This Labor Day my friends and I decided find somewhere on the water in New England to get away and have some relaxing time before the summer comes to an end. Knowing there weren’t going to be a lot of rooms available everywhere I took a day to look all around New England and came up with 3 options. We all decided that Newport, Rhode Island where we found a nice, reasonable priced hotel right on the beach that fit everything that we were looking for. I met them Friday night, we ate dinner in Connecticut and then headed up to Rhode Island. Newport and the area around it were insanely beautiful I wanted to share what we did, where we ate and what I would do if I came back.
Highlights
Newport Beach – The hotel we stayed at was just a 5 minute walk from the town beach, Easton Beach or First Beach. We were able to avoid parking fees by being able to walk to the beach. We went everyday to get as much beach time as possible. Be warned that the sand on the beach is really fine which feels amazing when you’re walking on it but the second the wind picks up you are covered in sand. We must’ve brought half the beach back with us. There was a huge pile of it when we checked out of room on Monday and none of us were that surprised.
Cliff Walk – One of the most famous and popular things to do in Newport is the cliff walk. This is a walk along the cliffs next to these huge mansions that were built in the late 1800s by very prominent families in the area. During normal times you can also tour the mansions which I’m sure are just as beautiful inside as they are outside. The walk is about 3.5 miles so bring your walking shoes if you intend on doing the whole thing.
Bellevue Avenue – If walking isn’t your thing but you still want to see the mansions and the beautiful views drive down Bellevue Avenue. This is one of the main streets into Newport and it connects the beach with Ocean Drive.
Ocean Drive – if you are looking for another beautiful drive with beautiful houses you should check out Ocean Drive. There were a few sailing clubs off ocean drive as well with activities like tennis that looked interesting as well.
Thames Street – Thames Street is what I would describe as the main street in Newport. This where you will find all of the shops and most popular restaurants. At one end there are chain shops such as Gap or Banana Republic and the other end has a lot of boutiques. There are a lot of restaurants, bars and Newport themed shops in the middle. It is a great place to walk around and get a feel for Newport you can really feel the vibe and energy of the small city here.
Bowen’s Wharf – This is the area of Newport
Where We Ate
When we made our plans to go to Newport meals and reservations weren’t the first thing to come to mind but maybe they should’ve been. When we arrived we quickly realized that almost every restaurant within a 30 minute drive was fully booked for the entire weekend. Some of the more popular ones were booked for the entire month. Make sure if there is somewhere you want to eat or if you want to eat out while you are in Newport that you book tables for your party the week or two before. We ended up getting takeout the first night and eating in a park and the second night we ate at a bar slightly off the beaten path. Both of which ended up being good but it would’ve been nice to have a traditional dinner on one of the patios overlooking the ocean. These are some of the places we did eat that I would go back to next time I’m in Newport.
Tickets – This restaurant was right across the street from our hotel and it came in handy as a way to eat a quick breakfast before heading over to the beach. They had good, reasonably priced food and very quick service making it the perfect place to fuel up before the beach.
Pasta Beach – Saturday night after a long day at the beach we decided to get dinner from pasta beach, fitting right. They had no seatings the entire night so we picked up takeout which was equally as good. We all loved our meals and it was great to be able to eat in a park on a blanket with a nice bottle of wine. We were able to make a nice little picnic which made up for not being able to eat there.
Roots – Vegan restaurant near downtown with great bowls, breakfast sandwiches and smoothies. If you like vegan food this is a good restaurant to try it has creative meals that have a fair amount of protein and spice. Some vegan restaurants are just meatless food this was more creative than that.
Drift Cafe and The Panini Grill – Great places for a quick lunch in the downtown area Panini Grill is exclusively paninis like the name may suggest and Drift Cafe if more healthy food with vegan options but they are both good, quick options for lunch on the go while exploring Newport.
Clementines – This was a very popular ice cream place right next to our hotel. They had really great homemade ice cream. Newport had tons of great ice cream chains like Ben & Jerrys and Kilwins so this is a nice more local alternative. I was happy they had two dairy-free flavors so I was able to get something as well. Ice cream in Rhode Island is always reminiscent of my childhood when we used to spend every summer in Rhode Island. We would always get ice cream at the stands that you can find all over the coast.
Where We Stayed
Atlantic Beach Hotel – We really liked this hotel it was the perfect location, great amount of space and not too expensive split between the three of us. I would definitely stay there again if I went to Newport since it was more reasonably priced than more upscale places but was still within walking distance of the beach and the cliff walk.
Places to go Next Time
Restaurants
- The Landing – Restaurant
- The Black Pearl
- White Horse Tavern
- The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar
- Diego’s
Activities
- Boat ride in the Atlantic
- Visit near by towns
- Tour the mansions
- Ghost Tours
- Rent a little car
- Visit Vineyards
Review
We loved our long weekend in Newport. It was the perfect getaway from New York City and Connecticut. If we went again, we wouldn’t change much other than booking dinner reservations. We loved where we stayed and all of the places we went. Next time I would love to spend more than a long weekend there to see more of this beautiful little city.
Riley Recommends... 