Welcome Spring at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum

The warmth and light of spring is upon us! One of the best places on Rhode Island to experience the blossoming of the season is Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum!

Blithewold is a 33-acre estate overlooking Narragansett Bay in Bristol. It is considered one of the best remaining examples of the Country Place Era and the Arts and Crafts movement.

Established in 1894, the estate remains largely unchanged since its heyday and opens seasonally to the public. The estate’s 45-room mansion still contains the family heirlooms and is surrounded by a series of lovely and unusual gardens and plantings. (more…)

The Automobile as Art at the Newport Car Museum

Whether you’re a fan of classic cars, mid-century design, or beautifully curated art exhibits, you’ll love the Newport Car Museum.

The Newport Car Museum displays seven decades of international, modern industrial automotive design as art worth celebrating. What are the best designed cars but beautiful sculptures? The Newport Car Museum not only recognizes this but puts it up on a well lit, high pedestal for all to see.

The museum opened in 2017, based around a private collection of more than 70 classic automobiles. It now includes more than 70 cars, from the 1950s to the present, displayed in 6 different categories. Ford/Shelby Cars, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars, American Muscle Cars, and Chrysler Mopars. (more…)

Play Tennis at the International Tennis Hall of Fame!

Visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI to learn all about the sport: its history, legends, and current stars. Maybe you can even get in a game on one of the grass courts!

The International Tennis Hall of Fame was established in 1954 by Jimmy Van Alen, an American tennis official. His goal had two parts. The first was to preserves and promote the history of tennis and celebrate its champions.

The other goal was to save the historic, 1880 Newport Casino, which has also played a role in U.S. tennis history. In 1881 the Newport Casino served as the birthplace of American tournament tennis.

Thanks to Jimmy Van Alen, this elegant example of Victorian Shingle-Style architecture is still with us. One could not ask for a better place to spend the afternoon. (more…)

Newport Winter Festival 2019 – 10 Days of Non-Stop Fun!

Newport Winter Festival 2019, “New England’s Largest Winter Extravaganza,” brings 10 days of non-stop music, food, festivities, and fun to Newport County, RI. February 15th through the 24th, 2019.

Newport’s annual Newport Winter Festival celebrates its 31st return and you’re invited! Come enjoy over 150 different events, attractions, discounts, and more, all in a span of just ten days here in Newport County!

This massive, 10-day event is designed to take those winter blues and wipe them away with a heaping helping of fun and festivities. (more…)

Save The Bay Seal Tours on Narragansett Bay

Come see Rhode Island’s state mammal in its natural habitat with Save The Bay Seal Tours on Narragansett Bay!

Summer isn’t the only time you can enjoy a boat tour of Narragansett Bay. In fact, the only time you can see harbor seals in the bay is right now – winter! Harbor seals are migratory and love to come play and fish in Rhode Island’s wintertime waters.

Save The Bay, a non-profit organization that works to protect and improve Narragansett Bay, has been offering wintertime nature cruises for more than 15 years, now. Their one and two hour seal watch tours are an amazing opportunity to observe local wildlife and see the bay. (more…)

Tour & Taste Locally Made Craft Beers at Newport, RI Breweries

Rhode Island is home to many excellent craft brewers, a number of which are right here in Newport County. Come experience locally made craft beers and maybe even tour Newport, RI Breweries.

For beer fans, regional, small batch brewers make travel that much more exciting. Craft brewers often offer beers that are unavailable outside their tasting rooms. This uniqueness makes the experience of visiting a craft brewery that much more memorable. The experience is even more fun if you can tour the brewery.

Even if you can’t tour the brewery, however, the opportunity to sample fresh, local beer at a brewery’s tasting room or beer pub is a reward in itself. Brewery tasting rooms serve the freshest beer around and, with the brewmaster overseeing things, you know you’re tasting the beer at it’s very best.

If you’re a craft beer enthusiast, you’ll be happy to know Rhode Island’s Newport County is home to a variety of them! (more…)

The National Museum of American Illustration Will Draw You In

Rhode Island’s National Museum of American Illustration exhibits original artworks of over 150 illustrators from the Golden Age of American Illustration. If you’re a fan of Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, or others like them you owe it to yourself to visit.

The National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI) is the first national museum dedicated exclusively to American illustration. Illustration is art created expressly for reproduction in books, magazines, other media, and advertisements.

This is by no means a denigration of the skill, talent, vision, or work of the artists involved in illustration. Not by any means! In fact, illustration is widely considered to be the most American of American art forms.

The National Museum of American Illustration was founded in 1998. It is located at Vernon Court, in a stately mansion loosely based on the 18th-century French mansion, Château d’Haroué. The combination of so many “Golden Age” illustrations in this “Gilded Age” architectural masterpiece makes for a truly unique and beautiful experience. (more…)

Come Explore Newport’s Fort Adams State Park

Fort Adams State Park is home to a massive, old fortress guarding the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It’s also home to the annual Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and so much more!

Fort Adams State Park has long been known as a strategic defensive position from which to defend Narragansett Bay. The first fortifications were built here in the late 1700’s and more were added as threats and war technology advanced.

