Depressed about the Patriots? Here are 12+ ways to have more fun on Sundays in RI

Susan McDonald
·3 min read

Sundays in the fall mean one thing to many: football. But if you’re not a fan – or you're weary of the Patriots' dismal performance, and sightings of Taylor Swift with the Chiefs' Travis Kelce – a world of fun awaits.

Sunday Funday can mean a lot of things – getting outdoors for apple-picking in Scituate or kite-flying in Newport, hiking Rhode Island's woods or tipping a beverage at area breweries and vineyards. Adventuring with children? There are options for all ages.

Here are a few of our favorite choices, based on mood:

Check out the city's skyline and architecture on an excursion with the Providence River Boat Company.
Check out the city's skyline and architecture on an excursion with the Providence River Boat Company.

Get outdoors for some fresh-air fun

When you want to enjoy the sunshine, take a scenic 6-mile ride on Aquidneck Island with Portsmouth-based Rail Explorers (railexplorers.net/locations), or explore Middletown's Norman Bird Sanctuary (normanbirdsanctuary.org) with your binoculars to see how many habitats you can find on its 300 acres and 7 miles of trails. In Providence, take a riverboat tour and learn about the city’s architecture or the state’s largest ship graveyard with Providence River Boat Company (providenceriverboat.com). And children and grown-ups alike always enjoy visiting the animals at Providence's Roger Williams Park Zoo (rwpzoo.org).

Green duckweed covers Red Maple Pond at Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, where hikers can spot snapping turtles, mallards, a great blue heron and other wildlife.
Green duckweed covers Red Maple Pond at Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, where hikers can spot snapping turtles, mallards, a great blue heron and other wildlife.

Explore your artsy side

Visit collections at Providence's Rhode Island School of Design Museum (risdmuseum.org), which is free on Sundays, as well as on Thursday evenings, and currently has exhibits on metalwork, contemporary ceramics and Navajo apparel. A more whimsical option is the Electromagnetic Pinball Museum and Restoration in Pawtucket (electromagneticpinballmus,eum.com), where the science, history and art of the game come to life. Or, choose to make your own art at places like Gather Glass (gatherglass.com) on Providence's Federal Hill, where you leave class with a paperweight, ornament, vase or other handmade treasure, or Paint & Vino (paintandvino.com) in Pawtucket, where you can enjoy a few glasses of wine while creating your own masterpiece.

More: Looking to get in the fall spirit? These 14 things to do in RI will put you in the mood

Benjamin Giguere blows through a tube to shape molten glass at his Gather Glass studio in Providence, where you can learn the art and bring home a handmade treasure.
Benjamin Giguere blows through a tube to shape molten glass at his Gather Glass studio in Providence, where you can learn the art and bring home a handmade treasure.

Let the games begin

Unleash your competitive side at BattleGroundZ (battlegroundz.net) in Lincoln, where you can play paintball, dodgeball, darts, laser tag or archery tag with your crew. Or at the same entertainment complex, strap on a helmet and zip around the tracks at R1 Indoor Karting (r1indoorkarting.com). Anyone over age 6 and at least 48 inches tall can join the fun. The facility also offers ax throwing, darts and an arcade. With the littles, head to the Providence Children’s Museum (providencechildrensmuseum.org), where they can play at the water tables or in the innovation lab.

Indulge your need for speed on the track at R1 Indoor Karting in Lincoln.
Indulge your need for speed on the track at R1 Indoor Karting in Lincoln.

Shop till you drop

For a change of pace from the malls and outlets, visit the Providence Flea (providenceflea.com), which moves indoors in November and offers bargains, crafts and a host of other goodies. Or visit stalls at the Rhode Island Antiques Mall in Pawtucket (riantiquesmall.com), Antiques Alley in Smithfield (stillwaterantiques.net) or Jules Antiques (julesantiquesri.com) in Richmond for a find from the past.

More: Hungry for good music? 10 concerts you won't want to miss this fall in RI and nearby Conn.

You'll find a different kind of shopping experience at the Rhode Island Antiques Mall in Pawtucket.
You'll find a different kind of shopping experience at the Rhode Island Antiques Mall in Pawtucket.

Indulge in a food tour, or visit a brewery or vineyard

Planners can sign up for a three-hour foodie fest with Rhode Island Red Food Tours (rhodeislandredfoodtours.com) and bring their appetites to various sites across Providence and Newport. Freestylers – it is Sunday, after all! – can blaze their own trail at the area’s breweries and vineyards. For beer and a variety of games, try Long Live Beerworks (longlivebeerworks.com) and Moniker Brewery (.monikerbrewery.com), both in Providence, or the original farm brewery at Tilted Barn (tiltedbarnbrewery.com) in Exeter. Wine fans can head to Diamond Hill Vineyards (diamondhillvineyards.com) in Cumberland, Leyden Farm (leydenfarm.com) in West Greenwich, or Shepherd’s Run (shepherds.run) in South Kingstown, where vino pairs beautifully with chocolate.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Things to do in RI that are more fun than watching the Patriots