Not Just Summer Place: The Off-Season Guide to Newport, Rhode Island
Forget summering in Newport—the real status symbol is arriving to a holiday party at a Bellevue Mansion in early December. Or enjoying a sunny late September beach day that’s blissfully free of crowds, and sipping sunset cocktails on the Castle Hill Lawn without waiting centuries (or until sundown) for an Adirondack chair. Or road tripping north up the coast of Aquidneck Island, foliage in full bloom and traffic on Memorial Boulevard traffic blessedly at half-mast. (Forgive the nautical pun, but it’s apropos for America’s sailing capital.)
It’s a common misconception that all the excitement and activity of a seaside resort town dwindles and diminishes as the seasonal tourists depart after the peak summer months. This late-season melancholy has been memorialized by the summertime sadness of Lana Del Rey, and in “La Madrague,” Brigitte Bardot’s bittersweet ode to the off-season in St. Tropez. (The wistfulness is apparently trans-Atlantic). True insiders, however, know that the off-season is the best season in many New England resort towns—the key is in knowing where to go, and when. To that end, we’ve rounded up the best restaurants, hotels and watering holes in Newport to frequent long after the high season has come and gone.
Even though the seasons have changed, you may recognize some faithful summer standbys on this off-season guide—from the Clarke Cooke House to the Gardiner House to the Black Pearl. The difference this time of year is where within said establishment to eat, drink, and be merry—swapping the Sky Bar for the Candy Store, for example (with exemptions made for late December), and the Pearl Patio for the Commodore’s Room. And if you’re unfamiliar with any of the aforementioned institutions, fear not—we’ve got you covered. Read on for the ultimate three-season guide to spending a long weekend in Newport in the quieter yet still charming (and severely underrated) months of September through May. Don’t wait until next summer to experience the gilded pleasures of America’s first resort town.