The park is better known for its music festivals, picnics, and gorgeous sunsets, these days. Fort Adams Bay Walk alone draws visitors and residents alike with its views of the House On The Rock, Newport Harbor and waterfront, Brenton Cove, three different lighthouses, and so much more. (more…)

28th Annual Newport Seafood Festival at Bowen’s Wharf

Come out to Rhode Island for the seafood event of the year: the 28th annual Newport Seafood Festival! Two days of live music, cooking demos, and lots of delicious, fresh seafood. October 13th & 14th, 2018.

Celebrate autumn and the harvest of the sea at Bowen’s Wharf this October during Newport Seafood Festival 2018! This beloved annual Rhode Island event is attended by upwards of 10,000 people each year. Coastal Living Magazine dubbed Newport Seafood Festival one of “10 Fabulous Fall Festivals on the Coast” – we think you’ll agree! (more…)

Get Out On the Public Beaches of Newport, RI!

Rhode Island has a lot of coastline, and our state’s beautiful beaches are a big part of our summer appeal and the beaches of Newport RI are some of the best in the state!

The beaches of Newport, RI provide a wide range of different activities and surf. Popular beaches, busy with activity and concessions, family beaches, surfing beaches, and beaches off the beaten path. Of course, Newport County also is also home to a number of private beaches requiring a membership to enjoy – but we’ll avoid talking about those.

Come on and take a tour of the public beaches of Newport, RI! (more…)

Newport Flower Show 2018, Great Chowder Cook-Off, and More!

Here comes summer! The closer we get, the more jam-packed the months. June will see Newport Flower Show 2018, The Great Chowder Cook-Off, a British Motorcar Festival, the Newport Bermuda Race, Secret Garden Tours, and more!

There’s always something to do in Newport County, Rhode Island but there’s no denying that the warmer months offer even more variety.

With summer just around the corner, the reasons to come and soak up some Rhode Island atmosphere are greater than ever! (more…)

Get Shellfish At Bowen’s Wharf Newport Oyster Festival 2018!

Newport Oyster Festival returns for it’s third year with a veritable Rhode Island oyster tour for your taste buds! Fresh oysters, a full bar, live music, contests, and more! May 18th through the 20th, 2018!

If you love fresh shellfish, you’ll love the Newport Oyster Festival, held each year at Newport’s own Bowen’s Wharf. Rhode Island is home to more than 40 oyster farms and each with its own, unique taste.

Newport Oyster Festival 2018 is set to feature oysters from more than a dozen of these Rhode Island oyster farmers. Sampling them is like taking a kind of culinary tour of some of the Ocean State’s oyster farms. (more…)

Don’t Miss The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo!

It’s nearly Halloween and that means it’s time once again for the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo! Come see the breathtaking display of thousands of artfully carved and illuminated pumpkins, October 5th through November 5th, 2017.

The annual Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo has to be seen to be believed. More than five thousand, intricately carved pumpkins, beautifully arranged and all in one place. It’s one of those rare attractions that excites both kids and adults. You won’t believe your eyes. (more…)

The 27th Annual Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival!

Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival is the event of the year for seafood lovers. Come celebrate the harvest of the sea in downtown Newport, RI with live music, special events, and, of course, lots and lots of delicious, fresh seafood. October 14th and 15th, 2017.

Newport’s historic Bowen’s Wharf is always good for a visit. The mix of upscale waterfront dining and shopping, 18th-century commercial wharf buildings, and a busy marina provide a constant center of activity. During the annual Seafood Festival, things really get jumping! The siren’s song of fresh, local seafood is a strong one and few events offer the variety seen at a Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival. (more…)

Get Set For Serious Fun At Rogue Island Comedy Festival 2017

Rhode Island’s Rogue Island Comedy Festival brings five days of non-stop laughter and more than 60 different comics to Newport, October 5th through the 9th, 2017.

The annual Rogue Island Comedy Festival is Rhode Island’s only comedy festival and one that no fan of live comedy should miss. More than 60 comedians from across the US will be on hand! Mark Normand, Sydnee Washington, Amber Nelson, Christi Chiello, Nick Vatterott, Sean Sullivan, and headliner T.J. Miller are just the tip of the iceberg. Audiences will be treated to comedians seen on Comedy Central, Inside Amy Schumer, America’s Got Talent, Conan, The Late Late Show, and many more! (more…)

Come Out For The 4th Annual Newport Daffodil Days Festival!

Shake off those winter blues with a celebration of spring at the 4th Annual Newport Daffodil Days Festival – April 15th through the 23rd, 2017!

Nothing says “spring” quite like hundreds of thousands of hibernating daffodils suddenly bursting forth with their bright, cheery blossoms. Come celebrate the return to warmth and beauty at Daffodil Days!

Newport Daffodil Days is 9 days of fun and free family activities in Newport, Rhode Island. An array of different events will have you “going daffy” with delight all week long. (more…)

Life’s A Beach On Newport County Beaches!

Now is the perfect time to take that beach vacation you’ve been dreaming of! Among other attractions, Rhode Island has many beaches – and Newport County beaches are some of the best the state has to offer – so what are you waiting for?

Is there anything more relaxing than the beach? Stretching out on a blanket or lounger near the waves, the soft susurrus of the surf, the sun baking sand to your toes – aaaahhh.

Now is the perfect time to plan your Newport County beach vacation. It is with that in mind that we offer you this short guide to Newport County beaches. (more…)