Arriving in Providence, capital of the New England state of Rhode Island, you cannot help but notice the number of same sex couples.
Some say it is because of the three major academic institutions, including one Ivy League university, in the relatively small city. Others might argue that it is because of the state’s liberal views on LGBT rights. Which ever it is, this New England enclave offers gay couples a destination away from the well trodden path of nearby Provincetown or the big cities of New York and Boston.
‘The New York Times’ calls Rhode Island the most tolerant state in the US, and recently compared attitudes in Rhode Island to that of what they call the least gay tolerant state in the US, Mississippi, two opposite ends of the gay (and civil) rights spectrum. A couple of statistics from their research perhaps prove the point.
* For every openly gay male high school student on Facebook in Mississippi, there are 5.5 in Rhode Island.
* In Mississippi there are 50 percent more Google searches asking ‘is my husband gay?’ than there are in Rhode Island.
Perhaps only Americans would use Google searches as a basis for their academic research, but it confirms a trend of tolerance seen in the New England states since the founding fathers landed there.
Rhode Island is a small state of a million people, situated between New York and Boston. It is easy to drive straight through it, but you would be making a mistake not to hang out for a while. Providence offers a cluster of gay bars in its compact Victorian downtown area. Providence is like a mini-New York with similar architecture just on a smaller scale. Like much of America, its cultural highlight is a sprawling shopping centre. Just an hour from Boston though, it makes for an interesting stop-off whilst travelling around the region.
Summer and fall sees millions flock to the quintessential New England town of Newport. This spectacularly beautiful resort is everything you want from the New England experience. Newport offers Rhode Island’s best eating, drinking and hotel destinations, and rightly lays claim to being one of America’s premier resorts. Christmas sees the town, and its string of historic Gatsby-style mansions, decked out in Christmas decorations, magically adding to the resort’s already beautiful historic backdrop. Spring sees the Atlantic Cup, one of America’s leading sailing races, with its activities on and off the water, Newport is best known for both offerings. Other Rhode Island towns follow a similar look and style to historic Newport. These include Bristol, Portsmouth and Warren, and all worth a few picture postcard photographs. Newport though is the best destination to spend time in, with a vast number of high quality independent eating, drinking, shopping and entertainment venues to keep travellers occupied all times of the year.
Boston itself disappoints only in one way, its gay bars. The city rivals any in the world in terms of what it otherwise offers, however the better gay bars can be found outside of the city centre. However, there is much on offer in the city including shopping in Newbury Street, eating at Quincy Market, historic Beacon Hill or in its role as a regional centre for the arts and theatre.
Boston is the best way to arrive and depart New England, just seven or so hours from London, making the flight an easy hop. What you get for your trouble is some of the best America has to offer. British Airways fly three times daily and Virgin twice daily from Heathrow Airport to Logan International Airport.
For gay bars in Boston, CLICK HERE:
For information about Gay Boston, CLICK HERE:
For Gay guide to Providence, CLICK HERE:
For guide to Rhode Island, CLICK HERE: