Blackstone Valley Cherry Tree Running Festival

Nestled along the Blackstone River falls and the upper tidewaters of the Narragansett Bay, this Rhode Island city that’s home to baseball’s AAA-level Pawtucket Red Sox plays host in April to the Navigant Blackstone Valley Half Marathon and 5K, both of which start at Pawtucket’s City Hall on Roosevelt Avenue.

As its name suggests, the race takes runners along a 13.1-mile route that unfolds for a large portion along the Blackstone River, which flows through the heart of the city’s downtown and later meets up with the upper tide waters of Narragansett Bay, near Providence just a few miles to the south.