Hey everyone,

I am in the early stages of picking a vacation spot for this summer. We (my BF and I, both 24yrs old) normally rent a cabin in either Old Orchard Beach, Maine or Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.
However, we are looking to try something new. What we want is a nice beach to spend the day on, and a nice boardwalk or town center to walk around and shop/eat/play arcades etc etc.
I received a suggestion for Newport, RI and was wondering if anyone has any tips/info/suggestions/info about the place and whether or not you think it's what we are looking for.

Thanks!!

Layla

ttt

Newport and Ogunquit are going to have some similarities. Both are have lots a restaurants and shopping for the evening, but neither will have arcades or "boardwalks," so to speak. Both have "cliff walks" that run along the ocean for beautiful daytime views, and great beaches, although the water in Newport will be a good deal warmer. There is a Best Western on the Newport/Middletown line that has great beach access.

Another area that might be similar to OOB or Hampton is Hyannis on Cape Cod. Arcades and mini-golf abound, and lots of people out walking at night to gift shops and bars. Craigville Beach is a great beach just nearby to Hyannis.

Good Luck, and have fun!

A friend and I, both in our late 20's at the time, vacationed in Newport for a week. You can spend your days touring the mansions, walking along the cliff walk, exploring the town and its architecture (in addition to the mansions, Newport also some of the oldest homes in the US), and lighthouse hunting. Newport is not your typical youth-oriented vacation destination. But if you're more of an "old soul" you will appreciate it.

Newport has a lot going on - we spend about a week there every July, and my kids at 21 and 25 still enjoy joining us for at least the weekend every year - but, as with all places, depends on your interests. Here are some of our favorites:

Yes, there are beaches- Easton, Second, Brant point, some with great sand and some rustic but good to walk (and hunt for sea glass)

The Cliff Walk -www.cliffwalk.com -
map, etc on link will show you the walk, ocean on one side, mansions on the other - sometimes spots under renovations but web is usually up to date on that

Mansion: newportmansions.org - and you can read about the different ones and choose those that appeal to you most - many from the opulenet gilded age - Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff - based on design of the Petite Trianon at Versailles, Astor's Beechwood - they have guided tours and sometimes concerts and other special activities.
the link will give you an idea of the history, design of each and which ones you might choose to visit.

The Int'l Tennis Hall of Fame: great museum, old horseshoe veranda, croquet and tennis courts, restaurant -

The above is on Bellevue Ave, a fun street to walk from the Hall of fame across and down the side streets to the wharf area and pop into tiny shops and cafes along the way

The Wharf area on America's Cup - Thames Avenue has several wharfs (Bowens, Bannister) full ofshops and fine dining and casual restaurants - plenty of eats to choose from and lots of bars, nightlife.

At the corner of America's Cup Ave is the Newport yachting center, check out their page
newportyachtingcenter.com - they have concerts and special events

also on wharf area is the Adirondack sailing vessel for a trip around the harbor -

Castle Hill is magnificent for a view of the bridge and harbor, esp at sunset - but also nice for drinks and/or a special meal

At night there are many bars, with music, etc along the wharf area -

I would also suggest a drive - the popular ten mile drive - oceandrivenewport.com - gives you an exact itinerary to follow and you will see amazing views and can stop along the way

You could also check out Fort Adams, there are hikes and nature walks, the Newport Art Museum, which is housed in a great building - beautiful inside - an 1864 stick style american architecture by Richard Morris Hunt if you are into cool buildings and the second gallery is in a 1919 neo-classical building.
newportartmuseum.com
it is a short walk from the waterfront, as is
the Tuoro Synagogue, an architectural treasure steep in history

Don't know your accomodation price range, I don't know about cabin type rentals, but there are many hotels to choose from, some with pools, and some time shares for rent in the Newport Bay Club and Hotel which has pool use but at another facility - as well as hotels like the Viking, Marriott, ones on goat island, etc.

There have been many posts here about Newport, if you put "newport, rhode island" into the search bar, you can look through some of those for ideas also.

gonewport.com is a good site to use also

The beaches in Newport are tiny compared to Hampton Beach or Old Orchard Beach. Even though there are beaches, it really isn't a beach town. Depending upon where you stay, you'll likely have to drive to a beach.

