The Fort Adams Trust is launching two new guided tour experiences this season, giving visitors deeper looks at both the military engineering and the human stories behind one of Rhode Island’s most recognizable landmarks.
“Storm the Fort” and “Life at the Fort” are now available as part of the 2026 visitor season, the trust announced Monday.
“Storm the Fort” explores the seven layers of defense that made Fort Adams one of the most formidable coastal fortifications in North America. Visitors will journey through the fort’s ramparts, tunnels, bastions and defensive systems while learning how military engineers designed the site to defend Narragansett Bay for generations.
“Life at the Fort” shifts the focus from the granite walls to the people who lived and worked within them. Through stories of soldiers, officers, laborers, musicians, families and immigrants, the tour highlights the human experience of life at Fort Adams over nearly two centuries of active use.
Paul Marshall, executive director of the Fort Adams Trust, said the new tours are intended to broaden how visitors connect with the site.
“These tours are about bringing the Fort to life in new ways,” Marshall said. “Fort Adams is more than just stone walls and military engineering. It is a place filled with stories, people, culture, and history. We want visitors to leave feeling connected not only to the scale of the Fort, but also to the experiences of those who passed through it.”
The trust, whose mission is “to preserve and revitalize Fort Adams for the public’s benefit,” has seen significant growth in visitation in recent years, including the successful launch of expanded self-guided tours and public access to underground tunnel systems in 2025.
Guided tours will run seven days a week, weather permitting. From now through May 22, and again from Oct. 13 to Nov. 25, “Life at the Fort” will be offered at 9:30 a.m. and “Storm the Fort” at 2:15 p.m. From May 23 through Oct. 12, “Life at the Fort” will run at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with “Storm the Fort” at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Self-guided tours are available daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the last ticket sold at 3 p.m. Tunnel access runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through May 22 and from Oct. 13 to Nov. 25, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from May 23 through Oct. 12.
More information, schedules and ticketing are available at fortadams.org.
