Rhode Trip! Newport, RI
While hanging out in the North East for Christmas this year I knew we had to find a way to get out of the house to do something fun (and safe.) Having just gotten tested for COVID (and came back negative!) we had a few options that were doable and drivable. We came up with the idea to catch a ferry from LI to CT and head east to Rhode Island for some NE clam chowder and a weekend getaway with friends!
Our first leg of the trip was to head East to Orient Point on Long Island. This is where you can catch the Cross Sound Ferry. To take it one way with a car & two passengers it's approx. $80 and you should make sure to plan your reservation in advance so you know when to arrive. One of my favorite towns on LI is Greenport, which is about 10 minutes shy of Orient Point. We decided to stop for coffee at Aldo's Coffee Company for his famous home-roasted coffee and walk around past some of the cute shops & restaurants. If we didn't have lunch plans in RI I would definitely have stopped for pizza at 1943 or Claudio's Clam Bar. Claudio's is a MUST stop for the summer!
We boarded the 10 AM ferry and crossed over into New London, CT where we disembarked and made our way into Rhode Island. My boyfriend has always wanted to visit the Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI so we made lunch reservations with our friends and met there. Ocean House is a historic hotel on the coast of RI in the very wealthy community of Watch Hill, hello T-Swift has a mansion here so it must be awesome!
We had lunch at the Bistro which has a beautiful dining room lined with windows to soak in the ocean views. The bar is surrounded by a cozy room that feels like a living room in a mansion and is equipped with roaring fires in the winter. To eat, we obviously had to order the NE clam chowder (chowdah), lobster (lobstah) rolls, and a few other favorites.
One of the coolest features of the Ocean House is their Veuve Cliquot Fondue Village area around the side of the hotel. They have several ski lifts that they have converted into private dining tables that fit 4-6 people and need to be reserved in advance. You can have breakfast crepes, Fondue, or even a full dinner experience. Make sure to book well in advance and be prepared to spend some $$$$. It is definitely priced for the coolness factor vs. value. Check it out here!
After lunch we drove through the community of Watch Hill and admired the homes we hoped to purchase one day and then made our way to Newport! Newport had a lot of energy for what is largely a summer town. We checked into our hotel (Hotel Viking) and got ready for our first night out! Hotel Viking is very cute and easily walkable to downtown (about 10 minutes). Another great hotel is Castle Hill Inn. which was unfortunately sold out for our weekend but is also a bit further from downtown. The Marriott is also very close to downtown for those with hotel brand loyalty!
We were not aware that COVID times had really impacted the dining scene in Newport and it was close to impossible to find a spot to grab drinks. Every place was reservation only so double check before you go and make sure to get reservations at all of the hot spots. We couldn't get into many of the best spots but were able to have apps and wine in Bowen's Wharf at the historic Clarke Cooke House. I highly recommend them and make sure to get the Tuna Ceviche! Dinner was at 22 Bowen's where we had great steak and lamb dishes and even better wine!
Day two kicked off and we couldn't complete our trip with out a stop (or two) at the Kiel James Patrick flagship store! KJP is known for very classic New England style and has tons of great sweaters, flannels, and other apparel for men, women, kids, and dogs!
We had lunch at the Midtown Oyster Bar and some fantastic French onion soup, burgers, seafood, and a much needed mimosa! We shopped around a few of the local boutiques and went back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. Dinner on night two was one for the books! We got reservations at the White Horse Tavern which was a stroke of luck as most places has no reservations available. White Horse is the OLDEST tavern in America and is actually a designated national historic landmark. Located in a quintessential New England red barn, this tavern has been serving patrons since 1673! It is the oldest operating restaurant in the country and the 10th oldest in the world. Let that sink in!
When you enter the White Horse Tavern you feel like you're being transported back in time. It's obvious how old this place is and you can instantly imagine the historic people who have dined within these walls. There are fireplaces in what seems like every room and tons of stairs and hidden dining areas. It's clear the building was originally constructed as a residence (in 1652) and has been converted to a tavern, inn, and now restaurant as time went on.
We tried many of their specialty cocktails that included their take on Old Fashioned, a Negroni, A French "73" and several glasses of red wine. We ordered the pork belly appetizer and decided to split a few entrees to make sure we all got to try what we wanted. The Beef Wellington & the Lobster Mac & Cheese were huge hits. Everything about the experience was really 5 stars and I consider this a MUST do if you visit the area.
We finished our trip on such a high note and headed back to LI in the morning. We made sure to make a pit stop in New Haven on our way to Bridgeport for some Pepe's Pizza to make my boyfriend's father's dreams of childhood come true. Unfortunately they were closed due to "annual oven maintenance"?!? so that was a bit of a fail! Overall, such a fun trip with beautiful sights, great food, and even better people.
If you're looking for a few other suggestions while you're around Newport you should definitely check out the mansions including The Breakers along the coast. There is so much to see and do here!
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