Scenes of renewal

No longer run-of-the-mill, Warren flourishes with a vibrant arts community

Belly dancers perform Saturdays at the India Restaurant. (Christine Hochkeppel for the Boston Globe)

There are no flashy towns in what Rhode Islanders call the East Bay, those claws of land that spread southward into Narragansett Bay alongside the Massachusetts border. Bristol has stately buildings and a mansion complete with an arboretum. Barrington is a wealthy town, a desirable home to those who make their money in Providence. Warren has always been the blue-collar burg in between, home to textile mills that closed and left their hulking carcasses behind. But lately, the town once pillaged and burned by Hessian troops during the Revolution has been undergoing what locals call the "Warren Renaissance." An ambitious pair launched the 2nd Story Theatre, and its productions began selling out; the theater opened a restaurant, the aptly named Downstairs Bistro, that also became popular. Some of the old mills filled, as they have in many towns searching for postindustrial identities, with artists. Antique stores blossomed. Restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts came to town. And now, slowly, tourists are coming, too - but not so many that you'll feel crowded when you visit.

For a small town, Warren has an impressive array of good restaurants. For a casual lunch or dinner, Feast or Famine (495 Main St., 401-289-0422, feastorfamineri.com, entrees $7-$16) turns out heavenly wood-grilled pizzas with cracker-thin crusts and interesting toppings: The Margherita is made with Parmesan, asiago, and Gorgonzola cheeses. Although there are vegetarian options, we laughed at the name of the Antivegan pizza, slathered in pepperoni, bacon, and meatballs. The salads, large enough for a light meal, are also carefully prepared, and there are plenty of choices - pasta, burgers, chicken parm - for the pizza-averse. Nat Porter Restaurant (125 Water St., 401-289-0373) reopened last fall in a beautifully restored 18th-century sea captain's house. Stella Blues (50 Miller St., 401-289-0349, stellabluesri.com, $7-$24) is a self-described "edgy eatery" that specializes in seafood. In warm weather, dine on a porch overlooking the water. India Restaurant (520 Main St., 401-245-4500, indiarestaurant .com/location_warren.php, dinner $7.95-$19.95) brings biryanis and curries to Warren, in a vibrant dining room glowing with candlelight and warm saffron colors. And how many restaurants can claim this: The Goddess Coyle Belly Dance Troupe performs every Saturday night. The Basically British Tea Room (16 Cutler St., 401-245-0072, basicallybritishtearoom.com) serves full afternoon tea as well as lunch and, on Thursday and Friday nights, dinner, in the restored Cutler Mills. Residents of Rhode Island wax euphoric about their coffee cabinets, coffee-flavored milkshakes whose name draws blank stares in the rest of the country. One of the state's best coffee cabinets, locals say, is made in Warren, at the Delekta Pharmacy (496 Main St., 401-245-6767), which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Incorporated in 1747, Warren is one of the oldest towns in Rhode Island and history lessons abound. Maxwell House (corner of Church and Water streets, massasoit historical.org), was built between 1752-56, and the museum there aims to show visitors what life was like 250 years ago. Twice a year, the Massasoit Historical Association, which owns the house, serves 18th-century dinners there. Dieters and the lactose-intolerant beware: Recipes from the period rely on heavy cream and butter, and there are no special orders. The Fireman's Museum (42 Baker St., 401-245-7600), inside the old Narragansett Steam Fire Company Station Number 3, displays firefighting memorabilia, including The Little Hero, the town's first fire engine, from 1802.

The Candlewick Inn (775 Main St., 401-247-2425, candlewickinn.net), just south of downtown, is the town's largest inn, with four guest rooms. The hosts, a retired couple who teach cooking classes to guests, deliver large breakfasts in their high-ceilinged bungalow. The Thomas Cole House (81 Union St., 401-245-9768) offers two guest rooms in an 1850 house in Warren's historic district. The Wren & Thistle (19 Market St., 401-247-0631, wrenandthistle.com, $120 a night) is a single suite in downtown Warren. The second-floor suite, with a sitting room set off from the bedroom by French doors, overlooks the garden. The owner, who also runs an antique shop in the building, leaves breakfast outside the door.

Cutler Mills, a renovated cluster of brick buildings that once churned out textiles, now houses artists who sell their wares. They include 101 Jewelry Design (30 Cutler St., #215, 201-741-3270, 101jewelrydesign.com), where pieces begin with abstract drawings and end up as funky and unusual designs. Pat Warwick Ceramics (30 Cutler St., #213, 401-247-0779) and Angel Tucker Photography (30 Cutler St., #215, 401-864-2251, angeltucker.com) are also worth a visit. Call ahead for an appointment to make sure the studios are open. Shoppers often come to Warren for antiquing; the town has more than a dozen shops. One of the more interesting is Acktiques (489 Main St., 401-247-5994), whose offerings lean toward the quirky. Once you're in town, it's hard to miss Imagine Gift Store (5 Miller St., 401-245-4200, imaginegiftstores.com), whose owners renovated the old Lyric Theatre into a bright blue, magenta, and yellow palace at one end of Main Street. The store's sprawling display of clothes, toys, kitchenware, and oddities fills three levels. Don't miss sweet treats - ice cream and candy - at the store's Lyric Twist. For a smaller-scale shopping experience, slip into DISH (155 Water St., 401-247-7705), a tiny boutique for women with beautiful clothes, locally made jewelry, and cool bags.

Head out into Narragansett Bay on one of the large boats docked along Warren's wharf. One of the most popular is Bay Queen Cruises (461 Water St., Gate 4, 401-245-1350, bayqueen.com), which operates in spring, summer, and fall, taking passengers on luncheon and dinner cruises, including a Newport brunch cruise. For a more vigorous tour of the bay, the East Bay Bike Path wends through 14 1/2 miles of scenic territory, often along the water, from Providence to Bristol. Burr's Hill Park (follow Water Street south until it ends), once the site of a Revolutionary War fort, now holds picnic tables and walking paths that lead to the water. As with the Warren Town Beach to the north, parking is restricted to residents during the summer.

Basically British Tea Room (see Fuel) has live music - jazz, Celtic, reggae - on Friday nights. India Restaurant (see Fuel) has belly-dancing Saturdays, and Tuscan Tavern (632 Metacom Ave., 401-247-9200, tuscantavern.net) has live jazz until midnight on weekends. The 2nd Story Theatre (28 Market St., 401-247-4200, 2ndstorytheatre.com) has won acclaim for its performances in a restored building downtown. "Fuddy Meers," a comedy about a woman with amnesia, opens in May. Show up early for dinner at Downstairs Bistro (entrees $16-$25), open only on show nights, guaranteed to get you to your seat before the curtain rises. Make sure to reserve a table.