Everything you need to know about a quick March Madness trip to Providence, Rhode Island.
Welcome to Providence , the capital metropolis of America ’s smallest DoS . And that ’s said with veneration — Rhode Island may pack more punch per straight foot than any state in the land . Providence itself feels like a college townspeople for adults ; young and onetime thrive here . My job is to get you emotional for everything in between the genuine hoops action — how to buy second round ticket off dejected devotee of the mislay squad , why you want to focalise on the Italian restaurant conniption , an adult arcade that might take you back to your childhood , the grandness of a scarf , and more .
While you may circumstantially bleed into colonial player challenging each other tolog - throwing contests , I suspect you wo n’t be coming for the history but rather for the basket . Just 50 naut mi from Boston , Providence has a long - standing and profound dedication to basketball fromRick Pitino ’s eighties run to college “ crossover ” heroGod Shammgod . This March 20 - 22 , college sports lover will move in packs to visitProvidence College , home of the Friars , to see their squad compete in the first round of the human ’s March Madness tourney .
I advocate walking around the metropolis — it ’s a fantastic walking town and while mid - March is a gamble , weather condition - wise , it ’s not like it ’s mid - January . Bring a scarf joint for trusted because that northeast bite wind surprises most non - New Englanders . Here we ’ve got everything you need to have sex about a quick March Madness tripper to Providence , RI .
Illustration by Don Caminos for Thrillist
How do I get tickets?
You ’re going to desire to hit up your distinctive online spots — Ticketmaster , StubHub , SeatGeek , etc . But do n’t draw a blank two old school approaches that could work far well .
Call the ticket place . Look , I know , it ’s not 1985 , but talking to a human will get you much farther than refreshing SeatGeek and blindly scroll through unfamiliar seating plane section . Plus , ticket sales offices are mostly staffed by students and introduction - stage 20 - somethings . A alive tag sale repp might be a piffling more unforced to help you rootle out some seats than an AI chatbot ( start with the AMP office : 410 - 865 - GOPC ) .
Walk around outdoors after the games are over . This is an old Big East Tournament legerdemain that still works wonderment . I have scored many a tag from a disappointed group of guys who just want to unload their seat for the next rung , drink , and draw a blank about their squad lose in the first round . You lose on Thursday and you ’re in a nerveless metropolis ? Why would you go back Saturday to watch the team that just get yours play ? Would n’t you rather have a good prison term in Providence?AMP(the Amica Mutual Pavilion , formerly make love as the Dunkin Donuts Center ) is going to be full of fans from different teams — and some of these teams are n’t decease to advance . So if you capture some sad face have on hoodies of a team that just got jounce , commend you ’re in a buyer - favorable market . Approach with caution , as they may still be emotional , but offer to buy their tickets is a tried and reliable method of decent - price bum - acquiring . They get some money and can go have a nice dinner and not sit around through a game they care nothing about , and you get your tag at a price that will probably be well low than what you ’d find online .
Amica Mutual Pavilion|Photo courtesy of Go Providence
How do I get around?
Airports are n’t really supposed to be veneration - inspiring , exceptional experience or family to must - visit tips ( SFO ’s Compass Booksand theVictorinox storethat exists inexplicably in the Zurich terminus are maybe the exceptions ) . SoRhode Island T. F. Green International Airport(aka PVD ) serves a specific function and does it well : it gets you to and from . And it does it relatively quickly , thanks to its size of it .
There ’s a nutrient lawcourt and all your basic conveniences here , but the important cistron rest a public train stop that can get you to business district Providence in about 15 minutes , a public bus that can pick you up and get you there in 12 minutes on a good day , and airless proximity to 95 , which will get you to Providence in 15 - ish moment , as well .
If you ca n’t find direct flights to PVD and detest the layover ( who does n’t ? ) , Providence is a ( comparatively ) short ride from Boston , so a inexpensive or quicker trajectory there would mean a lovely Northeast train ride down the glide ( it ’s 35 minutes on anAcelatrain , and just about an hour on a regular Amtrak power train ) . In fact , it ’s such a popular trip-up , you could just take “ the T ” ( theMBTA – right name ) to Providence to relieve some money . A rideshare ride from Boston will set you back about $ 125 . The slip is an hr in the railcar , so prepare some talking point with your driver . But it will be a far less harrowing experience than engage a machine and beat back yourself .
Amica Mutual Pavilion|Photo courtesy of Go Providence
I would suggest not repulse at all on this trip , whether you ’re flying into Providence or Boston . If you choose to disregard the admonition and opt to drive anyway , be quick to fit “ erratic ” Massachusetts drivers who speed , do n’t observe the “ passing lane ” rules , and generally will buzz by you gleefully after rid you for 5 minutes — closer than you ’ve ever experienced before . You just might turn your midway finger . Massachusetts also has a principle where , in rush hour , you may utilise the articulatio humeri as a normal lane . So be cook for that experience if you cross the boundary line . Once you ’re in Providence , you could taxi to and from the arena pretty well .
What should I know about the venue?
TheAMP(Amica Mutual Pavilion ) used to be recognize as the Dunkin Donuts Center . It is home to the Providence Friars and the Boston Bruins ’ AHL team , theProvidence Bruins . It seats between 14 and 17,000 , about half the size of the land ’s largest capacity . But it gets loud .
