Newport, Rhode Island

Gilded Age summer playground of the super-rich, with the Cliff Walk linking seaside mansions, the docks of the "Sailing Capital of the World" and ocean views along Ocean Drive.

Newport sits at the southern tip of Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, surrounded by water on three sides, about 1.5 hours' drive south of Boston and 40 minutes from Providence. In the late-19th-century Gilded Age, wealthy families such as the Vanderbilts and Astors built palatial summer "cottages" modeled on European palaces here. Today they are open to visitors through the Preservation Society of Newport County and form the largest concentration of mansion museums in the U.S. Newport was also a major colonial port: the old town preserves many 18th-century wooden houses, the oldest synagogue and tavern in America, and the yacht harbors of the "Sailing Capital of the World."

The best time to visit is June–September: sailing season, the Newport Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival (late July to early August at Fort Adams), and open beaches, though weekend hotel rates are high and parking is tough. September–October brings fewer crowds and pleasant weather; in November–December the mansions are decorated for Christmas; winter is quiet, with only one or two mansions open.

Areas to explore: Bellevue Avenue and the Cliff Walk in the southeast are mansion territory; downtown Thames Street and the waterfront are the hub for shopping, dining and sailing trips; Ocean Drive in the southwest links Fort Adams, Brenton Point and other seaside spots; to the east, Middletown has Second Beach and the Sachuest Point refuge.

Getting there: the nearest airport is Providence's T.F. Green Airport (about 45 minutes), with Boston Logan about 1.5–2 hours away; in summer there's a ferry from Providence. Around town there are RIPTA buses and a seasonal trolley-style shuttle, and cycling Ocean Drive is popular. Plan on 2–3 days: one for the mansions and Cliff Walk, one for the old town, waterfront and a sail, and one for Ocean Drive and the beaches.

Top sights

• The Breakers – The Vanderbilt family’s Italian Renaissance seaside palace, the pinnacle of Gilded Age mansions and Newport’s top must-see.
• Marble House – A marble palace given by Vanderbilt to his wife. Its golden ballroom is dazzling, and a Chinese-style tea pavilion stands by the sea.
• The Elms – A coal baron’s estate modeled on an 18th-century French château, known for its refined French gardens and an underground tour that reveals…
• Cliff Walk – A roughly 5.6-km cliffside trail with the Atlantic on one side and the lawns of Gilded Age mansions on the other. It is Newport’s signature…
• Ocean Drive – A roughly 16-km seaside loop linking rocky coves, Fort Adams and Brenton Point. Drive, cycle or watch the sunset along it.
• Rosecliff – A white party mansion modelled on the Grand Trianon at Versailles, with Newport's largest ballroom, where several films have been shot.
• Rough Point – The seaside estate of tobacco heiress Doris Duke, preserved as she left it, with her art collection and private life intact.
• Chateau-sur-Mer – One of the earliest mansions on Bellevue Avenue, a Victorian stone estate offering a glimpse of life on the eve of the Gilded Age.
• Kingscote – An 1839 Gothic Revival wooden villa, one of Newport's earliest summer mansions, with Tiffany glass inside.
• Belcourt of Newport – A Louis XIII-style hunting château designed by Hunt; the ground floor was once stables, and guided tours now open after recent restoration.
• Fort Adams State Park – One of the largest coastal forts in the United States, its lawns face Newport Harbor and it hosts jazz and folk music festivals.
• Brenton Point State Park – A headland park on Ocean Drive, popular for kite flying and watching sunsets and waves, with the ruins of an old estate.
• Castle Hill Lighthouse – A small lighthouse set into granite sea cliffs; the lawn of the hotel beside it is a well-known spot for a drink at sunset.
• Bowen's Wharf & Bannister's Wharf – A historic 18th-century wharf converted into shops and restaurants, where sailing boats, harbour cruises and seafood restaurants cluster.
• Thames Street – Newport's main street along the harbour, lined with boutiques, restaurants and bars in colonial-era buildings; the centre for shopping and…
• International Tennis Hall of Fame – A tennis museum housed in an 1880 Newport casino, where you can play on historic grass courts.
• Touro Synagogue – Built in 1763, it is the oldest surviving synagogue in the United States and the place that received George Washington's letter on religiou…
• Trinity Church – A white wooden Episcopal church completed in 1726; its steeple is the landmark of Newport's old-town skyline.
• Newport Tower – A round stone tower in Touro Park, often linked to Vikings, but in fact a 17th-century windmill, full of legend.
• Redwood Library and Athenaeum – Founded in 1747, it is the oldest membership library in the United States; its classical temple-style building houses colonial paintings an…
• Newport Art Museum – An art museum housed in Hunt's Griswold House, showing American art with a focus on New England.
• White Horse Tavern – A tavern in operation since 1673, said to be one of America's oldest, serving New England food in a colonial timber house.
• St. Mary's Church – The oldest Catholic parish in Rhode Island, where John Kennedy and Jacqueline were married in 1953.
• Brick Market & Museum of Newport History – A colonial-era market building from 1762, now a small museum telling the story of Newport's more than 300 years of history.
• Easton's Beach – The beach nearest downtown Newport, with a carousel and an aquarium, and the northern starting point of the Cliff Walk.
• Second Beach – A sandy beach of about 2.4 km in Middletown, the largest on Aquidneck Island, suitable for both surfing and family splashing.
• Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge – A wildlife refuge on a headland with a loop trail of about 5 km through rocky shores and seabirds, where seals can be seen in winter.
• Purgatory Chasm – A deep, narrow crack in the rocks beside Second Beach, with a small footbridge over it from which you can watch the waves crash; it comes w…
• Green Animals Topiary Garden – A century-old topiary garden in Portsmouth, with more than 80 trees clipped into elephants, giraffes and bears; family-friendly.
• Rose Island Lighthouse – An 1870 lighthouse on a small island in Newport Harbor, reached by ferry, where you can even spend the night in the keeper's quarters.

Where to eat

• White Horse Tavern – A historic colonial tavern established in 1673, famous for its Beef Wellington and historic fireside atmosphere.
• The Black Pearl – A historic waterfront establishment on Bannister's Wharf, where the clam chowder is one of Newport's most iconic flavor…
• Flo's Clam Shack – A clam shack next to Easton's Beach, operating since 1936, where clam cakes and fried clams offer the quintessential ta…
• Giusto – A freestyle Italian restaurant inside Hammett's Hotel on the waterfront, renowned for its handmade pasta and chef's tas…
• Midtown Oyster Bar – A popular seafood spot on Thames Street, most famous for its freshly shucked oysters and warm buttered lobster rolls.
• Corner Cafe – A local breakfast spot on Broadway serving all-day breakfast, most famous for its Portuguese sweet bread French toast.

Itineraries

• New England Six-State Loop – A grand loop from Boston covering all six states, including the Maine Coast, White Mountains, Vermont, the Berkshires…
• Connecticut and Rhode Island Coast Islands – From Yale, heading east along the coast through Mystic, Block Island and Newport to Providence.