Newport isn't a town with many cottages like Hampton Beach. It is primarily a Bed & Breakfast town. Newport has some of the finest B&Bs in New England.

Have you considered Misquamicut, RI? That probably fits better with what you are looking for.

I thoroughly disagree with Newport not being a "youth-oriented" vacation destination. I've vacationed in Newport many times throughout my 20s and I can assure you, there's plenty going on. Many 20 and 30 somethings from Boston and NYC rent houses for the summer, it is super-lively at night. You'll have a great time!

escargot gives a nice synopsis.
I would add that there is a very active "night life". Lots of live entertainment going late into the night, if you are interested in that sort of thing.
There is a very nice park (Brenton Point State Park) which is right on the point of Newport with panoramic views of the ocean and Narragansett bay. We often sit out on the rocks or throw a towel down or loungers and "watch the world go by". It is also a great place for kites.

John, oh where is my mind - you are right, I meant Brenton not Brant for that beach area with seaglass and kite watching,etc - I don't know of many spots there to lay on the beach - rocky, etc - but at lower tides a great place to explore and I always find great sea objects there.

Hi John & Escargot:

I wonder if you could help me with a childhood memory about Brenton Point? (sorry to hijack your thread, Layla )

Is there still an old stone carriage house set back in the woods? I have distinct memories of climbing around in one as a child, and was wondering if it was still there and open to the public.

I just finished reading "The Gods of Newport" by John Jakes (master of historical fiction), and it brought back great memories of exploring the Cliff Walk, Brenton Point, the Tennis Hall of Fame and all of those great Newport places. If you enjoy historical fiction and are a fan of Newport, then I recommend this book.

Layla, a nice side trips from Newport would be the Sakonnet Winery www.sakonnetwine.com.

Enjoy!

I have a coupoe of comments- the OP asked about "arcades"; not sure what they mean by that but right in the middle of the wharf district is Ryan's amusement center w/ pinball, video games, air hockey, etc. etc.
Also, agree with Waytt92 that far from being an "old soul" town, Newport is abosolutely innundated in the summer with people in their 20's coming to drink and dance in the bars at night and lie on the beach and go sailing all day. As mentioned, Newport is not the prototypical beach town, in that from most lodgings you have to drive to get to the beach. However, we are talking about a 5 minute drive. I think you can buy weekly parking passes for First and Second beachs, which would cut down on the daily parking expense.
And finally LVK, the old carriage house is still there at Brenton Point, but they have put a fence around it and you cannot get in. Probably liability/safety concerns. However you might remember that behind the carriage house was a stone tower; in the old days you could not get to the top of the tower because the stone steps were gone, but now they have built new steps and a sturdy rail so you can go all the way to the top.

Hi Guys,

Ok....lol....firstly i want to say thanks very much for all of your help! However, after doing some research and basing my decision on some of the info from this forum we are going to pass on Newport, at least for this summer. We still haven't made a decision, we are now looking into Wildwood, NJ as an option as well as Virgina beach (but it's a little far for us, 14hrs, so we'd want to make our trip at least 10 days there so that we have a full week of vacation time). However, for some reason I think we will end up in OOB or Hampton again.
Even though many people have told me that "there are far better places to go", we enjoy it there, it's affordable, close and we know what we're getting.

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it!

Layla

Thanks Larry! Too bad it is fenced off. It was a fun place to play.

Layla, Maybe you should also check out the area in and around Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I'm not sure where you are driving from, but it may meet most of your criteria.

Hi IVK,

We're actually driving from Montreal...so I think Delaware is a little far, but I don't know exactly how far.

Thanks again guys!

Layla

Just got back from Newport. Stayed at the Chanler Inn. Unbelievable newly renovated hotel. Great for the off season (less $). Lots of fun restaurants and bars in Newport. Of course the cliffwalk is amazing (3.5 miles of views, views, views), the mansions are great and we did the 10 mile drive which was also terrific. I highly recommend this as a vacation spot. It has a whole lot more than beach and fudge.

I vote for Wildwood, or Ocean City NJ would also be a good alternative. The walk-around-town part is more attractive, IMHO. Both are beach/boardwalk meccas, both have lots of rental houses.

Block Island RI might be another possibility -- it has the beach and a small town center.

Wellfleet and Provincetown (Cape Cod) have the beaches and the walking around town, but not so much with the arcades and such.