Newport, Rhode Island is a little jewel on Narragansett Bay, with lots of history dating back to the early settlers who established Rhode Island Colony (under the leadership of Roger Williams) in order to worship freely without being persecuted. Newport and nearby Providence have numerous buildings and homes dating to the early and mid 1700s, some of which are open for tours (free or nominal cost).
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the rich and famous Vanderbilts, Astors, and others build their glorious and magnificent mansions (summer homes) on the beaches of Newport, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. We toured four of these mansions at a nominal price for each tour. They were all beautiful but the Marble House was the most beautiful.
We toured (free) the longest operating library (circa 1700s) in America, Touro Synagogue (free) which is the oldest Jewish Synagogue (circa 1700s) in America, saw Trinity Church in which George Washington worshipped, visited the oldest operating tavern (circa 1700s) in America (now a restaurant), and St. Mary's Church where Jackie and John F. Kennedy were married. Located in historic Washington Square, we saw Colony House, one of the earliest state buildings in America.
We took a 40 minute drive to Providence and visited the Roger Williams National Historic Park, run by the National Park Service, on the site of the natural spring where Roger Williams built his house and started the Rhode Island colony, and then we toured the John Brown House. He was one of the founders of nearby Brown University, and we learned much about the interesting history of Rhode Island. We drove along Benefit Street, where homes dating to the 1700s and 1800s are located. These are some of the historically interesting sites, but there are others.
The view of Newport Harbor from our room was soooo beautiful. We watched the lobster fishermen get their boats ready with the baited lobster traps, and briefly spoke with some of them, as they worked diligently to get them ready to go out to sea. We walked the historic cobblestoned streets and out to the wharfs, all filled with charming boutiques, and restaurants that serve delicious seafood meals. All our seafood meals were memorable.
We also took the Cliff Walk, a path that meanders for 3-1/2 miles along the bay and ocean. This pathway also gives you a glimpse of the back yards, and backs of the mansions that look out onto the water.
The only disappointment we had during the whole week was our ride on the city tour. It was raining and misty and the windows continually steamed up, so we couldn't see anything outside. We also found it difficult to hear the driver's narration. It rained several days, while we were there, but we had a large umbrella, so the rain didn't stop us. We were surprised that there was so much to do in Rhode Island.
Although one doesn't need a car to enjoy Newport, we found our car useful because we drove up and down the streets of Newport, exploring at our leisure, and then drove to Providence and Jamestown, also a charming little town. It was great to get such a charming flavor of New England through our visit to Newport.