Pick for Best Fall Foliage in Rhode Island Misses the Mark

A new Reader's Digest list puts a Rhode Island town among the best places in the country to see the fall colors, but I think they are wrong. Not that Rhode Island can't be an amazing place for a fall foliage trip; it's just that the town they picked isn't exactly the best spot in the state, if you ask me.

According to the nearly 100-year-old publication, Bristol, Rhode Island is one of the top 25 best places to see fall foliage. The magazine ranked it up there with Stowe in Vermont, Niagara Falls in New York and even Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Shocking, because there are plenty of other picturesque spots in the Ocean State.

Though I can't disagree with Reader's Digest that Colt State Park can be lovely in the fall, I have to counter with Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln and even Roger Williams Park in Providence. Both of these parks have a lot more trees than Colt and the more trees, the more fall colors.

The magazine also touts the history of Bristol and the quaint older buildings you can see throughout downtown. Again, I have to counter with Great Road in Lincoln. Not only does driving down this road give you a gorgeous view of fall colors, but all along it are old farms, picturesque ponds and several state parks. The road is one of just a few that is considered a historical district, having been a colonial-era highway connecting Providence, Hartford and Worcester.

If you need some adventure while you leaf peep, then may I suggest a bike ride along the river at Blackstone River State Park with a stop at Albion Dam? You can walk, bike, and even fish while taking in the changing leaves all along the river that powered America's entrance into the Industrial Age. Talk about history.

So yes, Reader's Digest, Bristol is a great town to visit – but if you want fall colors galore, I'd say take the drive through Lincoln this fall.