Follow Rebekah to Providence, Rhode Island

Usually, my travel articles have a quick explanation of why I went there and three things you should do if you go there. But this time, I want to use the “why I went there” part to explain a big part of “how I got here,” professionally.

How One Spontaneous Trip to Providence Totally Changed My Business

I have attended The Lady Project Summit in Providence, RI for the last four years. I love it so much, I wrote an article for Entrepreneur.com about how it changed my perspective on conferences.

The Lady Project’s mission is to be “an economic development nonprofit and membership organization that connects, inspires and showcases awesome women doing amazing things through events, membership and community engagement.”

The Summit is their annual event, where women come from all over the country for a full day of speakers, workshops and just all around awesomeness.

I look forward to the summit every year because of the badass women who attend. I have met so many people from this conference; people that have hired me, people I have hired and people who became good friends.

This year was bittersweet because it was, unfortunately, the last year they are going to be putting on the conference.

The first time I went was on a total whim. The founder and I connected on Twitter and she invited me to do a PR workshop at her conference. I almost didn’t go because I had never done any type of workshop, and I thought I didn’t know enough to do it.

Needless to say, I am super happy that I went because it changed the whole trajectory of my career. I fell in love with doing DIY PR workshops because it was my way to reassure small business owners that they deserve to get the word out there about their business. For that, I will always be grateful.

While the conference is amazing, Providence is also amazing and still worth visiting even without the Lady Project Summit. I love it there and am sad that I don’t have any real reason to go back at the moment. It is a quintessential New England town, and there is a lot to do.

Here are some of my favorites based on four years of good memories.

Eat Your Way Through Federal Hill.

Federal Hill is the Little Italy of Providence and it is probably one of my favorite areas of the city.

I love walking around and doing a progressive meal. What do I mean by that? Pop in one place to eat something small and then another. This way you can try a lot and won’t have to stress about which one restaurant to choose.

I know there are so many places that I haven’t had a chance to go to, but so far my favorite place is Venda Ravioli. It is an Italian grocery store, but they have a place where you can order hot food and salads. I love this one salad from there so much, I even tried (successfully!) to recreate it at home. There is something old school and authentic about this place that is so likable.

Also, while you are in the area, you have to stop at one of the Italian bakeries because, duh! I stopped in Scialo Bros Bakery, which has been around since 1916! My preferred treat is the amaretto cookie, which is almost like an almond meringue.

Stay at The Dean Hotel.

Full disclosure, I didn’t stay at The Dean this time, but I have every other time I went to the conference. It is a beautiful boutique hotel right in the center of Providence.

Even if though I wasn’t staying there, I found myself there multiple times. First, to get coffee with a client that lives in Providence. The coffee shop is right in the lobby and it is great for people watching. Then, I came back at night for happy hour in their Karaoke club called The Boom Box.

Walk around India Point Park.

India Point Park is a small park right on the water, but it is a peaceful escape from the city and only a five-minute walk away.

I am sure it is beautiful all year around, but I am biased to visiting in the Fall because that’s when the leaves change color. It is absolutely beautiful. I am sure if I went even a week later the trees would be completely different. Being from Texas, we don’t have such visual seasonal changes, so it is nice to see what Fall is supposed to look like.

After to walk through the park, go just a few blocks more to try PVDonuts. These are as delicious as they look on Instagram. After grabbing your coffee and donut, I recommend wandering down Wickenden St., where there are a couple of cute boutiques, additional coffee shops, and interesting places to walk in and out of.

When you think of the North East, I am sure big cities like Boston comes to mind, but if you have a chance, I would definitely recommend a trip to Providence. There is something especially charming about the small city, and it still has all the restaurants, shopping and things to do that you would expect from a big city. Providence will always hold a special place in my heart, and I am already trying to figure out when I can go back.