🍂 Arcadia State Park, Rhode Island
Visited in 2016 A PumpkinSpice Hearthcraft Field Note
Arcadia State Park has always felt like one of Rhode Island’s quiet treasures — a place tucked between Richmond, Exeter, Hopkinton, and West Greenwich, protected by pine forests and old stories. Though Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, Arcadia stretches across 14,000 acres, making it one of the largest natural areas in New England.
I first visited Arcadia as a child, and in 2016, I returned with the kind of nostalgia that pulls you back to places that shaped you. The moment we stepped onto the trails, I remembered why it stayed with me: the hush of the pines, the soft light filtering through the branches, and the way the forest seems to breathe around you.
Arcadia has its own folklore — as most old New England landscapes do — but unlike some nearby areas where the stories lean heavy or unsettling, Arcadia feels gentler. The wildlife is the true heartbeat here. With fewer crowds over the years, the forest has reclaimed its quiet, and the animals have grown bold and curious. Spring especially feels like a soft‑footed season in Arcadia, when everything is waking up, and the trails smell like pine needles warming in the sun.
We didn’t feel anything eerie or foreboding during our visit. If anything, Arcadia felt like a place that holds you rather than haunts you. We’re already looking forward to returning for another nature walk.
🍁 Folklore of Arcadia
Breakheart Trail & the Penny Nest
Local lore says that hikers in the 1930s dropped a penny into an abandoned bird nest perched at the top of a hill near the pond. The nest sat at a fork in the path — where Breakheart Trail meets Penny Cutoff — and over time, the tradition stuck. The nest is long hidden now by overgrowth, but the name remains, carrying the memory of those early wanderers.
Giant Snappers & Mischievous Toes
Every New England kid has heard some version of this one. The snapping turtles in the murky waters are enormous — the kind you might mistake for stones until they decide to move. Parents used to warn children to keep their toes out of the water unless they wanted a turtle to “borrow one for a snack.” It’s the kind of playful, slightly dramatic folklore that keeps kids close to shore and gives families something to laugh about later.
The Indian Princess of the Pond Path
One of the oldest stories tells of a beautiful Native woman who runs along the pond path searching for her lost love. If you catch a glimpse of her, the tale says she’ll disappear around the bend near the old, broken bridge. It’s a story meant to remind hikers to stay on the safe part of the trail — a poetic cautionary tale wrapped in a bit of mystery.
