When the Astors, Vanderbilts, Whitneys, and their ilk decided in the late 1800s to build their summer "cottages" along Bellevue Avenue in Newport, the Gilded Age began, and this little colonial fishing village on Aquidneck Island was transformed into a center of American society, at least in summer. That doesn't mean Newport stalled forever in the late 19th century; think Newport Jazz Festival , America's Cup races, and International Tennis Hall of Fame , for starters. But the mansions, now open to the public for touring and partying, are the core of Newport activities for visitors. The Preservation Society of Newport County and other like-minded groups open the mansions for the holiday season, when they shine brighter than their original owners could have imagined.
A wealth of delight
Mansions are only a part of this acclaimed city's gilded charm
By far the most unique, where-else-but-here shops are the Newport Mansions Collections located in the basement levels of the mansions the Breakers, Rosecliff, the Elms, and Marble House. Here you can buy home furnishings, decorative accessories, carpets, wall coverings, and fabrics inspired by 250 years of European and American craftsmanship.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame (194 Bellevue Ave., 401-849-3990, tennisfame.com; m useum admission $9-$5), while not open for tennis in the winter, keeps its museum and gift shop open, with tennis gear and Hall of Fame wear available.
For everything that is exclusive to this area except T-shirts, including art, jewelry, and food products, check out Only in Rhode Island (Long Wharf Mall, 401-846-5006).
And though far from Burgundy and Napa Valley, Newport County boasts three wineries, Sakonnet Vineyards (162 West Main Road, Little Compton, sakonnetwine.com), Greenvale (582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth, 401-847-3777, greenvale.com), and Newport Vineyards in Middletown (909 East Main Road, 401-848-5161, newportvineyards.com) for tastings and the purchase of a bottle or two.
Sailors try to tie up as close to Bannister's Wharf as they can, so that they can get a table at the Black Pearl (Bannister's Wharf, 200 Broadway, 401-846-5264, blackpearlnewport.com , entrees $14.50-$25) and order the clam chowder or other seafood specialties. Named after yachtsman Barclay Warburton III's brigantine rig and fitted with the restaurant equivalent of polished brass and well-oiled teak, the place feels like the inside of an old yacht.
If it's history you want, the White Horse Tavern (26 Marlborough St., 401-849-3600, whitehorsetavern.com, entrees $16-$22) is the nation's oldest tavern, constructed before 1673 and once the meeting place of the colony's General Assembly. No building is more typical of Colonial Newport. Atlantic salmon over roasted vegetable couscous is just one of its notable entrees.