Newport, Rhode Island: What To Do in A Day

Rhode Island's City by the Sea, Newport, Rhode Island, is home to lavish mansions, the US Tennis Hall of Fame, miles of beaches, the famed Ocean Drive and a famous Cliff Walk. There's so much to do that you could easily spend a week here but we only had a day. Yes, only a day. So we really had to hustle to do all we wanted to do. And, of course, you really can't do it all in a day. But we gave it the college try to pack as much into 8 hours that we could. Here's what we got up to!

The Cliff Walk
As Southerners who deal with high temps and high humidity, part of the appeal of a summer vacation in New England is the prospect of low temps and low humidity. Unfortunately for us, Newport was experiencing a heat wave. Our first stop on our day out in Newport was the Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile walkway along Newport's shoreline. The beauty of the walk, which includes some of New England's most beautiful shoreline, makes it one of Newport's main attractions. It's said that one can, if making no stops, walk the entire Cliff Walk in 3 hours. Since the temperature was 96 on the day of our visit - and with remarkably little shade on the Cliff Walk - we decided to just do a small portion. And then once we got on the Cliff Walk we decided to do a smaller portion. (I was completely envious of those who were wearing their swim suits and dove into the ocean during their walk)

Photo credit: J Chapman

 So we did a small portion of the walk to get the main gist of the beauty of the coastline and view a few of the Newport mansions - the cliff walk is located behind some of the summer cottages owned by the rich and famous - and then we thankfully got into our air conditioned car. (Thanks Mr. Carrier for inventing that!) I highly recommend doing the Cliff Walk if you get the chance - and especially if you have perfect weather for it. Maybe not if it's 96 outside.

Downtown Newport
Downtown Newport is a quaint, cobblestoned downtown with restaurants, shops and bakeries. You can wander into the little souvenir shops or do as we did and grab a little lunch at the (nicely air conditioned) Buskers, Irish pub. Located on Thames Street, with parking behind, we enjoyed some fish n chips and ice cold ales. After that we headed directly across the street to  Cupcake Charlies - a bakery with all kinds of sweet treats including homemade hostess style cupcakes, ice cream frosting shots, cake pops,cupcake parfaits and milkshakes. You can spend as much, or as little, time as you'd like wandering downtown. We were off to visit one of the biggest draws in Newport, the mansions.

Photo credit: J Chapman

Newport Mansions
There are 11 historic properties - seven are National Historic Landmarks - that you can visit in Newport. These properties were usually "summer cottages", places of respite from the city where the Vanderbilts or the Berwind's could spend the entire summer season. The most famous, and I think, impressive mansion is The Breakers. Having visited it before, this time we decided to visit The Elms. 

Photo credit: J Chapman

Photo Credit: J Chapman

The Elms was the summer residence of the Berwind family from Philadelphia and New York. Edward Berwind made his fortune in the coal industry and started building his Newport mansion in 1898, modeling it after a French Chateau outside of Paris. Construction was completed in 1901 and the family continued to summer here until 1961 when it was gifted to the Newport Historical Society. Besides being a showcase for the Berwind's art collection, the house also has a very impressive Classical Revival garden including sculpture, marble pavilions and fountains.( A one house ticket, excluding The Breakers, is available for $18 which includes an audio tour of the chosen mansion with history, the grounds and a visit to the gift shop. The Breakers is available to visit with a separate ticket which is $26)

Ocean Drive
With breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, Ocean Drive is a 10 mile long stretch of mansions, yacht clubs and a state park, Fort Adams State Park - which is the home of Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. You'll also pass Hammersmith Farm, the spot where Jackie Bouvier married John Kennedy. You can park for free and enjoy a Del's lemonade from the Del's truck at Brenton Point State Park. And you'll pass several beaches, some which are private and Gooseberry which is open to the public - but just the beach, not the facilities. 

One of the places that you might want to stop is Castle Hill Inn. A former private residence, Castle Hill is not only a place to stay but it also hosts weddings, a killer Sunday brunch (so I'm told) and has incredible views of Narragansett Bay. We parked ourselves in some of the adirondack chairs on the lawn and enjoyed an adult beverage while taking in the passing sailboats. Be forewarned that it is a very popular spot and getting a seat, especially on a beautiful afternoon, isn't easy. But if you're patient you can probably score a seat.

If you're visiting Newport, Ocean Drive is definitely something that you'll want to do. I think I've driven it three times now and it doesn't get old.

So that was our short visit to Newport. There are still some things I haven't done here - I haven't toured all the mansions, visited Fort Adams, sailed in the harbor, attended the Jazz Festival or eaten at the iconic Flo's Clam Shack. That will just have to wait for next time!

How about you? Have you been to Newport before? If so, what's your favorite part of visiting Newport?


Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographin New Zealand, The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party and Faraway Files at Oregon Girl Around the World!