Spending 4 days in Newport, Rhode Island was perfect. This was my first time coming to Newport (and Rhode Island in general) and I had such a great time.
I had heard a lot about Newport, Rhode Island from a few friends who had visited (friends from Newport Beach) and it seemed like the East Coast version of Newport Beach. I was surprised at how many people asked us what we were doing all the way out in Newport from Southern California, so it must not be common for tourists to visit other than in the Summer.
My best friend and I took a red eye from LAX on Thursday night and landed in Boston on Friday AM. Our plan was to do a road trip to CT and throughout MA (ending in Boston) so we booked roundtrip flights. Boston is one of the closest airports to Newport that has direct flights from LAX anyways.
When we landed in Boston, we took a 1.5 hour Uber drive (it was around $130 total) and got to our hotel around 9a. Luckily, we were able to check in early, because we were exhausted from our trip.
Our plan was to work during our road trip, so we worked a full day from the hotel on Friday and a half day on Monday. If we didn’t work both days, we could’ve seen/done everything we wanted to do by Monday. I say that because even though Friday/Saturday was super busy, Sunday/Monday night were dead and everything closed pretty early. It’s a town you can productively enjoy for a long weekend.
(More hot spots » My Ultimate Newport Bucket List )
DAY 1:
»41 North Hotel: This hotel was a splurge, but we had decided going into our trip that we were going to go all out. I really liked the location of the hotel – it was right by a bunch of great restaurants and just a 4 minute walk to the wharf area that also had restaurants/shops. We had a harbor view room and it was gorgeous. The hotel also has a great bar/restaurant and outdoor patio area. I heard there is a rooftop that’s open during the summer as well, but I didn’t notice it when we were there.
»The Black Pearl: On our lunch break, I took a 4 minute walk to The Black Pearl to pick up something for us to split. We got the Lobster Salad Sandwich which was pretty good. They’re known for their Clam Chowder, which we ended up getting another day.
»Dinner @ The Mooring: We got to The Mooring a little before sunset and it was really cool. It was an easy 3 minute walk from our hotel too. The food was amazing. We got the bag of donuts (which I thought was a dessert when I was told to order it, but it’s an app). They were SO good. One of the top things I ate during our trip. We also got the spicy tuna tostada and oysters. For the main meal, we got the Lobster Ravioli special + the scallops.
»Benjamin’s: We walked here after dinner and grabbed a drink in the bar area. It was super lively and fun.
»One Pelham East: This is where we ended the night. It’s a fun dueling piano bar where you can go with big or small groups.
»Nikolas Pizza: Since we at dinner on the earlier side, we were pretty hungry by the time we got back to the hotel. The front desk recommended we order from Nikolas pizza and it was delicious. The pizza was good, but the mozzarella sticks were amazing. We ended up eating this again the second night lol.
DAY 2:
»Breakfast @ Hotel: We got a late start on the day, so we decided to grab a quick breakfast at the hotel. We got the classic breakfast, which came with these insanely good crispy potatoes.
»Cliff Walk/40 Steps: We started the Cliff Walk at Easton’s Beach and walked the entire thing. It took about 1.5 hours, and that included stopping along the way for a lot of pictures. The 40 Steps was closest to this starting point too.
»Lunch @ Midtown Oyster Bar: After the cliff walk, we definitely worked up an appetite. We went to Midtown Oyster for lunch which was about a 30 second walk from our hotel. We got oysters to start (duh) and then split the clam chowder + lobster roll.
»Sunset Cruise: We booked a sunset cruise in advance through Gansett Cruises. Even though it was super gloomy and there was not really a sunset, lol, seeing Newport, Rhode Island from the water was a great experience. It was about 1.5 hours and there was a cash bar. The cruise itself was $31.80 per person, including all fees.
»Dinner @ Fluke: We had heard good things about Fluke, but it didn’t initially make it to my itinerary. We ended up stopping in here when everywhere else we tried was booked and I’m so glad we came here. The food was SO good. We got the almond filled dates to start. For the main meal, I got the Lobster, Duo of Saffron & Squid Ink Angel Hair Pasta, and OMG it was one of the best things I ate the entire trip.
»White Horse Tavern: This is known to be the oldest tavern in America. We tried to stop in for a drink, but they were only allowing dinner orders at the time. It was still cool to stop into and see.
»St Mary’s Church: Most famous for where President Kennedy and Jackie O got married. Even though we didn’t go inside the church, we stopped by it on our way to the other part of town.
»Fastnets: We wanted to find a fun sports bar to watch the World Series, and Fastnets was our top recommendation. This spot was really fun and lively.
DAY 3:
»Brunch @ Diego’s: Diego’s is a delicious modern Mexican restaurant in the Wharf area. I was a little skeptical going to a restaurant that wasn’t known for seafood in Newport, Rhode Island, but I’m so glad we went here. We got the Grilled Bolos Benny + Tinga Chilaquiles + a side of the Duck Hash. It was all SO good.
»Castle Hill Inn: This is probably one of the most iconic spots in Newport. Even though the inn is pretty pricey to stay at, you can still enjoy everything it has to offer without staying there. We got a bottle of wine from the restaurant, took it down to the lawn area, and sipped it in the Adirondack chairs overlooking the water. Since it was pretty cold out, we were the only guests outside and there wasn’t a problem grabbing a chair. However, it gets more crowded and livelier in the Summer.
»Drinks @ The Black Pearl: After Castle Hill Inn, we came back to the Wharf area and got drinks + tried the famous Clam Chowder. It was definitely worth the hype. This spot (and the entire wharf area) was pretty lively for a Sunday afternoon too.
»Lunch @ Clarke Cooke: This is another iconic spot. We went during an off hour so it wasn’t very busy. We got to sit next to the fire (which was perfect for the gloomy day) and it was SO cozy. They make a great espresso martini + we got the Warmed Brussels Sprouts Caesar that was insanely delicious. It sounded weird to us at first, but we all agreed it was SO good.
»Gurney’s: This is another popular spot to stay. It’s about 15 minutes from the wharf area (and where we stayed). Grabbing a drink at the fire pits here is definitely a must.
»Dinner @ Showfish : After grabbing a drink at the fire pits @ Gurney’s we went inside (it had started to rain) and had dinner. We got the tuna poke, lobster & kimchi fried rice, + a steak that were all so good.
DAY 4:
»Newport Winery: This spot was about a 15 minute Uber ride from our hotel. It was raining when we went here, so we didn’t get to experience the outdoor area at all. That being said, it was still super cute and the wine was delicious.
»Dinner @ 22 Bowens: This spot was SO yummy. They make a great martini with blue cheese olives, which paired well with the most delicious steak. We got the Tuna Crudo, Oysters, and French Onion Soup for an app, which were all amazing.
DAY 5:
»Ocean House in Watch Hill: This place was HEAVENLY. On our rode trip from Newport to Mystic, we got a last minute recommendation to go Ocean House + drive around Watch Hill. I’m SO glad we did this. After driving around and drooling over the huge houses in Watch Hill, we went to Ocean House. It’s a gorgeous hotel on top of a hill overlooking the ocean. We grabbed a glass of wine + the charcuterie board + the most delicious crisply spiced pumpkin rolls. On our way out of Watch Hill, we also drove by Taylor Swift’s Newport, Rhode Island house which was right down the hill from Ocean House. This is something we could’ve definitely added to our four day itinerary, but we wanted to limit the amount of days we rented our car!
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