Roger Williams Park: The Dalrymple Boathouse

It is going to take me a few different trips to explore Roger Williams Park because it is way bigger than I had anticipated. Located at 1000 Elmwood Ave. in Providence, the park boasts 435 acres which includes 100 acres of ponds that pop up all over the property. Today, I pulled in and parked at The Carousel Village and walked across the street to the trail that goes around the pond directly in front of the Dalrymple Boathouse.

 

Much of the Fall foliage is still intact in the trees around the park because they are clustered together, leaving the leaves protected from gusts of wind and freezing rain. This made a trail walk around the pond particularly gorgeous. This park is visibly well tended. I saw not one piece of garbage and the landscaping team was hard at work on the hill above The Carousel Village blowing leaves off of the lawn. The ducks were happy to paddle about the cold, clean water in the sun while I explored the woods and tried out countless benches to see which one had the best view. I wish that I had stopped at home first to get Ed because he would've loved running around chasing the ducks. Maybe next time. 

I found this amazing tree that I would like to think was the scene of many magical romantic moments,although someone did go ahead and steal everyone else's thunder with the huge red lettering. It is no wonder so many people have come to write their initials on this tree; the cozy wooded trail overlooking the vintage boathouse and pond are the characteristics movie scenes are made of.

Directly across the pond from this tree is a full view of the front of the boathouse. Apparently you can rent various kinds of boats there and take them out onto the waterways in the park or you can take a guided tour on the park's boat which gives historical context to the grounds. 

Can't wait to go back to Roger Williams Park to check out the zoo, the cabin, the carousel, the museum, and the botanical center.