Newport
Summer Playground to the Rich & Famous.
As soon as summer begins, my family drives to our summer mansion settled right on the cliffs of Newport…Alright, that’s not true. But that’s how it was (and still is) for the wealthiest families in America.
Newport is famous for being a city by the sea with large luxury homes and expensive yachts that people flock to during summer. Even though the most famous mansions are now toured by visitors instead of lived in by millionaires, there are people who still have spaces they visit in Newport during summer vacation.
We started off our day by riding in a small boat from our cruise to the Newport Harbor Wharfs. My mother was frantic to make sure we got on a boat to shore before the tour was meeting. We had no reason to rush though. Boats were lined up and waiting to take everyone to shore and would come straight back to collect more people when they were done.
Since we arrived too early for our tour, we decided to walk down Thames Street to checkout the different Wharfs and walk inside some stores. The stores were mostly beach themed (which I love) and the restaurants all wanted you to know they serve chowder and lobster.
Upon arrival, I could tell Newport was an easy place to get around. Especially if you don’t mind walking a few miles. GPS or a map could get you to all the top things to see in Newport. (Even if you have GPS, it’s good to grab a map just so you have a piece of paper with all the Points of Interest highlighted.)
Newport Cliff Walk & Breakers
The things we were most excited to see was Newport’s coastal beauty and architectural magnificences. We started off our tour with a stroll along the Cliff Walk trail. It’s a 3 1/2 mile trail that takes you along the rocky coastline and backyards of many Bellevue Avenue’s spectacular mansion sized cottages. We didn’t get to walk the entire trail, but the parts we did see where lovely. It’s a very relaxing place to go, listen to the waves crash and pretend you own one of the giant cottages.
After the Cliff Walk, we visited The Breakers (one of Bellevue Avenue’s most popular mansions.) It was the summer resort to the Vanderbilts, who were among the wealthiest families in America and commissioned the best and most prestigious architectural firms to build a series of homes for them on the East Coast. The Breakers is an Italian Renaissance palace with a Grand Hall and 70 bedrooms. My favorite part, however, is the view of the ocean from the cottage. They just don’t make cottages like this anymore.
Let me know if you’ve been to Newport! Also, do you have a favorite place to visit over the summer? Leave it in the comments!
-Ayla
Looks like an amazing place to visit. It reminds me of the Biltmore in Asheville, NC, which is also a Vanderbilt home. Haven’t been to Newport, RI. It’s now on the list.
Oh I would love to see more Vanderbilt homes! I haven’t heard of Biltmore before.
wow! This is… this is your house, right???
Yes! Just moved in last month! 😂
OMG, Wonderful. Who knew? A lifestyle rivaling the Royalty of Europe. In researching American Judaism for my screen adaptation of Manfred Wolf’s memoirs, Survival in Paradise, I learned about the Touro Synagogue in Newport.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touro_Synagogue Built by a congregation that stepped ashore in 1634, only 14 years after the Pilgrims. I know it’s a bit off-subject for this piece, but still a fascinating bit of trivia about our smallest state. Glad you liked “California Daydreamin’ ” Check out “Travels Boston” for the reaction to Bean Town by someone grown-up in Cali. Oh yeah, also the poem “The Bells of Filene’s” <3
Wow very interesting! And I will!
Very cool. And I forgot to mention the photos are amazing in every aspect of photographic criticism I can think of. More than informative, the DETAIL provides an architectural archive that students of that discipline could use for research. BTW, today is Day One of my 78Th orbit around Sol (just by coincidence). Strangely, I just received an epiphany this morning. I’m not psychotic I assure you ( bi-polar yes, but not cray-cray) I’m getting ready to send the first tweet of the “new year,” encapsulating that epiphany in a few words. Can we follow each other? @kerr_vernon
I have never been but want to now looks amazing. The type of houses I love to visit
Amazing, really looks like a place for the rick and famous.
The Cliff Walk is such a nice way to house creep and see these ginormous mansions up close and personal. And the path is right next to the ocean. I’ve been to Newport a couple of times and have toured through a few of the Newport Mansions. Some of them are open during the winter and are elaborately decorated with holiday decorations. It’s pretty neat.
Oh my gosh! How wonderful! They must look even more incredible with the holiday decorations.
This’ll make you as sick as it does me still, today. Visiting friends in Winthrop, during a trip to Boston in 1975, they drove me by a saltbox, perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It has a for-sale sign outside, price: $49,900.
Wow those houses are insane. Almost like french chateauxs!
Beautiful places. To be honest I didn’t expect this kind of architecture. I hope to visit it one day.
MY GOSH those are some MANSIONS! Would love to visit – looks like an absolutely beautiful place!
Yes, they’re gorgeous! <3
Lovely images
Beautiful pictures! I was in a wedding in one of those mansions. Just texted my friend to ask which one it was. I also lived in Newport for a summer many moons ago. Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow! I had no idea people could use the properties for weddings! It must have been a beautiful wedding. Did you ever find out which mansion it was?
I don’t think she checks her I statt am that often, but I’ll let you know when she tells me. I want to say the breakers but I’m not sure. It was beautiful.
Especially with the ocean view! I love weddings with amazing views haha
Such huge and grand mansions. Great post.
Thank you 🙂
My wife and I did Christmas Eve with her parents in Newport last year, and we made sure to get there a good hour to 90 minutes before we were supposed to meet them to make sure we had time for the Cliff Walk!
What a smart idea! hahaha How was Newport in December?
It’s December in Newport, so it can be cold, but it’s beautiful as long as it’s not too gloomy, and the mansions are decorated for Christmas.
I love that 😍 I bet they look even more gorgeous during the holidays
Hello Ayla, thank you for dropping by my blog. Glad to have found yours. I had no idea that Newport had such beautiful mansions which you can tour, so thank you for the pointer. They deserve a look in at some point or the other. Your photographs are stunning. Cheers.
Thank you so much! I hope you get to visit. The cottages are stunning! 🙂
So pretty and elegant!
Right? 😍
Interesting article, Love to visit there
what a beautiful place
Reeeally need a LOVE button for this one! I lived for eight years in Newport, R.I. (or little Rhody, as they were trying to lose that for the motto, The Ocean State). One of the most wonderful small towns in America, along side of Middletown and Portsmouth. I remember arriving in 1974 just after Nixon pulled the N.Atlantic Fleet out of the naval base, leaving only the OCS there. I asked for directions to “Aa-quid neck’ ” and told I was already on the island, “U-quid’-nick!” Fantastic place to live. 😎 Gotta try an Awful-Awful at Newport Creamery next time, right across from the Newport Casino (where they do NOT have gambling). Awful Big-Awful Good!
Aww thank you for the lovely comment! I don’t visit many places like Newport RI. Maybe I should add Middletown and Portsmouth to my list. I’ll need to look up what’s in this Awful-Awful. LOL <3
Actually, there is not a lot to see in Middletown nor Portsmouth; more ‘bedroom communities’ for Newport or Fall River, Mass. But the drive up or down East Main and West Main roads are both lovely. Portsmouth Abbey is a beautiful site for a photographer as is St. George’s School in Middletown. And if you can get on base, the Officer Candidate School has some nice views, and if you’re lucky, maybe a sub might be in dock! 😊 Corresponding about these places takes me back to them and makes me miss them. 😌😎
You definitely make me what to have more road trips. Like, maybe there’s not much to do in a town but the views are worth it 😊 love that. Places we visit always hold special memories.