Along the Woonasquatucket River in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, your Waterplace Park occupies the original site of the Great Salt Cove. Finished in 1994, the park connects to three quarters of a mile of cobblestone-paved pedestrian walkways along the waterfront known as Riverwalk. Venice-styled pedestrian bridges arch across the river, and most of Riverwalk lies below street level and automotive traffic, giving you the intimate feel of a hidden waterfront promenade.
In summertime the park and Riverwalk jointly host the city's popular WaterFire events, a series of bonfires lit on the river accompanied by classical and world music. Look around and you can imagine the older story of this place: the City Center here was once covered by water called the Great Salt Cove, and beginning in 1856 the Cove was gradually filled in and shrunk to a circular body of water, until by 1900 the entire area had been converted to land. The River Relocation Project of the 1980s and 1990s celebrated that waterway history and included construction of this very park.
Notice the cobbles, the river, and the Venetian bridges nearby.