Newport isn’t pretending to be old money — it is old money, with salt in its veins and secrets in its cellars. But beneath the polish, there’s a blue-collar heart that smells of diesel, chowder, and the Atlantic. This entire trip should be anchored on staying in a classic B&B. The Francis Malbone House is our fav and honestly, we could have a nice time if we never left their stoop. But, beyond the B&Bs lie the glory of Newport’s mansions. Tour them, wish you were rich, and then get back to reality. Beneath the mansions, there’s grit — the kind that only comes from a city that’s lived a dozen lives. Eat well, drink honestly, walk the cliffs, and listen. The sea’s got stories older than any of us.
Day 1: The Gilded and the Grit — Mansions & Markets
Newport is a contradiction — opulence built on the backs of fishermen, beauty sharpened by the wind. You come for the mansions, but you stay for the salt.
Morning: The Breakers - Start where Newport’s ghosts still whisper through marble halls — The Breakers, the Vanderbilt family’s temple to excess. Wander through gilded rooms that look more Roman than Rhode Island. The ceilings drip gold; the gardens face the Atlantic with casual arrogance. This isn’t a house — it’s a reminder of how America used to dream.
Lunch: Belle’s Café at the Shipyard - Skip the tourist traps on Thames Street. Head instead to Belle’s Café tucked inside Newport Shipyard — a working marina with more character than polish. Sit dockside, watch mechanics and yacht crews hustle, and eat lobster rolls that taste like the sea itself.
Afternoon: Thames Glass Studio - Step into Thames Glass and blow your own ornament or vase. It’s hot, messy, beautiful work — the kind of craft that burns fingerprints into memory. There’s poetry in creating something fragile in a town built to last.
Dinner: Audette - Newport’s culinary crown jewel. Audette is the kind of place where every dish feels like it’s been argued over — lovingly, obsessively. Believe it or not, but I had my first taste of squid ink and a Grand Marnier Souffle here. The spot was called something different at the time, but they’ve managed to tap into those feelings from so many years ago. Yes, I fell in love with both dishes and with Newport. Expect local seafood treated with reverence, vegetables that taste like the dirt they grew from, and a wine list that whispers rather than shouts. Sit at the counter if you can. Talk to the chef and make memories.
Day 2: The Quiet Luxury of Time — Tea, Waves, and Local Mischief
“In Newport, slowing down isn’t a choice — it’s a challenge. The trick is learning to enjoy doing absolutely nothing, and doing it well.”
Morning: Tea Time at The Francis Malbone House - If in the morning or at “tea time,” a proper tea in a Georgian mansion that feels like stepping back into civility itself. The Francis Malbone House does tea like the British never left — fine china, scones that crumble just so, clotted cream thick enough to make you question your life choices. It’s refinement without snobbery - a rare thing here.
Lunch: Corner Café - No reservations, no ego, just a local favorite. The Corner Café does breakfast and brunch right — think Portuguese sweet bread French toast, chorizo scrambles, and mugs of coffee that never run dry. It’s noisy, warm, and deeply human.
Afternoon: Cliff Walk & Castle Hill Lighthouse - Walk off your sins on the Cliff Walk — 3.5 miles of ocean air and staggering views. Follow it west toward Castle Hill Lighthouse, perched stoically at the edge of the world. The wind stings your face, waves hammer the rocks, and suddenly your phone doesn’t matter. That’s Newport’s kind of sermon.
Evening: Darts at Fastnet Pub - The Irish heart of Newport beats at Fastnet Pub. Sticky floors, Guinness poured right, and a dartboard in the back where the regulars don’t go easy on you. Grab a pint, talk nonsense, and let the night stretch too long. This is where stories begin — or end.
Day 3: Jazz, Smoke, and the Pulse of the Harbor
There’s something about music by the water — the way brass and salt mix in the air. The Newport Jazz Festival isn’t just an event; it’s a baptism.
Morning: The Coffee Grinder - A caffeine joint that locals actually use. Order a dark roast, maybe a breakfast sandwich if you’re feeling fragile. It’s the kind of place where yacht crews, artists, and hungover trust funders all share the same table.
Late Morning: Newport Jazz Festival (Fort Adams State Park) - Born in 1954, this festival is the city’s soul — smoky, spontaneous, alive. If you plan your trip at the right time (or wrong time if you hate crowds), you’ll find legends and newcomers jamming by the water, brass echoing off the fort walls, and a crowd that’s half enlightenment, half chaos. Bring a blanket, some rosé, and an open mind.
Lunch: Perro Salado - When the music pauses, duck into Perro Salado — a colonial home turned Mexican restaurant with creaky floors and tequila that demands respect. Order fish tacos or the chili-rubbed ribs, sit outside under the string lights, and remember: Newport isn’t all oysters and etiquette.
Evening: Forty 1° North Bar Deck - End your day with cocktails over the marina — the view of yachts glimmering under twilight. This isn’t a dive, it’s Newport glamour at its best — polished but not plastic. Order a Negroni, watch the harbor lights flicker, and listen to the faint echoes of saxophones drifting in from the festival.
Day 4: Locals Only — Hidden Corners and Culinary Grace
The best way to love a place is to live like you’ve already been here a hundred times. Newport’s secrets aren’t hidden — they’re just ignored.
Morning: Sweet Berry Farm (Middletown) - Just outside Newport, this working farm wakes up slow. Grab a coffee, pick berries if they’re in season, or just sit by the fields. It’s where locals escape the crowds and remember that Rhode Island is still, technically, rural.
Lunch: Mission Burger - The best burger in town. Grass-fed beef, crisp fries, and a milkshake that’ll ruin you. The soundtrack is punk, the clientele is human.
Afternoon: Newport Art Museum - A small but mighty collection inside a stately old mansion. Local artists, coastal light, and a surprising modern edge. You come expecting seascapes; you leave thinking about abstraction, identity, and why the ocean keeps showing up in every frame.
Dinner: The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar - Sit out on the dock if the weather holds. Order the “bag of doughnuts” — lobster, shrimp, and cod fritters that are absurdly addictive. Pair it with a glass of Muscadet and toast to the sea, the salt, and the strange grace of this old port town.
