slides: 8 Ways To Celebrate Spring in Rhode Island

Start your garden engines

To get started with the gardening plans, is there any better spot in Rhode Island for provisions than Schartner Farms? From seeds to seedlings, you'll find everything you need at this beautiful, 150-acre farm to plan your new plantings. And don't forget that there are homemade jam, pumpkin pies, fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, and delicious pies on hand, every day of the week.

Schartner Farms, One Arnold Place, Exeter. 402-294-2044.

Go dancing

For the best spot to cut loose, get thee to Westerly to the Knickerboker Cafe. The dancehall is back, and the roster just gets better and better. On deck this week are The Cartells on Wednesday the 27, The Drawbridge Band on Thursday, and Rock and Soul Revue on Friday. For tickets and more info click here.

Knickerbocker Cafe, 35 Railroad Ave, Westerly. 401-596-4225.

Hit the islands

Enough with staring at it from afar. Boat out from Tiverton to Prudence Island, and don't forget to watch for the Bay's seal community en route. Go on a tour of the one-room schoolhouse, and check out the Prudence Island Light House (also known as the Sandy Point Lighthouse), the oldest lighthouse in Rhode Island. Go here for ferry fare and schedule info.

Pretty up your toes

Now's the time for a pedicure to launch sandal season. Do it right at Stone House Spa in Little Compton with one of two fantastic treatments. The first, SpaRitual Foot Restoration, goes from exfoliation and hydration to cuticle management and massage with organic creams, oils and sugar scrubs. On the other foot, the Osea Skin Soulful Foot Ritual with Pedicure includes a seaweed soak with pure essential oils, a rosemary marine foot scrub and a traditional pedi. Stone House, 122 Sakonnet Point Rd, Little Compton, 635-2222.

Roll out

If you're not a winter cyclist, now's the time to dust off the spokes and warm up on one of Rhode Island's newer bike paths, the Ten Mile River Greenway. It runs from Kimberly Ann Rock Athletic Fields in East Providence to Slater Memorial Park in Pawtucket. Okay, it's only 2.5 miles, but as it's one of the only paths not on an old rail line, it's twisty and turny and lots of fun. Great for kids. For more information and a link to a trail map, go here.

Get your tourist on

Before the real ones come, take one of the state's excellent walking tours. Top of the list: a walking tour of historic Woonsocket. Don't miss a glimpse of this city that thrived with factories and Canadian culture. You can download the brochure for the tour at the National Park Web site, here.

Eat dinner outdoors

For the best food with the coziest heaters, there is no better spot than waterfront at Bristol's DeWolf Tavern. If you hurry, you can cash in on Newport Restaurant week specials from March 25-April 3... but any night is tremendous in the hands of chef Sai. And don't miss the Rum Raisin house cocktail, which is going to throw a little Caribbean into your spring. And a spring in your step. DeWolf Tavern Restaurant, 259 Thames Street, Bristol, 254-2005.

Eat ice cream

Some hearty souls eat it all year 'round, but once spring is here, it's really time. Whether your favorite is Brickley's, Gray's or one of Rhode Island's many delicious scoop shops, enjoy a dip. Here are GoLocalProv's favorite spots.