Happy Monday, Friends!! As some of you know, Brian and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary away a couple weekends ago in Newport, Rhode Island. It had been years since we were both there and we were so looking forward to going back as adults and seeing what it was all about. Some close friends of mine also go religiously so it was a place we knew we could get great recs for, and they didn’t disappoint. Newport was A BLAST! We actually went during their seafood festival (happens every year on/around the weekend of October 15th) and that was so fun. There were tents set up all over Bannister’s Wharf with local seafood, music, and beer and it was fun to walk around and enjoy it all.
We stayed at the new Gurney’s on Goat Island which was fantastic. I believe they had just recently purchased it (it used to be the Hyatt) and have done a great job renovating it. Although it was rainy weather, you could see how awesome the outdoor space would be in nicer weather. We actually stayed at the hotel a lot because of the rain and it was glorious. I know that sounds silly but to be able to just stay in and relax with nowhere to be (and no kids) was SO, SO relaxing.
Dining
Our first night in Newport, we dined at the Clarke Cooke House, which is apparently legendary as they heartbeat of Newport. What an amazing restaurant!! It was bustling with people and so beautiful inside, very Newport-esque with is it’s historic nautical charm and the food could not be better. We had a couple oysters to start and I had the roasted chicken and Brian had a seafood dish that was melt in your mouth. Wine was great, too!! We loved this place so much we were tempted to go back for night two. Actually we did, after dinner. They have a basement “club” type place, tucked away, you would never know it was there. It’s very dark with a bar, dance floor, and a DJ. Although we only stayed for two minutes, it was so random and funny that this place was a part of the upscale restaurant upstairs.
For lunch we taste-tested from the various restuarants on the wharf because it was the seafood festival. Most notable were the clam chowders from 22 Bowen’s and the Black Pearl .
For dinner on the second night we went to Fluke which came highly recommended. Also delicious, we split a bunch of small plates and an entreé and it was perfect. I’d recommend it for seafood lovers!
On Sunday, we went to Diego’s for brunch which also came highly recommended. It was a really fun scene to be at because we were able to sit down and relax while the festival went on around us. They had the best drink menu, I ordered some crazy coffee concoction with Nesquik and vodka maybe and it might have the yummiest drink I’d ever had. Brian raved about the Bloody Mary.
After that we walked around a little more and got cookies and coffee from The Cookie Jar and headed to see Castle Hill.
Things to Do
Since it was pouring rain on our only full day here, I wish I could be of more help however I got so many recommendations so I’ll list them here. As I said, we stayed in our room and relaxed for a large portion of the day and for that I’m actually grateful for the rain, and enjoyed the seafood festival during the latter part of the day.
There are so many beautiful mansions and I know many people enjoy touring those. We saw a bunch on our way to Castle Hill and they were astonishingly beautiful. The Castle Hill Inn was gorgeous from what we saw, and it’s the best place to sit on the adirondack chairs and watch the sunset. We were there earlier in the day and it was cloudy and windy but still stunning.
Other places that were recommended by the PJH community:
the Safari Room/Oceancliff, take a tour the Breakers, Midtown Oyster Bar, Mission for a burger, take a drive to Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, have a drink on the rooftop of Vanderbuilt mansion, Pasta Beach, Rosemary and Thyme, Empire Coffee for breakfast, White Horse Tavern, The Mooring, Bouchard Restaurant & Inn, 41 North, you can see all these recommendations in the comment section of this instagram post!
In short, Newport is SO FUN!! GO
