Rhode Island

More than 400 miles of coastline packed into the smallest state in the country explains why Rhode Island calls itself “The Ocean State,” and seafood here, clam chowder, lobster rolls, fresh oysters, is a normal, everyday food rather than a special occasion meal.

Newport’s mansions along the Cliff Walk recall a Gilded Age when America’s wealthiest families summered there, a sharp contrast to the state’s everyday identity as a working fishing community.

Providence carries a livelier, more contemporary layer of Rhode Island culture, anchored by Brown University’s arts and college-town energy, while Block Island reflects just how central the ocean remains to daily life here.