Watch out for distracted pedestrians this weekend as Jane’s Walk Providence takes to the city streets. Doors Open RI hosts this annual festival of free, citizen-led, walking conversations.
Get to know some of Providence’s hidden treasures during Jane’s Walk, a global festival on the first weekend in May. Inspired by urban activist Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walk encourages people to get out and explore their neighborhoods. Unlike typical guided tours, these free walks are led by volunteer citizen guides who share knowledge of their own communities while inspiring participants to think, talk, and connect.
Tours include: North Burial Ground; Barrio Tours; Downtown LBGTQ History; College Hill and the International Slave Trade; Wanskuck Park; and Gargoyles: The Faces and Beasts of Downcity. Seen here is the Turk’s Head Building. The shape of the building was inspired by the Flatiron Building in New York City, while the sculpted head echos inn motifs from medieval England.
The skyscraper’s peculiar name dates back to the early nineteenth century, when shopkeeper Jacob Whitman mounted a ship’s figurehead above his store. The figurehead, which came from the ship Sultan, depicted the head of an Ottoman warrior. Whitman’s store was called “At the sign of the Turk’s Head.” The figurehead was lost in a storm, and today a stone replica is found on the building’s 3rd floor façade.
Different tours meet at different locations. Rain or shine. No tickets needed.
Free, Jane’s Walk, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, May 3-5, Providence