in the parking lot, and it will be brought out to your car.  We placed our order, and the estimated time was 35 minutes later, but Wright’s was extremely efficient and our order was actually brought out in about 10 minutes.  We purchased regular milk, coffee milk (the best ever!!), an oreo tart, and a strawberry rhubarb pie.  When we arrived home, we were pleasantly surprised to find that also included in our bags were 4 cream filled cornets with a note attached expressing thanks for supporting a local business and thanks for our patience.  Super nice and super delicious!!!! We love Wright’s and hope to go back when we “officially” visit North Smithfield. 

Wright's Dairy Farm - N. Smithfield, RI

Moooo

The BEST coffee milk ever - Wright's Dairy farm

Strawberry Rhubarb Pir

Cream Filled Cornets

Chocolate Oreo Tart

Other places we’ve enjoyed in Woonsocket:

• The Stadium Theatre - We've enjoyed numerous outstanding shows at the beautiful and historic Stadium Theatre.  They have lots of variety in their calendar - everything from musicals & ballets to tribute bands and comedy. Every seat in the theatre is good, ticket prices are reasonable, and parking is plentiful & free.  It's a great place for a date night, or to bring the whole family.
• ​The Museum of Work and Culture - This well thought out museum uses interactive displays to tell the story of the French Canadian immigrants who came to Woonsocket to work in the mills and factories.  It's an interesting museum for all ages.
• The American-French Genealogical Society - This nonprofit organization collects, preserves and publishes cultural, genealogical, historical and biographical matter relating to Americans of French and French Canadian descent. Brian has done research there and has found lots of information relevant to his family tree. 
• Cold Spring Park - There actually is a cold spring (and a few geocaches as well) in Cold Spring Park.  You can also find walking paths, ball fields, tennis & basketball courts, a boat launch, and a sledding hill here as well. 
• ​Ciro’s Tavern - Built in 1893, this restaurant has delicious food and a medieval look.  In the summertime, their outdoor patio is a comfortable and relaxing spot to enjoy food, drink, & conversations with friends.  Ciro's is almost directly across from the Stadium Theatre and is a perfect place to go for dinner before a show, or drinks afterwards. 
• River Falls Restaurant - Serving delicious food and drink, River Falls was formerly the Woonsocket Rubber Company Mill.  The stone wall interior is beautiful, and their outdoor patio on the bank of the Blackstone River is our favorite summer dining location. 
• Kay’s Restaurant - Kay's is famous for their sandwiches (try the steak sandwich - it's amazing!), and their drinks are very good as well.  
• Ye Olde English Fish & Chips - If you mention Woonsocket to anyone from the Blackstone Valley, they will immediately start talking about Ye Olde English Fish & Chips.  It's a Woonsocket institution that has been serving fish cooked using family recipes since 1922.