Newport, Rhode Island--home to the mansions of the rich and famous

We are way behind in getting travel posts published this summer because we're having too much fun traveling! So we won't be confused about when each "wandering" happened, we'll start each blog with its actual date.

July 31, 2022

Yesterday we had an unexpected surprise when our nephew, Brian and his son Cole, met us here in Rhode Island. We were sorry to see our house guests leave so soon, but they had to be in New York City today. So Mark fixed them "Egg McMarkin's" for breakfast, and Brian took one last selfie of the four of us before they left. The picture includes a look at our "mansion" on wheels. (Can you tell that we have a mansion theme today?) Their visit was unexpected fun!

After they left, we got another welcome treat--facetime with the grandchildren. We love to see and talk to this special family and we appreciate that they call us often. 

Then we proceeded with the day of touring famous mansions and seeing beautiful places. We're making a day trip to the southeast corner of this tiny state of Rhode Island. It's only 37 miles from the west edge to the east edge of this state, so you can go anywhere in an easy day trip. With a little drive this morning, we're back at the Atlantic Ocean again!

We went to Beaver Tail State Park, and the shore line was filled with gorgeous views of the ocean. We have wandered into another of God's wonders!

True to its name, this peninsula of rocky shoreline is shaped like a beaver tail.

You might notice a lighthouse peeking out of the rocks in the picture above. As we made our way around that tail-shaped rocky shore, we got closer, and closer . . .

and closer!

Built in 1749, this is America's third oldest lighthouse. It's square and granite on the outside, and round and brick on the inside. We're pretty impressed with Rhode Island, because this is a free state park, with free parking, with a free little aquarium, and a free lighthouse museum.

By the time we made a loop of this beautifully rocky shore, it was hard to find a place for a picture without others in it. Beaver Tail State Park is a popular place to be on a lovely day like today.

After leaving the state park, we headed into the city of Newport. The wealthy flocked to Newport in the late 1800's. Now it is known for the line of mansions on its most beautiful coast line street. These were the homes of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers and other ultra-rich families that could afford an army of servants and the utility bills for such monstrosities.

This might look like an entire apartment complex, but it is actually just one of the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. The Vinland Estate was built in 1882, and enlarged in 1907 by the Twonbly family. Their daughter donated the mansion to Salve Regina University in 1955, where it is now a classroom and office building.

The university has been gifted several of these old mansions. Signs on-campus boast that they welcome 1.3 million visitors each year--on the Cliff Walk. It's interesting that this most exclusively rich neighborhood is home to one of the most public coastal walkways. Anyone that can find a parking place is welcome to take a stroll on the famous Cliff Walk.

We took a picture of the map to make it easier to explain where we went. We started at the far left-hand side of the map below, and we worked our way east to the point on the far right. As we walked, we had the ocean on our left, and the backyards of some of the most beautiful homes in America on our right.

While some of the homes are still private residences, many of them are now open for tours. This well-trafficked path took us right beside the ocean, and most of it was on a nice smooth walkway. 

But the further we walked, the less smooth the surface was. 

The Cliff Walk includes two tunnels. This one took us beneath the Japanese Tea Garden behind the Marble House mansion.

As we approached the second tunnel, we thought it was painted yellow. Then we realized that lichen grow well on the rocks here in the salty air. That yellow "paint" was actually a thick cover of yellow lichen.

That yellow tunnel made a nice picture frame.

At the end of the 3.5-mile walk, we finally reached the tip of our second peninsula today. 

We could now walk out on the rocks, with ocean on three sides of us.

Rough Point seems like a description of the path, but it's actually the name of another of the Vanderbilt mansions built on the tip of the peninsula in 1882. We really hadn't intended to walk to the very end of the Cliff Walk. But there aren't many alleys and side streets between these lush estates. So we found ourselves at the end of the walk on a warm day with another long walk to get back to the pickup.

That's when we were glad to know that the city of Newport runs a free trolley that circles popular tourist attractions like Bellevue Avenue. We had to walk another mile to get to a designated stop, but we were glad to hop on the trolley and ride for two miles of the return trip. After we got off the trolley, we walked down Bellevue Avenue to get a peek at the fronts of some of the mansions. This is Marble House, which took four years to build between 1888 and 1892. Built by another of the Vanderbilt grandsons, this mansion hosted some of the most lavish parties of "the gilded age" when Newport was at its peak.

After all that walking and seeing all those mansions of the rich and famous, we were ready for some simpler touring. We welcomed an air-conditioned ride in the pickup around the less-touristy parts of Newport. We ended up at Brenton Point State Park where the not-so-rich-and-famous spend the afternoon flying kites in the sea breezes. There were dozens of kites in the sky this afternoon.

Between our walk at Beavertail State Park, and our trek around the Cliff Walk, we logged in 6.5 miles of hiking today. We were tired by the time we left Newport and headed the pickup towards our little home. It was just a 41-mile drive, but it took over an hour and a half. This little state is filled with crooked roads and speed limits that hover around 35 miles per hour. It was a nice day visiting Newport, Rhode Island--home to the mansions of the rich and famous. But we're glad to be heading back to our little mansion with wheels.