Rhode Island - The birthplace of the diner & The Triple Murder Burger

The diner is one of New England's most famous food institutions. Providence in the state of Rhode Island (The USA’s smallest state) is considered the birthplace of the diner...tracing back to 1872.

These days, the mobile diner tradition lives on at Haven Brother's Diner, a shiny stainless-steel trailer which pulls into a reserved parking space next to Providence City Hall and literally plugs into the building for its electric supply.

It is one of, if not THE oldest mobile diner in the USA. Back in 1888 it started out as a horse drawn wagon serving up its fare to hungry workers. 125 years later they are still doing the business.

Haven Brothers serves up milk shakes, hot dogs and hamburgers - including the Triple Murder Burger - to hungry visitors from every walk of life.

Rhode Island’s other delights:

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the USA, but ‘Little Rhody’ proves the saying that the best things come in small packages. Visitors return time and again to enjoy peaceful coastlines and countryside, as well as some of the USA’s best-preserved heritage and finest dining. Not forgetting Newport, with its grand mansions.

Newport Mansions

Nowhere in the USA are mansions so grand, gardens so impressive and reminders of the Gilded Age so strong: think marble and chandeliers, vast ballrooms and magnificent art. Yet, in the late 19th-century, Newport’s oceanfront mansions were merely summer ‘cottages’ for America’s wealthiest socialite families, each trying to outdo the other for opulence in architecture and interior design. Now anyone can enter 11 of these historic properties that stand on 80 acres (33ha) of gardens. The Breakers, the most imposing of them all, reflects the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial pre-eminence in turn-of-the-century America. Nearby, step into the life of modern-day heiress Doris Duke at her home, Rough Point.

Whale Watching

Whale watching is a must for every visitor to New England. In Galilee, an authentic fishing village, the Frances Fleet has four decades of experience, so the captain and crew know where to find finback whales, humpbacks, minke, pilot, false killer, and even the occasional Sei whale. From July through August, the ocean waters off Rhode Island’s coast boast warm water eddies that break off from the Gulf Stream. With mid-summer temperatures in the high 70s (21°C), the waters are a magnet for whales of all shapes and sizes. Galilee itself is still one of the largest fish and shellfish ports on the East Coast of the USA, so fishing trips are easy to arrange. Or just feast on “just-off-the-boat” seafood at local restaurants.

Block Island

Twelve miles (20km) off the Rhode Island coast, Block Island is like going back in time. Think bicycles rather than cars, miles of free public beaches, sparkling clear waters, and dramatic bluffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The pace is slow, life seems less complicated – relaxation is guaranteed. Reach the island by ferry from Point Judith, RI, New London, CT or Montauk, NY. It’s no wonder that the Nature Conservancy has designated Block Island “one of the 12 last great places in the Western Hemisphere.”