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Blackstone Valley
Cruise back in time
By Mary Hurley
Getting there:
The valley runs from Worcester to Providence and is accessible from routes 122, 146, and 16 and interstates 95, 295, and 495.
Resources:
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council of Rhode Island, which offers a list of ''chicken family-style'' restaurants, is at 171 Main St., Pawtucket, across the street from Slater Mill; 800-454-BVTC.
Other visitors centers are at the Museum of Work and Culture, River Bend Farm, and Purgatory Chasm.
The Blackstone Valley Visitors Bureau of Massachusetts publishes a visitors guide and list of farm stands: Box 502, Whitinsville, MA 01588; 800-851-0919.
The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission has brochures on ranger programs, canoe guides, and walking tours: One Depot Square, Woonsocket, R.I. 02895; 401-762-0440.
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 t's the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, a river valley of old mill towns and rustic country roads that stretches 46 miles through south-central Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island. The Blackstone River Valley is also a special national park, designated by Congress in 1986 as one of the country's first ''national heritage corridors.'' Only an hour's drive from Boston, this quiet valley remains unexplored territory, a place to savor the past and appreciate the outdoors.
Start your valley trek where it all began - literally - at the Slater Historic Site in Pawtucket, R.I. Here on the banks of the Blackstone River in 1793, Englishman Samuel Slater constructed the country's first water-powered machines and built America's first factory. Today Old Slater Mill is a museum of antique textile equipment used to show how cotton is processed. Take the guided tour of the mill and two other historic buildings in the complex, bounded by a riverfront park, for a window on domestic life in the pre-industrial era and to observe an 8-ton water wheel powering lathes and drills. Open weekends 1-5 p.m. through May 31; Tues.-Sat. 10-5 p.m. and Sun. 1-5 p.m. June 1 -Nov. 1. Located at 67 Roosevelt Ave; exit 29 off I-95 southbound. Admission prices vary; call 401-725-8638.
Head north to Woonsocket, R.I., home to the new Museum of Work and Culture, which celebrates the everyday life of mill workers, particularly the French-Canadians, who became the city's largest ethnic group. Located in a renovated brick factory next to a riverside park, the museum offers interactive exhibits, including a replica of a Quebec farmhouse, the shop floor of a textile mill, a manager's boardroom, and a labor union hall. Open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays 10-5 p.m., Sundays 1-5 p.m. $5 adults; $3 seniors and children over 10. Located at 42 South Main St., take Route 146 to Route 104 north, follow signs to Visitors Center, Market Square (401-759-9675).
While in Rhode Island, don't miss the chance to partake of a valley tradition: ''Chicken Family Style Dinners,'' all-you-can-eat chicken and pasta feasts. They are offered at more than a dozen restaurants; the largest (with 1,800 seats) is Wright's Farm, 84 Inman Road, in Harrisville, open Thursdays through Sundays (401-769-2856).
Or pack a picnic and head to River Bend Farm in Uxbridge, Mass., the visitor's center for the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park. Here you'll find a lush section of the canal, which opened in 1828 to ship goods between Worcester and Providence. Take a stroll along the towpath, hike scenic trails, or launch a canoe. On June weekends, take a narrated canal cruise on a 14-passenger rivercraft. Located at 287 Oak St; from Route 122 take East Hartford Avenue a mile to Oak Street (508-278-7604).
Narrated tours on the rivercraft and a 49-seat riverboat are available weekends and holidays in selected locations along the Blackstone River, including the Blackstone Gorge in Blackstone, Mass., on July weekends; Central Falls, R.I., May 12 -Aug. 4; and Woonsocket, Aug. 16-Nov. 2. Call 1-800-619-BOAT.
Hikers will enjoy Purgatory Chasm State Reservation in Sutton, Mass., which boasts a glacially formed gorge cut through granite and wooded trails among large boulders and shaded picnic areas. Off Route 146 via the Purgatory Road exit (508-234-3733).
Nearby in the rolling fields of West Sutton is Whittier Farms, a dairy farm and retail store (86 Douglas Road, 508-865-6569). Don't leave the valley without visiting one of its numerous farm stands and pick-your-own orchards and farms.
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