The most famed athletics notability associated with Providence is Rick Pitino , who coached the Friars from 1985 - 1987 . He contain the team to an unlikely Final Four appearance in 1987 — and then bolted to train the Knicks . I ’m not sure anyone find fault him , so he is still screw in the metropolis ( unless Big East competitor St. John ’s is in town , where he now coach ) . Unfortunately , most of Pitino ’s best quips ( he ’s an eminently quotable coach ) number afterwards in his calling .
The AMP does n’t have a ton of quirky food options , but you’re able to get a doughboy , essentially adessert - like fry doughwith toppings . Del ’s Lemonade , a local specialty frozen lemonade drink is also available ; examine the watermelon .
Where should I sit?
This is going to sound trite , but get ticket anywhere . This arena is going to have a different vibe than a normal Friars home game with blocks of wide-ranging cheering section throughout , but from the NCAA tourneys I ’ve been to , your feeling on college march bands might help determine where to snap up your actual seats . They ’re usually on the corners behind the hoops , so if you love their zany action mechanism , find something along the baseline . If the sound of horns drives you crazy , go for mid - court . This arena is larger than you may realize ( think MSG ) , so while it ’s cozier than , say , Syracuse ’s domed stadium , there are some far - away seats you’re able to get stupefy in .
But back to the “ sit down anywhere ” idea — the first round of NCAA action is like nothing else in sports , specifically in that a lot of seats are going to clear out after the plot before yours . If you end up with a just the ticket further from the floor , you might try out something simple like eyeballing someone walking up the stairs with their coat drape over their weapon system and asking them for their ticket stub so you could kick upstairs yourself to their tush as they sidetrack for a gracious dinner . Offer to purchase them a beer for the road ! They might even hand you their tickets to the evening set of games if they got the “ all session ” packet . mass tend to be exceedingly kind to one another at these game . Also keep karma in creative thinker , and if you are approached with this same request , be a pal and rent someone get your good seat that would otherwise be empty . Would n’t you rather a sports fan with manner get them than some random posterior - jump shot ?
Basketball, bracket and betting
The game in Providenceare absolutely loaded with intrigue , which means good luck to anyone endeavor to get just the ticket at this point . First , Rick Pitino returns to Providence , which think you ’re going to have St. John ’s sports fan , Providence fan and locals all fighting for ticket . And if St. John ’s and Arkansas both advance out of the first one shot , you ’ll get Pitino vs. John Calipari , maybe the game with the most internal tending in the entire tourney . This is The Master vs. the Student and Louisville vs. Kentucky rolled into one ( Calipari has an 8 - 2 phonograph record vs. Pitino when those school face off ) . This is " I love basketball and I live on in a 5 - hour radius with no rooting interest in any of these teams , but see you later family ; I ’m driving to Rhode Island for the weekend " territory .
On top of all that , Providence gets High Point , a team The Athletic calls"the most dangerous mid - major in the tourney " and McNeese , who the same writers predict will be the voguish 12 seed to pull in an upset in the first round . In short , if you got your hands on a twain ticket , be prepared to grapple with whether to betray them for five - to - ten - times their note value right now or go to the effect of the postseason .
As far as any betting advice?St . John ’s making it to the Sweet 16seems too easygoing but I want to pep up for it , so we ’ll be on that . And withMcNeese at 100 - 1andHigh Point at 250 - 1to make the Final Four … $ 2.50 on each of them will make the weekend a little more fun !
Other places to eat (and watch)
Providence has a rich Italian history and does n’t feel mass - produced , so there ’s an genuineness here with the restaurants you wo n’t get in other office . TryCapriccio’sand their squawk wellington .
NY Systemwieners extend you something that will be very valuable here — freedom . First and first , these are n’t hot dogs , they ’re “ wienerwurst ” ( or , fine “ weenies , ” ) . But they ’re delicious and filling . You wo n’t have to run a risk sub - par bar food and you wo n’t be tie to a sit - down table anywhere . Eat the weenies , drink , spend your saved money on souvenir for loved 1 , and move on .
Some classic mutant saloon I ’d recommend for secret plan - watching and something extra are : Snookersfor billiards , GPubfor a bulwark of TVs and debauched pours from attentive taproom faculty , Union Stationfor a unequaled plot - watching experience , Blake’sfor an light walk to the AMP , Barnaby’s , Lucky Enoughfor a immense projector apparatus andLadder 133 , which was originally an other 20th century flaming station . And I ’d be neglectful if I did n’t mentionFree looseness , which is fundamentally your favorite 1980s/90s shopping centre arcade but with adult drink .
Other must-dos
Whale watching season is still a calendar month away , so that ’s off the tabular array . Having been to a dozen NCAA first round experiences , your programme should stay on pretty mere : look on the game , have some drinks , create some computer storage , make certain you have dinner reserve if you need some great intellectual nourishment ( it ’s probably too recent for most of Providence ’s good restaurants , but you could also essay to eat at 4:30 and fill up with dog late Nox ) , and maximize your off twenty-four hours — whether that means strategically bar - hopping to watch the Friday game or pack in as much quite a little - see and quirky fun as potential .
Final tips
These northwest metropolis have wind tunnels that will tear off your cheeks . A wintertime jacket and gloves are great , but pack yourself a scarf joint . Worst guinea pig you roll it up and stuff it in your pocket ; undecomposed case ? You ’re not wiping your runny nozzle every seven minutes and freaking out everyone sit around you .
encompass the walkability of Providence . It ’s a fun city with a pile of culture and feeling and Boston is at the end of the public transit dividing line . Take advantage of that proximity .
