PRE-VIEW | MAP + DIRECTIONS | VIRTUAL TOUR | COLLEGE HILL + BEYOND

PRE-VIEW

The Pre-College Pre-View includes an informational session with the program manager and faculty, and members of RISD’s Residence Life and Public Safety staffs. There is also the opportunity to view Pre-College student artwork from past years and take a campus tour led by RISD undergraduates. At an (optional) lunch in The Met (RISD’s main dining hall) prospective students may ask questions of Pre-College staff and instructors.

Please note: the Pre-View is not mandatory for students who have already decided to attend the Pre-College Program.

MAP + DIRECTIONS
Access to RISD is easy to arrange by car, bus, air or train. The Amtrak train station is within walking distance, though taxi service is recommended for students with heavy luggage. T.F. Green Airport is 12 miles south of Providence in Warwick, providing direct flights to most major cities. T.F. Green airport vans (www.airporttaxiri.com or 401 737-2868) are available to downtown Providence and the RISD campus for a nominal fee. The main Bonanza bus terminal is located about a mile north of RISD, with shuttle buses running to Kennedy Plaza, three blocks from campus. Buses run every two hours to and from Boston’s Logan International Airport.

>> download RISD campus map

From Interstate 95 North or South
Take Exit 22A to Memorial Boulevard. At the fourth light, turn left onto Washington Place (which becomes Waterman Street). Consult the campus map to locate the appropriate building.

From Interstate 195 Westbound
Take Exit 2 to South Main Street. Follow South Main Street for five blocks to its intersection with College Street. Consult the campus map to locate the appropriate building.

VIRTUAL TOUR
Prospective students and their families are encouraged and welcome to visit RISD’s riverfront campus in historic Providence. To explore RISD and Providence now and get a sense of life in the studios and around campus, click on the image below.

COLLEGE HILL + BEYOND
College Hill, on Providence’s historic East Side, one of the more picturesque sections of the city, is home to the bustling campuses of RISD and neighboring Brown University. The main RISD campus, situated at the center of the historic district, is divided by Benefit Street, famous for its impressive array of restored Colonial homes and superb examples of early Federal and 19th-century architecture. A few Pre-College classes are also held in the nearby downtown graduate studies facility. Thayer Street offers restaurants, cafes, shops, bookstores and an art cinema. Music and theater enthusiasts can enjoy great performances at the Providence Performing Arts Center, a vintage movie and vaudeville palace restored to its early splendor; at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium; and at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and the Rhode Island Convention Center, venues for touring headliners. The nationally acclaimed Trinity Repertory Company and other more experimental theaters present award-winning classical and contemporary dramas. Local restaurants range from ethnically rich neighborhood eateries to world-renowned five-star gourmet dining establishments. “WaterFire,” a recurring festival of light and music, attracts many to Waterplace Park, a pleasant walkway that runs along Providence’s Woonasquatucket River. All these attractions are within walking distance of the college.

Rhode Island is only 48 miles long by 37 miles wide, yet it is packed with many scenic attractions, including almost 500 miles of coastline, the famed seaside resort of Newport, and Narragansett Bay, one of the most beautiful estuaries in the world. The “Ocean State,” is convenient to such popular summer destinations as Block Island, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and is characterized by a diverse cultural mix, with many ethnic festivals and neighborhoods. Traversable in little more than an hour, Rhode Island offers both a welcome retreat from the bustle of Boston and New York, and easy access to these cities by road, rail, bus and air. It is not uncommon, therefore, for Pre-College students’ families to use Rhode Island as a starting point for a vacation, or as a perfect vacation destination itself.