The tiniest state boasts 400 miles of shoreline on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound suitable for swimming, boating, surfing, and fishing. Gourmets come to chew on the clams—called quahogs here—and other fresh catches drawn from the Atlantic.
Sophisticated Pleasure: Newport's Magnificent Mansions
Yachting capital of the world, Newport's waters fill with billowy white sails in summer. Beyond the spectacular beaches stand palatial mansions constructed during America's Gilded Age. From June 15 through September 30, walking tours leave The Newport Historical Society and Museum daily.
One no longer needs a hand-written invitation to travel to and enter nine of the magnificent summer "cottages" along Bellevue Avenue built by turn-of-the-century captains of industry in Rhode Island. Lady Caroline Astor's 1891 Beechwood; the 16th century, 72-room, four-story Italianate Breakers belonging to the Vanderbilts; and Rosecliff, built by Stanford White and modeled after the Grand Trianon in Versailles—are open to the public.
At Beechwood, Rhode Island actors recreate the home's 1890's heyday and treat visitors as the personal guests of the doyenne of American society. The 28-room Hammersmith Farm, surrounded by 50 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, is where Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy married, and a guided tour is available.
A dozen grass courts belonging to the Tennis Hall of Fame, where American tournament tennis got its start, are open for public play. The world's largest tennis museum is also here in Rhode Island . In addition to tennis and golf tournaments, summer events in Newport include offshore Olympic sailing trials and regattas, boat shows that draw international entrants, deep-sea fishing tournaments, music festivals, and art fairs. For the visitor determined to take a piece of the trip home, high-quality English and Colonial antiques are sold along Thames Street.
Summer in the City: Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence's "Mile of History" is half an hour north of Newport. Shaded by tall trees, this stretch shows Colonial and Federal-style homes been restored to their original grandeur. Inside the Rhode Island School of Design's impressive Museum of Art, visitors see the 19th-century furniture that once decorated such homes and well as dazzling contemporary art.
Victorian 450-acre Roger Williams Park features a carousel set back from its gracefully landscaped walkways and gardens. The Zoo here contains a Plains of Africa exhibit, along with Tropical America and Rhode Island Wetlands animal sanctuaries.
Built in 1828, The Arcade was America's first indoor shopping marketplace, and this Greek-Revival landmark offers a delightful mix of antique and up-to-the-minute merchandise.
Little Italy on Federal Hill sates hungry travelers at its sidewalk cafes and gourmet restaurants. In the evening, the 75-year-old velvet-and-gilt Providence Performing Arts Center is an opulent setting for Rhode Island productions that range from musical comedies to philharmonic concerts.
Westerly and its Wildlife Refuges
Amtrak travels through the coastal community of Westerly, where Victorian clapboard houses sparkle in the sunlight. Beyond the tracks, there's ocean as far as the eye can see and seven miles of glorious beach, Rhode Island's longest sandy stretch. Three wildlife refuges make the area a haven for naturalists.
Far from being a tourist trap, Westerly has a number of charming places to stay and dine, an old-fashioned carousel, seven golf courses, and a concert hall. Shakespeare is performed in the park, and the 60-year-old Theatre by the Sea, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, also provides entertainment for lovers in search of a sanctuary by the sea.
