• Blithewold Mansion, Gardens, & Arboretum
• Ferry Road, Bristol, RI
• Trailhead: 41°39’13.82″N, 71°15’53.20″W
• Last Time Hiked: August 15, 2014
• Approximate distance hiked: 1.0 mile
• Easy.

I stop at Blithewold quite often to stroll around the gardens for ideas and to take in the solitude it has to offer. Another of my hobbies is gardening. Blithewold has a wide variety of flowers to see at all times of the year. More so a walk than a hike, you still can get a mile or more nonetheless along stone and dirt paths. I remember the first time coming here was for a wedding. I also stop by quite often during daffodil season. The display is quite impressive. Both Blithewold and Parsons are well worth checking out for their daffodils. Today I was joined by my mother for this walk. We started at the Visitors Center by the parking lot. After paying the entry fee we went through the rose garden and found our way toward the front of the mansion. We followed the path away from the mansion toward the road passing a Giant Sequoia and Japanese Cedar along the way. We then circled around toward the summer house. We then passed an area of hydrangeas while we followed a path back towards the mansion. When we reached the North Garden we then followed another path back into the wooded area passing a water fountain. We eventually reached a grove of bamboo. After walking through the grove we stumbled upon a garden of flowers of all assortments. There were several black eyed susans and coneflowers attracting several bees and butterflies. We then followed the northern property line along a dirt road to the bay. The views are quite impressive here. We then wandered into the rock and water gardens. The small ponds here were covered with lily pads and the highlights of the garden are a Japanese Red Maple on a small island as well as a stone bridge that crosses a section of the pond. We then followed a path that passed several trees of interest including a snowbell, plane, and a walnut to name a few before passing into an archway of boxwood. This path eventually met with the path with the water fountain. We then made our way back to the North Garden. At this point we had walked just under a mile. We then explored the mansion before returning to the car.

Map of the paths and gardens can be found at: Blithewold.

Rock and Water Gardens