Located on Aquidneck Island, this coastal town has colonial buildings, historic 19th-century mansions, and a harbor filled with sailboats along the Atlantic Ocean.
Newport, Rhode Island sits on Aquidneck Island, where you'll find 18th-century buildings like the white-columned Redwood Library on Bellevue Avenue and the Georgian-style Touro Synagogue on Touro Street. Walk past Italian Renaissance-style mansions built in the 1890s, including the 70-room Breakers with its platinum-leafed panels and the Marble House with its gold ballroom. Sail in the same waters where the America's Cup races took place from 1930 to 1983, or stroll along the Cliff Walk to see waves crash against the rocks 70 feet below.
Exploring Newport's Mansions
Walk through the 70 rooms of The Breakers, built in 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt, where Italian marble columns rise from mosaic floors and French antiques fill gilded rooms. At the Marble House, completed in 1892, you'll see why its $11 million construction cost equals about $300 million today - its 500,000 cubic feet of marble cover nearly every surface. Take guided tours year-round through the Preservation Society of Newport County, with audio guides explaining each room's purpose and the families who lived there.
Beaches and Coastal Paths
Walk the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk, where waves crash against rocks 70 feet below. The path winds past the back lawns of Newport mansions and through tunnels carved into rock outcrops. At Easton's Beach (First Beach), swim in calm waters or relax on the sand. Children can ride the 1940s carousel or watch sea creatures at the small aquarium.
Maritime Newport
Join a sailing excursion on a 12-meter racing yacht or traditional schooner from Bowen's Wharf. Learn to trim sails and steer during hands-on lessons, or take a sunset cruise past lighthouses and islands. The New York Yacht Club's granite clubhouse overlooks the harbor, while the Museum of Yachting at Fort Adams displays wooden boats and America's Cup artifacts.
Colonial Architecture and Landmarks
Walk the Point neighborhood's narrow streets to see pre-1776 homes with their original wooden clapboards and brick chimneys. Visit the Touro Synagogue, built in 1763, where you can see its colonial architecture during guided tours. Step into the Redwood Library, opened in 1747, to browse rare books and art collections in America's oldest continuously operating lending library.
Newport's Food Scene
Taste fresh-caught seafood at waterfront restaurants along Thames Street. Try the clear broth clam chowder at The Black Pearl on Bannister's Wharf, where fishing boats dock nearby. Order oysters harvested that morning from Narragansett Bay at dozens of raw bars, or grab lobster rolls at casual clam shacks near the wharves.
Getting Around Newport
Most sites sit within a 20-minute walk of downtown, concentrated around Thames Street and Bellevue Avenue. The Newport Trolley stops at all major mansions and beaches every 20 minutes. In summer, catch water taxis between downtown wharves - they run every 30 minutes from 10 AM to sunset.
