What is Rhode Island Known For? 8 Things Rhode Islanders Love About Themselves

1. How It’s Called the Ocean State for a Reason

Living in Rhode Island means you’re just a short drive to the beach from wherever you call home. With over 400 miles of ocean coastline, Rhode Islanders have easy access to the shoreline. And oh, what a shoreline it is! Eight official state beaches with lifeguards cater to everyone from surfers to young families to teens looking for action. Numerous additional sand and surf stretches are open for exploring, hiking, and splashing.

2. Rhode Islanders Know How Delicious Coffee Milk Is

Rhode Islanders hold a claim to a unique drink that the rest of the country doesn’t seem to understand. That would be coffee milk, also the official state drink. This concoction is a mixture of coffee syrup or extracts with milk, and Rhode Island residents are huge fans. It’s closer to chocolate milk than a cup of coffee, and all ages enjoy it. Rhode Island is home to several popular local brands that make and distribute coffee syrup, a sweetened, concentrated coffee. 

The drink has a long history in the state, dating back to the 19th century when the Italian immigrant population in Providence is said to have first introduced it. It truly began to take off in the 1930s as a state specialty.

3. Why It’s Not a Hot Day Without a Frozen Lemonade

If you’re a Rhode Islander, you know the best way to quench your summer thirst is with a delicious Del’s Lemonade. The sweet frozen treat is a family recipe first introduced to the state by the DeLucia family at a stand in Cranston, RI, in 1948. Soon, the frozen lemonade became a Rhode Island summer staple. Today, the popular drink is still part of the DeLucia family, but there are franchises all over the world. It’s still a Rhode Island favorite, though!

4. How Everything Is 20 Minutes Away

If you’re in the center of Rhode Island, it only takes about 20 minutes to reach the end of the state. That’s because to drive end-to-end throughout the tiny state takes somewhere around 45 minutes. As the smallest state in the United States, Rhode Island is only 48 miles North to South and 37 miles East to West. 

5. Why Clam Cakes Are Arguably the Best Summer Food Ever

Clam cakes are a summer specialty that Rhode Islanders can claim as originally their own. The delicious fried favorite is sold all over the state, from restaurants to clam shacks to amusement parks. What is a clam cake, exactly? They’re simply little balls of deep-fried chopped-up clams. Legend has it they were invented at Aunt Carrie’s, a clam shack in Narragansett in operation since 1920.

6. How They Have the World’s Largest Bug

Rhode Islanders are proud of their giant termite. No, really. Nibbles Woodaway is a giant blue termite that is located along I-95 in Providence, RI. It’s said to be the world’s largest bug. Nibbles stand over nine feet tall and 58 feet long and weighs 4,000 lbs. The bug is the mascot for the company Big Blue Bug Solutions and is so popular that it’s regularly dressed up for holidays such as Christmas and Independence Day.

7. They Get To Enjoy the Beautiful New England Fall

It’s not all beaches and seaside life in Rhode Island. Those who live there argue there’s nothing more quaint than an old colonial town bathed in the rusty oranges and browns of falling leaves. Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities to experience colonial architecture in the state. The town of Providence dates to 1636 and is the oldest in the state.

8. It May Be Small, but There’s Still Plenty of Space

Around 1,095,962 people live in Rhode Island, according to the United States Census. Even though it’s a small state, residents love that it’s still not crowded. Besides the miles of open coastline, there are numerous areas to explore the woods and all the wildlife inhabiting it. For example, the Arcadia Management Area is the state’s largest recreational area. It features 14,000 acres of protected open land.