Summer Walking Tours (RI Historical Society)

Benefit Street: A Mile in History walking tour. Created in the mid-18th century “for the benefit of all,” this colonial thoroughfare shows off an enviable collection of 18th- and 19th-century wood-frame houses. Although its breathtaking historic structures can give the street the appearance of a museum mile, it is actually a vital urban neighborhood. Preservation efforts beginning in the 1950s shaped this streetscape in many ways, including displacing communities and moving houses. This tour tells a story that touches on the past, present, and future and the ways in which all of these intersect in a living and breathing city. Tours are currently scheduled on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 10am and run for 45-50 minutes. Reservations need to be booked at least 24 hours in advance of the tour. Please use our online ticketing system or by calling (401) 331-8575, x360. https://www.rihs.org/walking_tours/12425/ Guests are encouraged to book tickets with those whom they have been in close contact during COVID-19 isolation (including immediate housemates and adjacent friends and families).Tours will be treated as primarily private bookings, limited to one or two general parties, with a maximum of 10 attendees total, to adhere to state stipulations. Attendees are expected to maintain social distancing from their guide while on tour, as well as wear masks while on the street and in public. This tour meets at the front of the John Brown House Museum. Access to the museum interior (including bathrooms) is restricted. Free Museum parking is available in a lot off Charlesfield Street, which runs parallel to Power Street on the other side of the property. The entrance to the lot is not far from the corner of Charlesfield and Benefit Streets.