Posted in Rhode Island Nature September 16, 2016 by

11 Surefire Ways To Always Spot A Tourist In Rhode Island

Living in the Ocean State isn’t always easy. This is especially true in the summertime when we have to compete with the thousands of visitors to access many of Little Rhody’s most amazing attractions and beaches. We can’t really blame these tourists for being here when we consider how great Rhode Island’s offerings really are. Those of us that have been here long enough have developed a system for identifying tourists and it looks a little something like this…

1. They struggle to pronounce Scituate.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
How do you say this place? "Skit-oo-aht?"
2. Pronouncing Narragansett is just as difficult for them, if not a little harder.
Flickr/Andrew Aliferis
"We're staying near the beaches in "Narr-angh-set."
3. If you've heard a tourist try to pronounce Pawtucket, chances are you've already died laughing.
Flickr/PRODoug Kerr
"Paw-tack-oot?" "Paw-to-coot?" You know, the place with McCoy Stadium.
4. They spend time at all the tourist hangs.
Flickr/Laura Bittner
Yes, Scarborough Beach is beautiful, but most locals know to leave it to the tourists between May and August.
5. If you see someone drinking any kind of frozen lemonade that isn't Del's, chances are they're not from here.
Flickr/smcgee
You should probably inform them of their mistake asap.
6. They asked you for directions and got confused when you gave them based on Dunkin Donuts and businesses that aren't there anymore.
Flickr/Mike Mozart
This is really the only way to give directions in Rhode Island.
7. If their teams aren't the Patriots and Red Sox, they must not be from New England.
Flickr/Melissa Eleftherion Carr
Anyone wearing other team apparel tend to stick out like sore thumbs.
8. They don't think that clam cakes sound appetizing.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
If you haven't had a clam cake, you haven't lived, but this isn't so easy to explain to people from out of town.
9. If you hear someone call a hot wiener a hot dog, you know they're not a local.
Flickr/Juli
The differences are striking really.
10. They don't understand "Rhode Islandisms," or our accents.
Flickr/Morrow Long
From bubblers, to asking someone "J'eat" (did you eat?), Rhode Islanders certainly have a unique way of speaking.
11. If you see a car driving down the wrong way on one of the dozens of poorly marked oneway streets, you'll quickly notice they have out of state plates.
Flickr/Wil C. Fry
Rhode Island streets are so difficult to follow and it really takes a local to know the ins and outs.

What are other ways to spot a tourist in Rhode Island? For more facts on Rhody life, check out this article on life lessons learned while growing up in Rhode Island.

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