Good place to start

You can make some cash here, either by luck or hard work

Lincoln Woods State Park is a 627-acre park, popular for biking, fishing, and hiking. (Paul Kandarian for The Boston Globe)

LINCOLN, R.I.
DISTANCE FROM BOSTON: 45 miles
POPULATION: 22,314
WEBSITES: www.lincolnri.org, www.tourblackstone.com
ODD FACT: Pullen Corner School, built in 1850 and entered in the National Historic Register in 1984, was known as the "Hot Potato School." At one time, a teacher who wanted to provide his students hot lunches, gave a stove to the school and then used it to cook donated potatoes for the kids.

Lincoln isn't just about betting on dog races and playing slot machines, though for many, the first thing that springs to mind when they think of the town is Twin River, formerly Lincoln Park, a popular "racino" that combines the two activities. This suburb north of Providence is the home of ChemArt, official manufacturer of White House Christmas ornaments, and A.T. Cross, maker of writing instruments for more than 150 years. Here, visitors will also find the Great Road historic district, which a National Park Service website describes as 300 years of history in three miles because of the number of structures from the 17th to 19th centuries. This year, the town made it onto Fortune's list of Top 100 Places to Live and Launch in the United States; the magazine said start-ups accounted for 7.3 percent of businesses in Lincoln last year.

History lovers have a trove of places to poke around in here. Chase Farm (669 Great Road, 401-333-1100) is about 100 acres of town-owned fields, picnic sites, hiking trails, and sled riding, on which sits an old Victorian home. It was one of the last working farms in Lincoln and a popular place to walk with its open, rolling hills. The Valentine Whitman House (1147 Great Road, 401-334-2182), built in 1694, is a delightfully well-preserved structure open the second Sunday of every month and by appointment. It also hosts a number of seasonal events. When the town took it over, there was only an original spinning wheel inside. Answering a call for furnishings, area residents donated antiques to make the house look as if you've stepped back centuries. Hearthside (677 Great Road, 401-726-0597, hearthsidehouse.org) is a stone mansion completed in 1814, which has been called "heartbreak house." Local legend has it that Stephen Hopkins Smith courted a woman who said she would only marry a man of substantial wealth. Smith soon thereafter won $40,000 in the lottery and built his grand home - but she refused to marry him, saying she didn't want to live in the wilderness, some seven miles from Providence. Heartbroken, Smith never married.

Rustic and reasonable is The Lodge Pub and Eatery (40 Breakneck Hill Road, 401-725-8510, thelodgepub.com, entrees $9.99-$19.99) with its pine paneling, countrified setting, and casual dining, serving steak, chicken, chops, and seafood. Just about any kind of pizza you can imagine, you can find at Pepino's (616 George Washington Highway, 401-333-4422, pepinospizzeria.com, pizzas $9.95-$29.95), which serves more than 80 pies from the unusual ultimate breakfast pizza - oven-roasted sausage, bacon, onions, peppers, eggs and five-cheese blend - to the old-world classic of fresh tomato, garlic, ricotta, parmesan, provolone, cheddar, mozzarella and romano, all topped with fresh basil. The Twin River (100 Twin River Road, 401-723-3200, twinriver.com) facility boasts a variety of dining options, including Fred & Steve's Steakhouse (401-475-8400, entrees about $35-$42) and the Fado Irish Pub (401-475-8500, entrees $12.95-$16.95).

Rural Lincoln has plenty of places to play outdoors; fall is an especially good time to get out and see the kaleidoscopic flora. The Blackstone River Bikeway (Lower River Road, 401-333-0295, www.ri parks.com/blacksto.html) is a proposed 17-mile path that parallels the Blackstone River and Industrial Revolution canal tow path. Eventually, it will become part of a 48-mile path from Providence to Worcester. Lincoln Woods State Park (off Route 146, 401-723-7892, www.ri parks.com/lincoln.htm) is a 627-acre park that includes Olney Pond, a popular sailing and fishing spot. The park is also popular with horseback riders and hikers. And Sunset Stables (1 Twin River Road, 401-722-3033, sunsetstablesri.com) offers horse riding lessons, with trails throughout Lincoln Woods. Bet on fast dogs or flashing slots - 4,752 of them - at Twin River, a dog racing track and casino. Within the facility is Catch a Rising Star Comedy Club (401-475-8415, catcha risingstar.com/providence.html), which operates Thursday through Saturday nights and features new names in comedy. The club has just added a Friday night feature, Frank Santos, a veteran comic hypnotist from Rhode Island who has appeared throughout the region.

One of the region's original shopping giants, the Lincoln Mall (622 George Washington Highway, 401-333-5660, discoverlincolnmall.com) has undergone extensive renovations. Half of the 600,000-square-foot mall was rebuilt three years ago, and now includes a 16-screen cinema complex and about 40 businesses. Do-it-yourselfers will like Knock on Wood Furniture of Rhode Island (1661 Lonsdale Ave., 401-725-0360, knockonwoodfurnitureri.com), which sells finished and unfinished chairs, rockers, desks, bookcases, cabinets, bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, and more. The Ryco Factory Outlet Store (25 Carrington St., 401-725-1779) sells lace and ribbons, fabrics, quilting supplies, batting and sewing notions, and craft supplies. The store, located at the back of a cluster of old brick mill buildings, holds related classes throughout the year.