Newport, Rhode Island

For a small city by the sea, Newport has its share of culture, nightlife and special events. The island area can keep you entertained all night whether you are alone, with a group of colleagues or with your family. By day, visitors enjoy seeing naval ships and yachts from all over the world docked at the water's edge. By night, expect crowds of yachtsmen and sailing crews to fill the downtown area. Spot sailors from Europe and Asia joining in on the fun. Thames Street, where Newport's nightlife happens, runs along the harbor with nearby parking venues, allowing visitors to park and then stroll the area. Bars, cafés, restaurants and shops cram the cobble-stoned street from beginning to end. Expect to find establishments and clubs open late into the night. At Newport mansions along Bellevue Avenue find nighttime classical music concerts and special holiday celebrations.

Theater

Theater maintains a firm place in Newport's nightlife. The Newport Repertory Theatre puts on several productions per season. For theater with a historical but fun twist, look no further than those famous mansions. The Astors' Beechwood gives visitors a glimpse of what life was like when aristocratic families filled the houses on Bellevue Avenue, with ongoing society balls and murder mystery tours. Actors play the parts of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, and act out scenes from the Gilded Age. Belcourt Castle offers ghost tours appropriate for school age children and adult group activities. For drama without the history, the Newport Dinner Train offers nighttime mystery tours.

Cinema

Newport also provides venues for moviegoers of all types. The city hosts the annual Newport International Film Festival. While Newport and surrounding towns have an abundance of chain movie theaters, the Opera House Cinema is the best secret in Newport. Catch an independent or foreign film in quiet, old-fashioned theater surroundings complete with warm, buttery popcorn and shabby, velvet seats.

Sports

For sports entertainment, there is plenty of fun for sports fans of all kinds. Tennis fans may watch an evening match at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which hosts exhibition tournaments. The newest addition to Newport's sporting events is the minor league baseball team, the Newport Gulls. The stadium is near the Visitors Center and within walking distance to downtown. Enjoy gambling and a unique sport at the renovated Newport Grand Jai Alai.

Festivals and Live Music

Newport takes its music culture seriously. From early spring to late fall, the city hosts annual musical events including the Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Week. For live music enthusiasts, Newport Blues Café offers nightly jazz or blues shows. The Auld Mug Lounge presents a spirited cabaret on Goat Island. In warmer months, several bars along the waterfront open their outdoor space to live bands that fill Thames Street with everything from folk to rock and roll. Fort Adams State Park is host to several contemporary musical artists throughout the summer months. Less than an hour away in nearby Massachusetts, Gillette Stadium in Foxboro attracts popular big name artists to the Newport scene.

A view of Narragansett Bay and a lighthouse by the harbor, a luxurious Victorian bed & breakfast and getaway, a hotel in the hub of downtown Thames Street or a casual seaside stay can be yours for the asking in Newport. Find the vacation or the corporate retreat of your dreams in casual cosmopolitan Newport, more widely known as the "City by the Sea."

Downtown and Historic District

An inn experience capturing the charm and Victorian era of Newport is the Marshall Slocum Guest House on Memorial Boulevard. Located near Newport shops, restaurants, museums and a five-minute walk to harbor front attractions and 10 minutes from Cliff Walk, this inn offers a special mid-week 3 night minimum stay. On Wednesday night the inn offers a complementary lobster dinner, with homemade clam chowder from the Rhode Island Quahog Company. The Yankee Peddler Inn features modern amenities, despite the fact that it's one of the oldest in Newport. The Jailhouse Inn is just what it sounds like: a refurbished jailhouse, but not to worry. The service here is excellent and the complimentary breakfast buffet is a great way to start your day. The Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina sits on the waterfront, offering guests stunning views in addition to comfortable rooms.

Ocean Drive and Middletown

The sparkling sea is what you will see, and plenty of it, with a lighthouse rocking on rolling waters from the Castle Hill Inn & Resort on Memorial Boulevard near Newport's famed Ocean Drive. Castle Hill is located on a little peninsula with the inn perched at the tip, the lighthouse at the far left, and the beach and harbor houses surrounding the inn and gardens. It is recognized as one of the best places to stay in the world.

A modern version of a four-column Newport mansion can be found at the Newport Gateway Hotel in nearby Middletown. You are only minutes to the Newport harbor front, and have the conveniences of data ports in telephones and a continental breakfast. The rooms are decorated in a Floridian resort-style, and are well-lit and spacious. The Sea View Inn is a small hotel that offers guests the luxury of privacy. Newport Beach is visible from the window. A mainstay in the hospitality industry, the nearby Howard Johnson Inn never disappoints.

Bellevue Avenue

The Hotel Viking offers the Gilded Age experience at its finest. Since 1926 this hotel is a legend in elegance, service and amenities. It is a renovated national landmark located on famous Bellevue Avenue. The Hydrangea House Inn offers luxurious accommodations; the rooms are decorated with antiques and lovely period furniture. The Brinley Victorian Inn is a seven room guest house that has an understandably attentive staff, while the breakfast at the Claddaugh House Inn is hearty and wholesome. You won't be far from the Cliff Walk and many shops and cafes here.

Whatever Newport accommodations you choose, you will take away the legendary Gilded Age elegance, Victorian charm and seaside ambiance found in the hotels and inns of Newport.