The mansion-lined streets of Newport, Rhode Island, form the type of imaginative scenery you’d expect to find if you were stuck inside a fairy tale, complete with a picturesque cliffside view of shimmering waters and majestic trees. The opulent mansions are vestiges of the Gilded Age, when many of America’s elite families built summer resorts in Newport due to its temperate climate. Today, many of the cavernous buildings are open to the public for touring, including The Breakers, the Vanderbilts’ famous mansion constructed in the late 19th century in the Italian Renaissance style.
Newport’s wharfs have long been host to ships and sailing vessels. Trading was a major part of the city’s economy during the colonial period, while the fishing industry and naval outposts are top employers today. The waterfront is easily accessible, with history lessons aplenty—docked vessels are often accompanied by signage documenting the sailing days of yore.
For a beachside town, Newport is fairly low-key, and even at the height of tourism season its beaches are not crowded. The town is tight-knit but not sleepy: shops in the downtown area remain primarily small businesses, and people like to dress up and go out ready to stroll around at night. No matter where you go in Newport, there’s a seemingly perfect backdrop for an impromptu photo op.
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