Destination Wickford Village

It was good to see old favs like Green Ink, Wilson's, The Grateful Heart, and Gardner's still going strong in Wick (What? You didn't know that Wickford was originally called Wick? Yup.) the other day. I also found a few other spots that villagers and tourists alike are gushing about right now. First, start with shopping and Gossip boutique, a fellow Best Of RI Winner this year (for Best New Boutique & Best Boutique), which features everyone's favorite updated-boho-casual-sexy line Free People as well as lots of other stylish knits, denim, and accessories (including light weight scarves which btw are the most affordable way to make everything in your closet look new and different). Think of Gossip as the hip chic daughter of the boutique culture there. The Serena Van Der Woodsen to their Lily (Gossip Girl). Or the Kate Hudson to their Goldie (Hawn). Then, next stop is  Shayna's Place for lunch, some fresh juice or coming soon, gelato - The owners actually used to run Roba Dolce, the popular gelato place that was over on Thayer in PVD about 5-ish years ago. Open only a few weeks, and named for the owners' youngest daughter, Shayna's is already the talk of the wick literally (From a lady behind the counter in the gourmet shop to people we met while hanging out in the middle of Brown St., it seemed as though it was at the top of everyone's list.) and when we arrived on Wednesday afternoon, there wasn't an empty seat to be found.  

Celebrity Factor: Speaking of gossip, Wick was a destination for the late great Joan Rivers whenever she was performing in the area (at the casinos in Connecticut, etc). I also hear that James Woods is a big fan of breakfast at The Beach Rose Cafe on Brown St. (See photo above with red umbrellas.). And let's not forget Martha Stewart and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts - Both spotted there at least twice in the last year.

Other Happenings

• The Farmers' Market, Thursday's from 1-5pm (thru September only)
• The Kayak Centre - The safest way to try kayaking because you're in The Bay (aka, Narragansett), instead of being out in ocean water. (Long story short, one of my brothers almost got swept out to sea while kayaking in the ocean while on vaca a few years ago. I'll stick to The Bay thank you very much.)
• You may have missed the Wickford Art Fair (It was back in July.), but there's still plenty of amazing art to ooh and aah over, and you get to do it without the big crowds. Check out Five Main Gallery for starters.

Ciao For Now,

Patty J

Photo Credits: All photos, except for the Farmer's Market, courtesy of Ashley Farney.