New Book, Ice Cream, and Beverage Cafe to Open at Fall River Carousel

A familiar Fall River landmark is getting a new book and beverage venue.

The Fall River Reporter noted that the Fall River Carousel will reopen to the public beginning Memorial Day weekend through the support of Bristol County Economic Development Corp. The carousel will be managed by Red Oak Hospitality, owned by Kyle Pelletier of Canned Heat Craft Beer, The Old Grist Mill Tavern, and the Tipsy Toboggan.

A news release detailed that the first floor of the carousel building will be home to Red Oak Hospitality's second Gathering Grounds Cafe location, described as “a rustic Americana-inspired coffee, ice cream, and book boutique.” The company has opened its first location of this business concept in Seekonk, alongside the Grist Mill Tavern in the Four Echoes Vintage Shoppe. 

Gathering Grounds will provide high-quality, fair-trade organic coffee from Indigo Coffee Roasters in Western Massachusetts. Guests will also be able to enjoy handcrafted ice cream from the Warwick Ice Cream Company and browse a curated book selection for readers of all ages.

“At the Fall River Carousel, guests can expect everything from large-scale events to intimate birthday parties and milestone celebrations,” the release noted. “Thanks to our collaboration with Bristol County Economic Development, we're working on transforming this landmark into a year-round destination at Battleship Cove — complete with a magical month-long holiday celebration each December and other unique winter experiences.”

According to Kenneth Fiola Jr., executive vice president of Bristol County Economic Development Corp., the organization applied for and secured $40,000 in grant funding support from MassDevelopment through its TDI Equity Investment Grant program. Funds from the grant were used to partially offset the cost of work to refurbish 20 windows and perform other maintenance tasks at the Fall River Carousel.