“We’re growing a small business and learning as we go,” said Claire Bowen as she arranged bushels of sweet and charmingly imperfect organic apples on a late-September afternoon. “We hope to cultivate connections between local farms and local tables.”

Behind her, rows of brightly hued zinnias and an orchard of 700 apple trees swayed in the fall breeze. Bowen, 55, opened Small World Farm and its farm stand with her husband, Patrick, in August, and since then their post-and-beam barn has overflowed with autumn’s bounty: bundles of herbs and hand-tied flower bouquets sit next to baskets of apples, squash and peppers. Farther down the winding country roads lies the Young Family Farm’s stand, where cheery orange pumpkins sit alongside buckets of jewel-toned mums, and Sweet & Salty Farm, a dairy and creamery selling cheese and yogurt from cows that graze in pastures tumbling down to the ocean’s edge.

This rural town, with no franchises or traffic lights, is Little Compton, one of several coastal enclaves in the East Bay region of Rhode Island. At this time of year, the sun casts a golden light over rolling farmland and colonial stone walls, with fall leaves painting the landscape in a palette of amber and scarlet. To the west is the striking blue Narragansett Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean that divides the state.

Beyond the natural grandeur of the East Bay, its charm further stems from a strong sense of community and a reverence for local culinary, artistic and cultural pursuits that are closely tied to the region’s fertile farmland and coastal waters. The results are farm stands galore, a flourishing arts scene and village streets lined with celebrated restaurants.

Just 30 minutes from Providence, over an hour from Boston and four hours from New York City, the East Bay towns of Warren, Bristol, Tiverton and Little Compton offer an idyllic fall weekend getaway.

Growing bounty

The East Bay once served exclusively as home to the Indigenous Wampanoag tribe. Crops like corn, beans and squash flourished in rich soil, and quahogging (digging for clams) and fishing provided sustenance. Starting in the early 1900s, Portuguese farmers and fishermen settled there, introducing new traditions and flavors. Agriculture and fishing continue to thrive in the region despite challenges — including overfishing, extreme weather events and the rising price of farmland — and have shaped its culinary scene.

It all starts with quality ingredients; sourcing them is half the fun. In Warren, the women-owned Long Lane Farm stretches its growing season into the winter: It can offer an array of greens — spinach, lettuce, bok choy, kale and chard — thanks to high-tunnel growing. Nearby, Sowams Cider Works produces effervescent hard cider from apples grown in its 3-1/2-acre orchard; with no additives or sulfur, its hard cider depends on native and selected yeasts to ferment and mature.

“I have about 1,000 trees and at least 70 varieties of apples,” said the owner, Spencer Morris, 67. “Each batch of cider is truly an expression of the fruit.” The harvest season begins in mid-August and continues through December. “This business is primarily a farming enterprise,” he said. “I wouldn’t be making cider if I didn’t grow the fruit and have control over the varietals, the way they are grown and the harvest timeline.”

Bristol’s 127-acre Mount Hope Farm hosts year-round Saturday morning farmers markets. Make a day of it and explore the farm’s pathways, trails and gardens. In Little Compton, the Wishing Stone Farm celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, and its farm stand teems with produce grown across its 40 acres and in its 15 greenhouses, as well as prepared and preserved foods like soups, salsas and pickles.

Hunky Dory in Warren encapsulates the region’s field-to-fork, ocean-to-plate sensibility. Sam Duling, chef and co-owner, regularly visits a roster of farms and purveyors to decide what best captures the seasonal moment.

“Sam is one of the only chefs that comes into the shop to check out our catch instead of just relying on deliveries,” said Davy Andrade of Andrade’s Catch, a family-­run fish market in Bristol. The result is a menu that emphasizes seasonal produce and protein: Hand-rolled cavatelli served with vegetables and ricotta. Fresh black sea bass grilled and glazed with a preserved-strawberry barbecue sauce. Crispy biscuit fritters served with a spicy honey drizzle.

“I grew up with a Southern mother and grandmother, so my roots are Lowcountry cuisine and Appalachian cooking, the kind of food that relies on what’s in season,” said Duling, 37. When he arrived in Rhode Island, the abundance of farmers and purveyors made him feel at home. And starting a restaurant in the pandemic — Hunky Dory opened in May 2021 — gave him an even greater appreciation for the community. “In order for restaurants and farms to survive, we need to do it together,” Duling said.

Artists and makers

The area’s emphasis on keeping things local extends well beyond the culinary realm. Many alumni of the Rhode Island School of Design, in nearby Providence, stay close after graduation, drawn by the natural environment as well as tax incentives. Warren, for one, allows artists who live and work in a specific arts district area to forgo state sales tax and income tax on the sale of artwork, but coworking spaces, workshops, arts nonprofits and galleries are spread around the entire East Bay.

At 30 Cutler, a mill now converted into studio spaces, RISD graduate Jonathan Glatt houses the showroom, office and factory of his furniture company, O & G Studio. The company designs and manufactures heirloom-quality modern Windsor chairs and other pieces.

For visitors interested in art and shopping, the annual Warren Walkabout — a downtown street event held in October — showcases many participating spaces exhibiting local work, including the Imago Foundation for the Arts, a gallery this year celebrating its 20th anniversary of championing local art. But on any day of the week, shops on Water and Main Streets sell thoughtfully curated wares, like the vintage jewelry at Muse or metalwork and home goods at Beehive Handmade.

South of Warren, the town center of Tiverton Four Corners also offers delightful art and shopping. Having earned its spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the two-block stretch is currently full of galleries, antique stores and eateries. Standouts include Four Corners Gallery, the Ashley Ainsworth Art gallery and studio, and Arch Contemporary Ceramics, which serves as a ceramics studio, an artist residency program and a high-end pottery shop.

In 2020, Groundswell joined the Four Corners community by setting up shops, each with their own unique offerings, in three separate historic buildings — a brainchild of David Fierabend, a landscape architect and principal of Groundswell Design Group, as well as a Tiverton resident. In the buildings that now house a cafe, home-goods store and gardening shop, shelves brim with baked goods, kitchenware, gardening decor and terrariums. Outside are gardens adorned with fountains, cafe tables and pollinator plants. Visitors are invited to explore.

“Like most hidden gems, Rhode Island is nuanced, but as you peel back its layers, you are privy to the beauty, the bounty and the community that binds us,” Fierabend said.

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