"PVD POV" is your all-access pass to the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. Each episode explores the city’s hidden gems, from ghost tours and iconic restaurants to major sports events and cultural festivals. Whether you're a local or a visitor, tune in for insider stories, fascinating interviews, and the best ways to experience everything the Ocean State has to offer.
Play Is the Point: Caroline Payson and the Providence Children’s Museum
Caroline Payson didn’t grow up going to museums. She was raised in South Boston by deaf parents and was the first in her family to go to college. From there she found her way to the Cooper Hewitt in New York. Today she leads the Providence Children’s Museum, which turns 50 next year.
In this episode, Caroline explains why the museum is built around play and what it means to give kids “ownership” of a place so they’re never intimidated by a museum again. She talks about how roughly 40% of visitors come in free or at a reduced rate, shares her favorite thank-you note from a parent, and walks us through how a new exhibit goes from idea to museum floor.
We also get into insider tips for visiting: why you should never start in Waterways, how fast a membership pays for itself, and the 4:00 trick that lets the museum be the bad guy at closing time. Plus, she previews the museum’s fall events and the return of sock skating.
If you’ve ever had to peel a kid off the doors at closing time, this one’s for you.
18 Sept 2026
From Cobbler Shop to Coffee Shop: Neal Kaplan's Rise 'N Shine Story
Some coffee shops are just coffee shops. Rise 'N Shine Coffee Bar, tucked into Providence's Smith Hill neighborhood, is something closer to a restoration project you can order a latte in.
Owner Neal Kaplan came to Providence decades ago for graduate work at RISD, ended up renting a studio in a Smith Hill carriage house, and never really left — eventually buying that same building and spending years learning what it used to be. He talks with Alana and Nick about tracing the building's history through old phone books, discovering it had once been a shoe repair shop, and building a replica of Providence's original train station shoeshine stand as a nod to that history (and to his own great-grandfather, who was a cobbler).
The conversation covers the building's deeper past too, from its 1858 origins as a horse-and-buggy stable to its stretch as a WWII-era manufacturing site, and how Neal and his staff develop the cafe's menu together. It's a good listen for anyone curious about what's hiding behind an old Providence storefront, and a reason to check out a corner of the city that doesn't always get the attention it deserves.
Be sure to follow Rise N Shine on socials below:@risenshinecoffeebar
risenshineri.com
Show Notes
00:01:51 — Introducing Neal Kaplan and Rise and Shine Coffee in Smith Hill
00:02:12 — Neal's path to Providence: RISD grad school and early art background
00:02:50 — Finding a studio in Smith Hill's old industrial complex in the early 1980s
00:03:44 — Still in the same building 45 years later
00:04:09 — From studio tenant to building owner to contractor
00:05:16 — First considering a cafe — and a feasibility study that said not to
00:06:29 — Building other Providence-area cafes first (Nitro Bar, Coffee Exchange, and more)
00:08:12 — Restoring the carriage house in 2020, timed with the pandemic
00:09:01 — Developing the name, interior concept, and menu
00:09:13 — Where "Rise and Shine" actually comes from
00:09:31 — Researching the building's past through decades-old phone books
00:10:27 — The building's manufacturing and WWII-era history
00:11:00 — Boarded up for 20 years after the highway went through
00:11:29 — Original architectural details preserved inside
00:11:57 — Built in 1858 as a horse-and-buggy stable
00:12:23 — The Christopher Dodge House next door
00:12:23 — The building's cobbler and shoe repair history
00:12:56 — Building a replica of the original train station shoeshine stand
00:14:31 — A favorite corner of the cafe
00:14:42 — How the creative drink menu comes together
00:15:03 — Monthly staff meetings and barista-driven recipe development
00:16:30 — Comparing barista craft to mixology
00:17:31 — Why Smith Hill deserves more attention
00:18:12 — How close the neighborhood really is to downtown
00:19:02 — The outdoor patio
17 Aug 2026
From Maps to Memories: Welcoming Visitors to Providence
When visitors arrive in Providence, Phyllis Blanchette is often one of the first people to welcome them.
In this episode of PVD POV, GoProvidence Visitor Services Manager Phyllis Blanchette takes us behind the desk at the Providence Visitor Center. She shares how answering a newspaper ad for a volunteer opportunity launched her career in tourism, what brought her back to Rhode Island and why personal recommendations still matter in the age of smartphones.
Phyllis also shares some of her most memorable visitor stories, from helping international soccer fans explore Rhode Island to finding emergency dental care, arranging last-minute transportation to Block Island and meeting a sixth grader whose Rhode Island book report inspired her family’s summer vacation.
Plus, hear how the Visitor Center’s volunteers explore Providence so they can help travelers experience the city like a local.
Listen to PVD POV wherever you get your podcasts.
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