Home of the America's Cup

This suspension bridges passes traffic into Newport from the south & west.

Very chilly swimming hole in Newport Harbor.

We planned for Newport Rhode Island to be our first overnight after leaving New York on the basis it was a comfortable and modest drive across Connecticut and we knew Newport to be a famous yachting centre and the "home" for many years of the America's Cup, which was held by the New York Yacht Club from 1857 until Australia famously and controversially wrested it from them in 1983. Indeed, we drove into this beautiful and picturesque town along America's Cup Avenue. The town was as expected, a treasure chest of sailing memorabilia, and a truly delightful place to stay at and explore. The maritime quaintness of the town buildings is beautiful, and we expect to see a lot more of that style of architecture on this trip up through New England.

Bank of America ATMs find themselves in unusual locations.

The Castle Hill Lighthouse guides seamen entering Newport Harbor from Rhode Island Sound.

Our hotel was the Newport Bay Club & Hotel selected from our bible, the Lonely Planet, on the basis of it's central location and extreme cuteness. It lived up to all promise. The hotel is housed in the old Perry Mill building and we had a comfortable, spacious and very high ceilinged one bedroom suite. The staff were very helpful, and this establishment is to be recommended to all visitors!

The only cappucino in town was to be found at the Mokka Cafe, but it still comes in paper cups!

The port itself was very quiet. As in all the port towns we passed on the way here, recreational vessels have almost all been removed from the water for winter and often wrapped in plastic. Marinas are empty. Commercial fishing also seems to slow down for the winter, although the boats are still in the water and being attended to. Wharves at Newport Harbor were piled in neatly stacked lobster pots.

Newport's fishing industry continues at a slower pace during the off-season.

Newport is the home of the New York Yacht Club and is justifiably obsessed with its long maritme sailing history.

Newport hosted our first truly "interesting" meal of this trip. At the Midtown Oyster Bar, fresh genuinely local seafood was available, proving that the local industry still idles along during winter, partly to keep the locals fed! More than a dozen varieties of oysters were available, they shuck them a-la-carte . Some came from afar, but we chose a mix of the two Rhode Island varieties, Roma Point (plump & briny) and Umami (tiny and bland). We also had a local specialty, basically sauteed lobster in a broiche, which was truly scrumptious.

Our rented Jeep at dusk, in the carpark of the Castle Hill Light Hotel.

Newport is renowned for its mansions, mostly along Bellevue Ave. These date from the late 1800's and were typically built by wealthy industrialists from New York. A good number of these are open for inspection under the auspices of The Preservation Society of Newport County, although only a couple in winter. We don't know how many, if any, of these exquisite mansions are not in private ownership, but a good number definitely are, and seemingly do not welcome inquisitive stares.

Marble House (1892), inspired by Versailles, was built by the shipping & railroad tycoons, the Vanderbilt family.

One can only imagine what this place is like in summer! Newport is a compact town with narrow streets and extremely limited parking (we'll probably find that everywhere) and even in winter, spots are hard to find. By all accounts, parking restrictions are enforced rigidly. It highlights to us why we like to travel in the off-season. Newport is freezing cold but deliciously quiet. Apart from ourselves, there are no tourists evident, a delightful state of affairs. But a lot of shops and cafes are closed.

Body-surfer frozen in time in front of the Perry Mill building.