All summer long, the star of Rhode Island has been its southern coastline, where beaches from Watch Hill to Little Compton captivated tourists and residents alike with frothy blue-green waves and sugary white sand.
But now that it's indisputably autumn, the Ocean State's northern tier -- the Massachusetts border towns of Cumberland, North Smithfield and Burrillville -- claims the limelight as October's warm-hued palette tinges its hills, mill towns and valleys with orange, red and yellow leaves.
The annual foliage show begins around Columbus Day -- which is Monday -- peaking about a week after that and continuing, with colors gradually muting, through the end of the month.
Of course, one can find colorful foliage displays to admire in any corner of the state, but why not use the golden moment to explore the Blackstone Valley and northwest villages such as Harrisville, Pascoag and Chepachet? For most of the year, these antique hamlets are off the beaten path for most people. But for a couple of weeks each October, they become a destination in themselves.
Here's a suggestion for a back-roads driving loop of about 90 miles that starts and ends in Providence and knits together villages from Grant Mills in the far northeast corner of Rhode Island to the Wallum Lake area near the Massachusetts/
Connecticut border in the northwest.
The route takes about 3 1/2 hours to cover, and for most of its length follows no single straight route, so it's wise to designate one person to navigate and another to drive.
From Providence, the launching pad to the northern towns is Route 146. (A hike around Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park might make a good leg-stretcher before settling in for the ride.)
At Route 295, turn east, following the direction for Boston, and then take Exit 11 to get onto Route 114 (Diamond Hill Road) heading north. An inviting roadside stand called Phantom Farms, on your left, makes a good place to stop for apples, pumpkins, cider or a pastry snack for the road.
Cross Nate Whipple Highway (Route 120) and then start watching for Reservoir Road on your right opposite a red-painted general store. Turn right onto Reservoir, which will take you over the Diamond Hill Reservoir, where there's a good view of foliage reflected in the water. Bear left onto Tingley, following the orange signs for Adams Farm and keeping the reservoir on your left. Continue to your first left at Sumner Brown Road, where you'll find Adams Farm, which has pumpkins for sale.
Stay on Sumner Brown all the way to the intersection with Route 121 (Wrentham Road), and there turn left to rejoin Route 114 at Diamond Hill Park. Proceed straight, staying on Wrentham (north on 114) to the traffic signal at West Wrentham Road, and there turn left for a short distance to a right turn onto Elder Ballou Meetinghouse Road.
You'll pass a historical Cumberland cemetery on your left.
And then you turn . . .
At the intersection with Mendon Road, turn left and continue for about a mile to the intersection of Route 122. There, turn left again, staying on Mendon to its intersection with Manville Road, where you turn right, down the hill, to cross the Blackstone River. Go through the traffic signal and continue up the hill. Turn right at Route 126, then quickly bear left to Sayles Hill Road. Proceed straight through the traffic signal at Route 146, and at the top of the hill, go straight onto Iron Mine Hill Road.
This road winds through the woods of North Smithfield. Stay on it to the end, then turn left onto Route 104 to its intersection with Route 7. There, turn right and continue for about a mile. Turn left onto Matitty Road and continue till it turns into Nichols, then meets Tarkiln Road, where you turn left. At the end of Tarkiln, turn right onto Cooper Hill Road, then in Mapleville, turn right onto Victory Highway.
After about a mile, look for East Avenue (Route 107) on the left, just about opposite the Burrillville police station.
Continue on Route 107 for two miles, then turn right onto Route 98 as you enter the village of Harrisville.
You might make a side trip here into Harrisville, one of the most picturesque villages in Rhode Island. Beginning in the mid-1800s, Harrisville grew up around a worsted mill that had been established in 1857 at Mill Pond. By the 1930s, New Yorker Austin Levy owned the mill, and he made it his business to spruce up Harrisville by restoring its public buildings and building a new library and town hall. The village is now on the National Historic Register.
From Harrisville . . .
Continuing from Harrisville north on Route 98, go about two miles, then turn left onto Brook Road, which turns into West Road when it crosses over Round Top Road, Route 96. From West Road, bear right onto Hill Road briefly, then go left onto Stone Barn Road. Stay to the left at the unmarked intersection with Donahue to continue on Stone Barn to its intersection with East Wallum Lake Road.
Turn left onto East Wallum, which is so narrow here that it looks almost like a driveway. Continue till it joins Route 100 in Bridgeton, and go south (left) on 100 into Pascoag.
The road signs don't make it easy to get through Pascoag on Route 100. The best thing to do is ignore them and turn right onto South Main Street in front of Champs Discount Liquors store. (Despite the signs, that's Route 100 South.)
Just out of town, turn right onto Reservoir Road, which joins Route 44 after a couple of miles. Turn left on 44 to head back to Providence via the pretty village of Chepachet.
Unlike Harrisville, which began as a mill town, Chepachet developed as a stagecoach stop on the road between Providence and Hartford. Today, there is still a historic Stagecoach Tavern, as well as a country store (Brown & Hopkins) that is one of the oldest in the country, dating to 1809.
After Chepachet, Route 44 (Putnam Pike) passes through two more rural villages: Harmony and Greenville.
Then you'll know you're back in what passes for modern civilization when you reach the sprawl of stores at Smithfield's Apple Valley Mall.
Escape by heading south on Route 295 to get back to Providence via Route 6 East.
