October Trip (2nd Week)

Need help! We arrive the afternoon of October 8th and fly home the morning of October 12th. We are renting a car to venture (other sites and cities near Rhode Island), but start and end in Rhode Island. Any advise on Must Stay and Must Do%26#39;s while we are here? Any nearby sites we should for sure see while we are here? We are coming from the Midwest (Indiana) and are so looking forward to the East Coast. We enjoy the outdoors, shopping, historical sites, etc. during the day and enjoy dinner and drinks in the evening. Any suggestions? I will need to make lodging reservations very soon! :)

October Trip (2nd Week)

I would say southern RI (Newport area), Cape, swing by Providence, and Boston if you like the city. Leave Maine, NH, VT leave for another trip. This will be a nice time to be in the area too as far as foliage goes.

October Trip (2nd Week)

Thank you! Any suggestions in regards to average lodging in the Newport and/or Cape area? Average in cost (still want nice/clean/good area - if possible).

Newport RI has become quite pricey in recent years. Since you%26#39;ll be coming Columbus Day weekend don%26#39;t expect any bargains. If you don%26#39;t mind staying in a nearby town like Middletown RI there are many more budget hotels and motels. In Newport there are fewer budget options and the big hotels (Hyatt, Marriot) are full months in advance (not that you can%26#39;t check!). If you stay in Middletown you can drive over and park at the Newport Visitor center and ride the Newport shuttle bus around the town going to the popular destinations (Mansions, Beaches, Cliff Walk) or you can walk to many parts of Newport. For Newport, for B%26amp;Bs probably $250-$300 per night and up for the B%26amp;Bs is not unusual there are more expensive places than that too! Check Middletown RI If you get discouraged by the prices.

If you like gardens, check out my goList:

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i7501-Newport_f…

Definitely second the previous poster%26#39;s idea of staying in RI or may be Cape Cod area and save the VT, NH, ME states for another trip. That weekend will be crowded with cars in the northern New England states for people looking at the foliage color. Plus the days you have is not a long time.

As a fellow Midwesterner who%26#39;s loved visiting RI five times in the last ten years, I%26#39;d also suggest that you focus your time right in RI. No one%26#39;s mentioned Narragansett yet, but I%26#39;ve liked watching the surfers there both at the public beach and at Point Judith, which is also a spectacular sunset spot. Walk the sea wall or have dinner at The Coast Guard House there and enjoy another magnificent view -- Narragansett Bay.

We are also planning a vacation to RI, a week later, coming from Arizona. Good tips. Do you know anything about the festival at Bannister%26#39;s Wharf on Aug 18? Is it a huge mass of people so parking is impossible? I have a disability so can not walk a mile just to get to the festival. Any tips are appreciated.

Do you mean the Bowen%26#39;s Wharf Seafood Festival in October? I don%26#39;t know of any festival going on at Bannister%26#39;s wharf on August 18th...

If it is the Bowen%26#39;s Festival, the wharf will be crowded, but not jam packed that you can%26#39;t move. It%26#39;s more like an open air food court featuring restarants from the area...so it%26#39;s more like you grab a bite and then wander off somewhere else, you wouldn%26#39;t really spend a whole day at the festival.

Parking is always a little tricky downtown. Do you have a handicapped placard or anything that you will have with you, if so you can find handicapped spots all over town. If not, you could always be dropped off while somebody parks the car. In October, the parking crunch won%26#39;t be as bad as the height of the summer.

Oops! My mistake. Thanks for the info. We are looking for a vacation of water and seafood. Cool temps and music would be an added bonus so we will aim for the festival.

Thanks from Arizona