Newport, Rhode Island - You Have to Go !

Thinking of going to Newport? Don't think any longer, just go. If you are within driving distance of Newport, Rhode Island, you have to make the trip. You'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner. The drive is great, thought the last part of it does seem longer than it should. The bridges you have to travel over the Narragansett Bay really make you feel like you are on vacation, but be patient, it's a slow trip. Newport is a wonderful, friendly, upscale but low key place to visit. As a water lover, my personal favorite was just walking by the Newport Yacht Club and looking at these amazing vessels and all the activity that goes along with yachting. If you check out the website, you can get an idea of events taking place and try to plan your trip accordingly. Even in the off season though, you might be lucky enough to see some work being done on a yacht suspended above the water. There is also the International Yacht Restoration School in town. You might also see a cruise ship making a stop in Newport, a common occurrence.

Newport is incredibly easy to get around and you can easily walk just about any place you would want to go. We stayed at the Newport Hyatt Regency, which was very nice but did make for a slightly longer walk in to town. If I were to go again, I'd stay at the Marriot which has a better location. Of course there are also bed and breakfast options and vacation home rentals. Newport has a great selection of restaurants. You can say well fed and happy on any budget. You can enjoy a big breakfast inexpensively at a number of small diner type places. There's also a Panera. The Brick Alley Pub and Restaurant is a wonderful place with great food and while it was high end for our meager budget, it was actually quite affordable at under $20 per person. There is also a subway in town, where the line is long with Salve Regina students.

As for things to do in Newport, the cliff walk is a must. It is the one thing that you have to do. The views of both the water and the mansions are spectacular. This is a fun and relaxing, free activity. Plan to spend a couple of hours at least. You could easily spend a day walking and going from mansion to mansion. To go inside of the mansions, you'll have to pay a fee and they are not inexpensive. You can pay over $10 for each mansion, or purchase a ticket for about $30 which will give you admission to five mansions. While the mansions are incredible inside, you can walk around the outside grounds for free. Some of the mansions have open access for the cliff walks. We prefer to spend our time on the cliff walk and then just drop in to walk around the grounds of the mansions along the way.

Shopping in Newport is incredibly fun. You can walk everywhere and the town is full of interesting stores with friendly people. There a great Christmas shop and some wonderful jewelry and craft shops as well as fine art. You can plan to spend an entire day walking through the narrow streets from store to store. We found a second hand clothing store that had wonderful items as well as some beautiful clothing stores with one of a kind items. Newport is unlike many other affluent areas. Newport doesn't try as hard. It doesn't have to. This is truly a comfortable and friendly place where there is no need to throw money around. There's plenty to do on any budget.