Newport, Rhode Island, is a small, vibrant upscale summer holiday town with a diverse and interesting history. Slaves, immigrants, George Washington and the tycoons of the 19th century all passed through and left their mark here. As did all the famous tennis stars and the Gallivanting Goldies!
We spent 4 glorious days here. We stayed at The Admiral Fitzroy a B&B superbly located in all the hubb of downtown Newport. We strolled downtown Newport with its’ wharfs and tourist areas, walked part of the iconic Cliff Walk, visited The Breakers, sailed the bay, visited The International Tennis Hall of Fame; did the tour of Touro Synagogue and ate well!
The mansions – the breakers
There are several mansions, extravagant relics of The Gilded Age, open to the public. We opted for the most well known and the showcase one – The Breakers.
The Breakers, built in the late 19th century, served as the Vanderbilt family’s summer “cottage”. This summer cottage overlooking the Atlantic Ocean has 70 rooms, each room more ostentatious than the next.
Included in the entrance fee is an audio guide of this enormous mansion. You can also download the free audio guide app and listen on your own phone with your own headphones. The audio guide is exceptionally well done, one of the best if not the best, that I have heard. Informative, interesting and not exhausting. Just the right amount of information.
The photos below are just a taste of the opulence and extravagance of The Breakers.
For more information on the mansions:- The Newport Mansions
The INTERNATIONAL tennis haLl of fame
I love the game and still play it regularly so this was high on my list of to do things in Newport. I highly recommend spending time here. This is not only for tennis players and fans. The other gallivanting goldie, who does not play tennis, was schlepped here by me and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. The museum is informative and very well done. There is a pro shop inside, not to be confused with the street facing store, where I even managed to get some tennis apparel on sale.
Here too, as at Wimbledon, white apparel is the obligatory dress code. The reason being: white apparel doesn’t show women’s perspiration – a Victorian taboo.
The first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships was hosted here and later moved to NYC to what we know today as the US Open.
The touro synagogue & loeb center
Apparently the oldest standing Synagogue in the U.S.A. and well worth a visit. The synagogue, built in the 18th century, is still in use by the small Jewish community of Newport. The beautiful complex includes, the Loeb Center which has a continous short movie about the Synagogue and the history of the Jews in Newport, a small but informative museum, gorgeous grounds and The Synagogue. The tour of the Synagogue, which runs every half hour, is the only way you can get to see the inside of the Synagogue which still has many of the original artifacts.
In 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the Constitution and specifically The First Ammendment prohibiting the establishment of a state religion and ensuring freedom of religion and freedom of the press, George Washington visited Newport and the Synagogue. Moses Seixas the leader of the Jewish Congregation addressed Washington in a letter which became famous as it symbolizes the tenet of religious freedom for all and the values of the newly established democracy. In his letter to the Jewish Community sent after his visit, Washington quotes from Moses Seixas address to him and pledges that:-
“…..the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance….” In today’s climate, this famous quote is sadly still so relevant.
Eating in newpOrt
Newport is famous for its’ seafood, particularly for lobsters and oysters. I am vegetarian and the other gallivanting goldie doesn’t eat lobsters and oysters. We didn’t go hungry – in fact had fabulous meals. We had coffee overlooking the wharf at The Coffee Grinder , dinner at Diego’s and lunch at Belles Cafe at the shipyard looking out at the magnificent yachts. All were excellent.
getting around
We had a car which for the entire time, except for driving once toThe Breakers, was parked at the B & B. Parking in Newport is problematic and expensive. We took the #67 Trolley from The Visitor Information Center – did the whole loop and for the rest walked. Newport is definitely walkable.
All the photos are mine taken with my iPhone.
If you intend spending time in Boston before or after, take a look at my posts:-
