North Scituate Village Green

The village green is a form as old as New England itself, a shared open space at the heart of a town that once served as a gathering place, a militia training ground, and a common pasture. North Scituate's green carries on that tradition, framed by historic churches and civic buildings that give it the classic composition of a Yankee village center.

Scituate is one of Rhode Island's older towns, settled in the colonial era and named, like its Massachusetts counterpart, for an English place. The green anchors a rural community that has kept much of its historic character, a rarity in the nation's most densely populated state.

What puts North Scituate on the map for many Rhode Islanders is its art festival, which began in the 1960s and grew into one of the largest outdoor art shows in New England. Held over the three days of Columbus Day weekend, it lines the green and nearby streets with hundreds of booths of paintings, photography, jewelry, crafts, and food.

The timing catches the region at its autumn peak, and the combination of art, foliage, and a storybook village setting draws crowds from across the state and beyond. It is a genuine community event, organized with deep local involvement, and for many families a fixed part of the fall calendar.

Just beyond the village lies the Scituate Reservoir, the largest inland body of water in Rhode Island and the main source of drinking water for much of the state. Created in the early twentieth century by damming the Pawtuxet River, its construction flooded several small villages, whose sites now lie beneath the water.

Because it supplies drinking water, the reservoir is strictly protected, closed to swimming and boating, but the scenic roads that skirt it offer beautiful drives, especially in fall. The reservoir gives the whole area its rural, unhurried feel and helps explain why so much open land survives here.

Western Scituate and its neighbors form one of Rhode Island's most rural corners, a landscape of stone walls, woods, farms, and quiet back roads. It is a reminder that even in a small, crowded state there are places that stay green and open.

This land was part of the territory of the Narragansett people, whose nation continues in Rhode Island today, and later a patchwork of colonial farms. A walk around the green and a drive along the reservoir make an easy, restful outing away from the coast and the cities.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.