Summer is Almost Over, But It's Not the End of the Line for the Bike Path

Well, it's here: we've reached the end of the line for our East Bay Bike Path blog. It's time to sign off for the season – but that is by no means the end of the bike path fun. The weather is gorgeous and the path is active throughout the late summer/early fall, as are many of the stops along its run.

For instance, our friends at Blount remind us that although Labor Day is the last day of the year for Warren clam shack, they've got two other locations that are easily accessible from the bike path that will still be satisfying your seafood cravings well beyond the coming weekend. The shack at Crescent Park in Riverside (pictured left) will remain open throughout September from 11am-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and from 11am-7pm on Sundays. Their Providence clam shack and soup bar, which is just a quick jaunt from the path's terminus at India Point Park, is open year-round for lunch Tuesday-Thursday (11am-3pm) and lunch and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays (11am-9pm). (Closed Sunday/Monday.)

Speaking of India Point Park, you can also find Blount there during the third annual RI Seafood Festival on September 7-8. It runs Saturday and Sunday from 11am-7pm and admission is free. There will be tons of food, plus local beer and wine, live entertainment and family fun. Just remember, although the bike path ends at India Point Park, the direct line to get there, the Washington Bridge, is currently closed to bike traffic. You'll need to take a short detour over the Henderson Bridge (aka the Red Bridge), which connects from East Providence at North Broadway or Massasoit Avenue to South Angell Street in Providence. But use caution – there's no protected bike lane.

Other events and points of interest that will keep you on the path through September and October include:

-The Audobon Society's Environmental Education Center, which is easily accessible from the bike path in Bristol, remains open Wednesday-Saturday from 9am-5pm and Sunday from noon-5pm. The Society also hosts its famous Raptor Weekend on September 7-8 from 10am-4pm. It's your chance to learn all about – and maybe even get up close and personal with – some pretty awesome birds of prey.

-Back at Riverside's Crescent Park, the famous Carousel also remains open for you and the kids to ride every Saturday and Sunday from noon-8pm, and on Columbus Day from noon-6pm.

-Over at the other end point of the bike path in Bristol, the Colt State Park Farmer's Market is ongoing every Friday from 2-6pm until October 25.

-Bristol's Coggeshall Farm Museum, a living history recreation of Colonial times, is another easy side trip off the path in Bristol. Their 40th annual Harvest Fair is on September 14-15. It's a traditional – and we mean traditional – celebration of autumn in New England, with historic games and demonstrations, crafts, and live entertainment.

All that should keep you riding well into the fall. Thanks for checking in all season.