Visiting 6/27-7/1- First time to RI & Newport (Long, sorry!)

Hi all,

My husband and I are in the process of planning our trip to RI from California (first trip to New England) as our 4th wedding anniversary gift to each other. I%26#39;ve spent some time reading through this forum and have gotten some great ideas on restaurants etc. but have a few questions- Should we rent a car for the trip? how easy is it to get to Newport from Providence airport? With our trip length would it behove us to take a day trip somewhere outside of Newport?

We%26#39;re most likely going to book at Francis Malbone House within the next week- I know it%26#39;s busy in the summer and I don%26#39;t want the availability to disappear!

As for things to do we%26#39;re thinking of taking a sunset cruise on either the Adirondack II or Madeleine- any preference on one or the other? We want to do the Cliffwalk and maybe one mansion- the Breakers? Also, my husband is a history buff and wondered how the trip/tour to Fort Adams is? what other historical places would be fun to see?

Are there super touristy things/restaurants to avoid this time of year? We%26#39;d much rather spend time where locals do even though its the tourist season. Thank you for any and all suggestions- we%26#39;re looking forward to our trip!

Visiting 6/27-7/1- First time to RI %26amp; Newport (Long, sorry!)

Hello,

Congrats on your first visit to Newport. I%26#39;m sure you will enjoy yourselves. As you mentioned, it is really important to book your place of choice now. It%26#39;s amazing how fast the really nice places to stay fill up. Francis Malbone would be a good choice, but there are other nice B%26amp;B%26#39;s to stay if that%26#39;s already booked. I can%26#39;t help you on the sunset cruise part of things, since I haven%26#39;t been on either one. You have two options from the Providence Airport to Newport. The first is to rent a car. The second is to take the Cozy Cab Newport Shuttle which is $20 per person each way. The airport to Newport drive takes about 20-30 minutes. It%26#39;s a nice ride that will take you over both the Jamestown and Newport Bridges. Very nice. I personally would recommend renting the car. There%26#39;s no question Newport will keep you both busy, but having a car would mean the opportunity to head back over both of those bridges and pick up Route 1A for a really nice ride down into what they call South County. There are charimg little villages to stop in like Wakefield, Narragansett, Charlestown, etc. Or you could head east out of Newport to Cape Cod for a nice daytrip. So I feel the car is very important, unless you plan to stay in Newport for the 4 nights. You could also take the ferry over to Providence if you wanted to browse around there. There are some touristy things going on but you%26#39;ll want to do them as well. Touring the Mansions and walking the Cliff Walk are very nice The harbor area has some touristy type shops and restaurants, but it also is home to where the locals hang out as well. It%26#39;s a great town. The beaches are nice as well, whether it be in Newport or the other towns I previously mentioned. As long as it doesn%26#39;t rain, plan to have a great time in a great east coast destination.

Visiting 6/27-7/1- First time to RI %26amp; Newport (Long, sorry!)

Another thing that I recommend is the Newport Dinner Train. It%26#39;s a beautful way to spend an evening. It%26#39;s a scenic, 22 mile, 2.5 hour ride along Narragansett Bay. Food Network rated it top 3 for train dining in America. I would highly recommend this if it interests the both of you. Cost is around $60pp not including drinks.

www.newportdinnertrain.com

There is a shuttle from the airport to Npt, previously mentioned on this site, I forget the name.

Depending on how long you stay, spend an hour or afternoon in Jamestown next to Npt (Beavertail Point) or Wickford (charming, historical harbor %26amp; village shopping), or Block Island for the day.

Other neat things...the Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport Harbor, if you like history the Redwood Library is interesting, Sightsailer is another sailing option, I suggest the Dinner Train only if you like trains..

Thanks for your responses- I will look into all your suggestions! I appreciate the help :)

I echo the suggestion to visit Wickford. And I%26#39;ve been on the Sightsailer, nice crews, Fun ride, depending on the weather.

Breakers and Elms would be my mansion choices.

A table by the window at Clark Cooke House.

It%26#39;ll be hard to avoid tourists In Newport at that time of the year.

Hello,

I was born and raised in RI. I graduated from Univ of RI, and live in MD. I%26#39;m married and 56 yo. Enough of the background: Rent a car, that way you can do a day trip to visit (in this order) Jamestown, East Greenwich, town of Narragansett, Hazard Ave rocks, Point Judith lighthouse, Aunt Carries for chowder and clamcakes, and Galilee. Try George%26#39;s restaurant in Galilee if you don%26#39;t stop at Aunt Carries. Another day trip is taking the Block Island Ferry from Newport. Enjoy. My wife and I are going up to Newport this weekend.

Gary W