72 Hours in RHODE ISLAND PT 2
Everything we did, saw and ate in Rhode Island (part 2)
If you haven’t read PT 1 yet, I’d recommend starting there.
We quickly changed after our 3 mile walk and impromptu Breakers visit. I wore one of my favorite outfits of the trip and was so comfortable yet perfectly dressy enough for lunch and dinner out.
You can shop my exact look here!
Ok here’s where things get interesting. We headed to downtown Newport at about 1pm on Saturday afternoon. As we got closer to town, we realized maybe we should start looking for a place to park. We circled a generally wide area around the main drag several times before we manage to find a 2 hour street parking spot. We were all a little confused at this point as we hadn’t actually seen the main drag yet (ahem, it was insanely BUSY) but the parking sitch was definitely giving Christmas mall shopping on Black Friday.
We popped into a few shops off the beaten path en route to lunch at The Vanderbilt. If you spend any time at all on IG or TikTok researching Newport, then the Vanderbilt will surely come up. It’s a social media dream for all the picturesque images you can take while staying or eating there. And while it was very well done on the inside (but ahem, maybe not the best hotel I’ve ever seen) the experience left a lot to be desired. I don’t want to negative so I’ll keep it brief but I’d recommend this for a quick drink at the bar and not to eat or have a nice dinner at. Lunch was our worst meal and service of the trip. Kind of a bummer since I insisted we check it out.
Better in an image than IRL
Scenes from shopping out and about
We spent the entire rest of the day shopping. This was a highlight as taking our time moving from shop to shop feels like a luxury when you’re a mom. But we were actually floored at how packed everything was and we were a little dysregulated from all the crowds. Turns out that most of the east coast had a long weekend for Veterans Day and so everyone (and I mean everyone) was in Newport.
From shopping we decided to just stay out for our 6:15pm reservation at White Horse Tavern (the insane parking and traffic convinced us it wasn’t worth a trip back to the hotel). The dinner at White Horse Tavern was all I ever wanted and more. The restaurant dates back to the 1600s and the ambience and food were both incredible. Do not go to Newport without eating at White Horse Tavern. They take reservations and are delightful to dine with.
Fresh oysters and ambience at White Horse Tavern.
Day 3: On our last morning, we took our time packing up and getting ready for the day. Our plan was one last meal and then back to Boston to spend time with Chelsea’s family and see her (newish) home. We did a little more shopping before our reservation at Cooke House in the wharf. It was in the wharf that I stumbled upon a vintage map shop which was my favorite shop of the trip. I found two vintage maps of my favorite places (Michigan and Paris) and a really cool sketch of a boat for the house.
Cooke House was good, although maybe a bit over hyped, but the ambience was exactly right for our last meal. And I finally got a lobster roll which felt almost mandatory as I hadn’t had one yet.
Totally obsessed with this sweater from Zara and plan to wear it again this week for Thanksgiving in Michigan.
Headed home Monday morning and ready to get back to my family :)
Final Thoughts: Our trip was wonderful and just the thing I needed to recharge my battery. Honestly I would have been happy anywhere with my friends but Rhode Island was a great mix of shopping, food and sea. If you haven’t explored much of New England, there are other places I’d start before Newport (like Boston, Cape Cod, or the coast of Maine) but I’m very glad to have checked it for myself and to be able to share it all here with you.
Talk soon xx