Newport attractions

The Isaac Bell House should delight anyone fascinated by architecture. One of the country's best examples of shingle-style architecture, its designers sought to birth a new architectural movement that combined global influences to create something quintessentially American. The result was the Isaac Bell House, now maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County and open to visitors.

The defining feature of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay is New England’s largest estuary, where more than 30 islands dot the chilly waters. Colonists met Indigenous tribes here way back in the 1500s, giving the area an interesting human history—in addition to the area’s Gilded Age glamor and scenic views. Today, nearly 12 million annual visitors flock here for sailing, fishing, and kayaking.

The 13-acre (5-hectare) Ballard Park is an elegant Newport oasis ringed with dense forest and plenty of green spots for sun and shade. The park features walking paths, streams, wooded ravines, a vernal pond, and two 19th-century quarries. Parts of the park even offer views of the Atlantic Ocean.