My wife and I have been invited to a wedding in Bristol, Rhode Island at the end of September. Neither of us has ever been to Rhode Island. Is there a reasonable place to stay in the area. We are coming from Arizona. Is it worth it to take some extra time to tour the area? What should we see?

Everyone will recommend going to Newport to see the mansions. RI is a pretty little state so you could enjoy driving to some of the towns and stopping to explore shops, etc. Providence has some great restaurants. Check the events schedule to see if Waterfire is happening. When the city was fixed up, the canal thru town was beautified and has huge torches down thru the center. During Waterfire, they are lit. There is music, etc. I think the official state drink is the coffee cabinet which is a coffee milkshake or frappe. I think the best place to get one is in Tiverton RI. Visit Yankee magazines website for more info www.newengland.com.

Hi George,
This is a great time to visit the ocean state. Bristol is a small, friendly town, but it has very little in the way of lodging. If you have never been in this area, you may enjoy staying in Newport which would be about a 25 - 30 minute drive to Bristol. If you prefer cities, you could also stay in downtown Providence, and it would also be about 30 minutes to Bristol.
There are plenty of hotels in both areas to meet everyone's budget. Check oso.com for ideas. If you like the beach, hiking, swimming or boating you will enjoy Newport.
I would not delay in getting a room since downtown and Newport hotels are popular right through the end of October.Even if you don't stay in Newport, you will want to visit this area during your stay. You may also consider hotels in Middletown or Portsmouth. These are in less touristy areas, and they are still close to Bristol and Newport.They probably will be a better value. Hope this helps!!

Bristol also is a starting point for a very lovely paved bike trail if you're interested in bicycling. If your time is limited 'though you definitely want to see Newport, RI. Even if you don't have time to tour any of the mansions, you can see them from the road or a really wonderful cliff walk along the ocean.

Just watched the movie Hachi with Richard Gere and Joan Allen. It was filmed in Bristol, Rhode Island and it looked like a place worth visiting. Has anyone been there recently? (since this post is 9 years old)It is supposed to be known for it's July 4th celebrations.

Still nice. Still good advice. Low key. The back roads of RI are less known than the back roads of NH and VT, but they are wonderful, if incredibly poorly marked (deliberately, I think).

If you are interested in sailing, Hereshoff Museum is in Bristol, think America's Cup in the 30's.

RI isn't too big, so you can easily get to CT and MA for sites to visit. It has a very long, curvy coastline that has many little towns. You could also go down to Point Judith and take the ferry to Block Island or go fishing on one of the charter boats.

If you google Bristol lodging, you will come up with places to stay in town.

If you drive along the shore you will find lots of beautiful places to see. Just west of Newport is another island, Jamestown, that is connected by a toll bridge, which has a very nice park called Beavertail.

Ackislander is absolutely right, and the finest road in all Rhode Island is