Thanks to efforts that began in the mid 1980's, the Rhode Island Blackstone Valley has become a significant tourism destination and recreational hotspot that has greatly benefited the state's and region's residents and visitors.

At the heart of our success has been the once heavily polluted Blackstone River which today is considered one of our country's great rivers, a heritage river in fact. It is the place where the American Industrial Revolution began.

"We are a group of ten cities and towns, located along the banks of a great river -- an American Heritage river, in fact -- the Blackstone, the very place where the American industrial Revolution began more than 200 years ago. Over the years, dozens of mills along a 45-mile stretch of this powerful, majestic waterway churned out products for a young nation and, here in northern Rhode Island, we became the heart of a new, industrialized way of life.

Come and see what we’ve accomplished and have to offer. We’ve preserved our mills and we’ve worked to restore the pristine beauty of the Blackstone. We’ve created fairs and festivals, seminars and museums, train tours and other tours to tell the Blackstone Valley story anew. And, perhaps in the most amazing development of all, our efforts have led to parts of the region becoming a full-fledged national park. We’ve come a long way since we began but we’re not done yet and we invite you to visit." Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.