Sightseeing Tours of Newport, Rhode Island by Land, Sea, or Air – Adventure Center Tours
Whenever I visit a new destination, I check out the sightseeing options. This design, I get a lay of the land and an overview of neighborhoods, attractions, shopping and dining before heading out on my own. One city that really raises the bar on sightseeing tours is Newport, Rhode Island. Rich in history, culture, sports, ocean vistas, boutique shopping and eclectic dining, there’s so much to do on this island. To match its diverse offerings, Newport offers tours that range from land, sea, air, or a combination of two or all three. To get started, unbiased capture your preferred method of sightseeing.
BY LAND:
The City-By-The-Sea is known for its scenic Cliff Scuttle, a stretch of paths that meander along the ocean’s edge. But be forewarned. There are some sections that are rocky and narrow, so the Cliff Walk is not for the faint of heart. Before heading out, be sure to pick up a Cliff Walk guide. A excellent one is “A Guide to Newport’s Cliff Walk” by Ed Morris, which can also be accessed at: http://www.cliffwalk.com/book.htm.
For something with better footing, there are several self-guided and guided walking tours of Newport. For a stride through Newport’s past and present with 101 unique points of interest, try the Newport 101 Walking Tour of Historic Newport (www.newporthistory.net). The Colonial costumed guide shares with visitors Newport’s rich history, secret mysteries, well-known firsts, unique architecture, hidden cemeteries, churchyards, Newport fun facts, people and places, secrets of the sea and more. One fascinating tidbit that I learned on the tour is that there are more Colonial structures in Newport than in Boston, Philadelphia and Fresh York combined, and more “living history” than impartial about any other city in the country. The tours, which take between 90 to 101 minutes and visit Newport’s Historic Hill area, Touro Park, the Fantastic Stone Tower and Queen Anne’s Square, disappear from the Gateway Visitor’s Center on America’s Cup Avenue at the entrance to downtown Newport.
For other historical self-guided and guided tour options, stop in at the Newport Historical Society (www.newporthistorical.org/guided.htm) at 82 Touro Street for a map of the city and points of interests. Among the tours are the historic Hill residence, Ocean Drive Historic District, Broadway’s historic street, Bellevue Avenue Historic District, Brick Market Historic District and Bowen’s Wharf Historic District.
For some guided walking tours with character, check out Ghost Tour of Newport’s Olde Town Ghost Walk, a lantern-led evening stroll back in time to learn the ghosts, ghouls and legends that terrified the City-By-The-Sea. For information, call 1-866-33GHOST. Or learn about the pirate connection to Newport during Cap’n Nick’s Newport Pirate Walk, a walking adventure along Newport’s streets and waterfronts where pirates like William Kidd, Calico Jack Rackham and Anne Bonney, among others, gathered and plotted. Call 1-800-459-4922 for information.
If you take a driving land tour, you can determine between a bus or a pronounce for your mode of transportation. Viking Tours of Newport (www.vikingtoursnewport.com) offers a Scenic Overview Tour that covers 150 points of interest, including the city’s historic buildings, restored homes, its renowned 10-mile Ocean Drive and the stunning mansions from the Gilded Age along well-known Bellevue Avenue. Stout and deluxe tours are also available that combine the Scenic Overview Tour with visits to Newport’s famed mansions, among them the Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff, Beechwood and Belcourt Castle.
To view Newport riding the rails, head to the instruct depot at 19 America’s Cup Avenue where the Newport Dinner Snort (http://www.newportdinnertrain.com) and the Ancient Colony & Newport Railway (http://www.ocnrr.com) await to bring guests on fascinating train journeys. The Newport Dinner Pronounce offers a 2-1/2 hour train ride along scenic Narragansett Bay accompanied by dinner in elegantly restored vintage rail cars. Luncheon and dinner/theatre train tours are also available. The Ancient Colony & Newport Railway offers sightseeing tours in a 1904 coach or 1884 parlor car. Sights during the 80-minute tour along the west shore of Newport and the east passage of Narragansett Bay include the Newport Naval Inappropriate, views of the naval aircraft carriers the Saratoga and the Forrestal, and scenic Narragansett Bay with its stunning vistas of ships sailing in the bay, natural rocky beaches and wildlife that have adjoined the railway since 1864.
BY SEA:
Known as the “Sailing Capital of the World,” it makes sense that Newport offers a fine variety of scenic harbor and bay tours. Viking Tours of Newport, besides bus tours, offers tours by sea aboard its Viking Queen excursion boat. The narrated skim of Newport Harbor provides a look at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, majestic Fort Adams, towering Newport Bridge, the enchanting “House on the Rock” and Jacqueline Kennedy’s summer home, Hammersmith Farm. The excursion boat sets soar daily from mid-May to mid-October from the Goat Island Marina.
Visitors can also board the multitude of yachts, schooners and sailboats that offer cruises that sail through Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay and offer magnificent views of the majestic mansions and gorgeous coastline. Classic Cruises of Newport (www.cruisenewport.com) has two fantastic choices, the Motor Yacht Rum Runner II or the 19th century 72-foot schooner Madeleine.
Other well loved sea tours are the Spirit of Newport, where tickets can be bought daily from the dock at 2 Bowen’s Ferry Landing; Sightsailing of Newport, with tickets available daily from 32 Bowen’s Wharf; Newport Harbor Seal Leer Cruises (www.savebay.org/news_sealwatch.asp), which takes passengers around Rose Island to visit the seals who have made Newport their year round home; the Adirondack II Sailboat Cruise (www.sail-newport.com), which offers passengers a look at Newport’s stately waterfront mansions, 19th Century military fort, lovely obsolete lighthouses and sweeping vistas of Newport and Jamestown; and Flyer Sailing Tours (www.flyercatamaran.com) aboard a catamaran. Sunset cruises are offered by Sailboat Harbor Tour (www.newportsailing.com) at Goat Island Marina. There is no better way to delight in Newport than at sunset, where the soft colors of a setting summer sun combine with the twinkling lights of yachts in the harbor and the Newport Bridge in the background to paint a special glow in the city.
BY AIR:
An improbable bird’s scrutinize view of Newport and its attractive coastline can be captured from a helicopter ride provided by RI Aerials’ Bird’s Eye Notion Helicopter Tours (www.abirdseyeview.net). Several air tours are offered, including a Newport Mansions Tour and an Exclusive Island Tour over Ocean Drive and Rhode Island’s coastline. Custom tours are also available. Be sure to bring your camera because the views and aerial perspective are too incredible not to be captured.
COMBO TOURS:
Viking Tours of Newport offers a land and sea combo tour that gives visitors half-off a one-hour cruise on the Viking Queen when purchasing one of their bus tours. A Rail-N-Sail combination tour is offered by the Newport Dinner Train. Delight in lunch aboard the train, then transfer passage to Bowen’s Wharf for a relaxing boat cruise around historic Newport Harbor aboard the Spirit of Newport. Also available are a Land, Sea & Air tour, with a luncheon train tour, a one-hour Spirit of Newport cruise, and a Bird’s Eye View helicopter ride over the Newport mansions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
For a vacation planner: Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.gonewport.com
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