- Why We Recommend It: Historic mansions, sightseeing tours, shopping
- Best Time to Go: Between March and May
- Where to Stay: Castle Hill Inn
Newport is known for its Gilded Age mansions, and even if you can’t afford one of them yourself, it’s totally free to spend a day gawking at them during a drive down Bellevue Avenue or, better yet, by peering at them from a leisurely walk around the famed Cliff Walk, a public access walk which tightly hugs the shoreline.
Apart from hitting the beach at Easton’s, Bailey’s, or King’s Park, taking a sailboat out for the day—or even better, opting for a luxury sightseeing tour—is a popular summertime activity away from the sand. The same is true for shopping Thames St., which is host to clothing, decor, fine food and other specialty shops. Giving “estate sale” a proper meaning, the local emporium of antiques, Aardvark Antiques, is another not-to-be-missed draw for fine, vintage finds in this seaside town.
Post up at the Castle Hill Inn at your very own beach cottage (which also happens to be one of their pet-friendly room types. It overlooks a stretch of private beach, and many of these rooms have private fireplaces and soaking tubs, too.