Rhode Island Troll Tour
Chasing the Trolls: Rhode Island Off the Beaten Path
A One-Day Tour from the Boston Area with Jookender
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | Rhode Island
Independent with Jookender
FREE for Club Chaverim Members | Club Chaverim Members Only
Transportation: Shared Cars
This October, Club Chaverim is heading beyond the familiar New England tourist routes for a very unusual one-day tour from the Boston area to Rhode Island.
Chasing the Trolls: Rhode Island Off the Beaten Path is part of Jookender’s Independent with Jookender travel series — small-group trips and guided experiences designed to help participants discover fascinating places throughout New England and beyond.
This time, we are going in search of five enormous wooden trolls created by internationally known Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo.
Hidden among Rhode Island’s forests, parks, ponds, and waterfront landscapes, these extraordinary sculptures turn a fall road trip into a combination of outdoor art adventure, nature walk, treasure hunt, and New England sightseeing experience.
And October may be the perfect time to do it — right around the peak of Rhode Island’s beautiful fall foliage.
Five Trolls. Four Locations. One Mysterious Legend.
Thomas Dambo creates giant sculptures from recycled and reclaimed wood and places them in natural settings around the world. His work encourages people to leave the cities, explore nature, discover unexpected places, and think differently about materials that might otherwise be discarded.
Rhode Island has its own chapter in Dambo’s growing troll universe.
During our day trip, we plan to find all five Rhode Island trolls:
Erik Rock and Greta Granit at Ninigret Park in Charlestown; Young Boulder near Browning Mill Pond in the Arcadia Management Area; Iver Mudslider at Ryan Park in North Kingstown; and Mrs. Skipper overlooking the water at Kettle Point in East Providence.
But finding the trolls is only part of the adventure.
They are connected by the mysterious Legend of the Thunderstone — a story about an almost indestructible stone formed by countless lightning strikes, carried across the landscape by a glacier, and eventually lost somewhere in what is now Rhode Island.
The trolls are looking for it.
And we will follow some of the clues along the way.
Look closely at their necklaces, the birdhouses, unusual symbols, stones, shells, and objects hidden around the sculptures. In Dambo’s world, even the birds have a role to play: they are the trolls’ eyes, traveling through the landscape and bringing them information about what is happening beyond their homes.
Rhode Island Beyond the Usual Tourist Route
This is not a traditional Providence or Newport sightseeing tour.
Jookender’s Chasing the Trolls tour from Boston is designed around the smaller places that are easy to overlook: woodland trails, beautiful ponds, unusual public art, quiet parks, waterfront views, and the pleasure of discovering something you probably would never encounter on a standard New England itinerary.
We will drive between locations in shared cars and explore the troll sites together. Some stops involve short walks, while others give us an opportunity to spend more time outdoors and enjoy Rhode Island during one of the most beautiful seasons of the year.
Expect fall colors, forests, art, stories, photographs, a little mystery, plenty of conversation — and five very large trolls.
Independent with Jookender
Independent with Jookender is Jookender Community Initiatives’ travel program for people who enjoy discovering new places, learning through travel, and exploring destinations beyond traditional tourist routes.
Based in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, Jookender organizes a variety of local, regional, national, and international travel experiences. Our programs include one-day trips from Boston, small-group New England tours, cultural and educational excursions, outdoor adventures, multi-day road trips, and international group travel.
At least once a year, Jookender organizes an extended approximately two-week international trip, giving participants an opportunity to experience another country through its history, culture, food, landscapes, local communities, and less obvious destinations — not simply its most famous tourist attractions.
Closer to home, our Independent with Jookender trips take participants throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and other destinations in New England and beyond. Some are day trips using shared cars, while others are longer journeys with organized transportation and accommodations.
Some experiences are community-led outings, while others incorporate professional guiding, local expertise, educational components, and storytelling. Our approach is simple:
We don’t just visit places — we explore them.
Chasing the Trolls: Rhode Island Off the Beaten Path is one example of this approach: a small-group day tour from the Boston area combining unusual public art, nature, local discoveries, storytelling, and the simple pleasure of traveling together.
Tour Information
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Destination: Rhode Island
Departure Area: Greater Boston, Massachusetts
Format: One-day small-group road trip
Transportation: Shared cars with fellow Club Chaverim members
Cost: FREE
Eligibility: Club Chaverim members only
Organized by: Jookender Community Initiatives, Inc.
Travel Series: Independent with Jookender
Comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are strongly recommended. The tour includes outdoor walking on natural surfaces and trails.
Five trolls. Four beautiful Rhode Island locations. One mysterious Thunderstone.
Come spend a golden October day discovering a completely different side of Rhode Island with Jookender.
Explore. Discover. Connect.