The charming town of Newport, Rhode Island, a largely popular summertime tourist spot, is still a great place to visit as the holidays approach. While some businesses close during the off season, Newport at Christmas still offers a lot to do.
The Mansions
Newport is known for its mansions. During the peak months there are several open for touring but, during the off season, most of them close. A few of them, however, remain open for tours and decorate the mansions up in style for the holidays. This year The Breakers, The Elms, and The Marble House were open and decorated. (These three are the common three but Rosecliff has been done in the past as well).
The Breakers
I chose to tour The Breakers. The most well-known and popular of the mansions, The Breakers was the summer cottage (if you can call it that) of the Vanderbilt family. Cornelius Vanderbilt II purchased the original Breakers in 1885 but, after it was destroyed by a fire in 1892, commissioned an architect, Richard Morris Hunt, to design The Breakers that still stands there today. The current house was completed in 1895, is 138,300 square feet, and has 70 rooms.
I thoroughly enjoyed touring the mansion. I had toured The Breakers once on a middle school field trip but certainly didn’t care enough to really ingest what I was seeing outside of a lot of pretty things. The added fun of the Christmas decorations put it over the top.
Basic Info
- Ticket price for just The Breakers is $29. There are ticket bundles available if you plan on doing more than one mansion. Make sure you read the fine print, some bundles will have exclusions.
- It’s a self-guided tour so you can go through at your own pace. There is a printed. brochure at the beginning in several languages or you can download an app and listen to it on your phone.
- There are additional guide-led specialty tours available. This includes Beneath The Breakers and The Elms Servant Life. These are a separate ticket.
Cliff Walk
The Cliff Walk is a Newport staple thing to do anytime of year. The walk runs 3.5 miles total with several entry locations if you choose to do just some of it. It’s easy walking and beautiful along the New England coastline.
It’s generally open 365 days a year but, at the time of this writing, a section on the northern end was closed for repair.
Downtown
No trip to Newport is complete without a little jaunt downtown. And Newport at Christmas things are lit up and looking even more adorable. Several establishments will be closed or have limited hours for the off season but there will still be ample to choose from.
Be prepared to find the symbol of the pineapple everywhere. It’s part of Newports history, dating back to the 1650’s, when sea captains returning from long voyages would place them outside their homes to represent a safe return and to welcome guests. It’s since remained a symbol of hospitality.
Shopping
What I like about the shops in Newport is that it’s a good blend. You’ll find some recognizable store chains like Patagonia and Black Dog as well as small specialty shops. There will be the standard tourist shops with Newport printed on everything imaginable, but there’s enough other stores to make this a fun place to shop outside of souvenirs.
Restaurants
While there are many restaurants, there is only a smattering with specialized food. The majority of the restaurants are going to be along the lines of standard American bar and grill. A mix of options with something for everyone. And, not surprisingly, most of the menus will be pretty seafood forward.
What I found interesting is that, for such a tourist spot, none of the restaurants felt touristy. I scouted out several before making a final decision, and they all had that hometown, this is where the locals hang, feel about them. Perhaps it’s the Newport pineapple hospitality weaving itself in, but I certainly felt comfortable everywhere.
I ultimately ate at Gas Lamp Grille and enjoyed it all. They offered seasonal cocktails that looked good enough to sway me from my standard sour beer drinking self. I opted for a s’mores martini and it was delish.
A Christmas at Newport Day
I opted to only do a partial day for my Christmas at Newport excursion. There are still more things that Newport has to offer; this town offers ample options for the length of time you want to spend there. I was there for about six hours. This still gave me plenty of time for the mansion tour, a four mile walk, wandering around downtown, and dinner.
