ocean state:
Newport, environs have plenty to entertain visitors
Rhode Island offers an array of diversions for a summer visit.
This summer alone I traveled to Newport twice, and I love discovering new things about the area. A lot of people go to shovel down some delicious seafood and spend some money at the countless boutique shops, both excellent reasons to head to the city, but Newport and the surrounding areas are full of art and adventure.
Where to stay
There is a plethora of beautiful hotels around Newport, but the Hammetts Hotel (4 Commercial Wharf, Newport) couldn’t have been built in a better location. If you walk right out of the door, you’re smack dab in the middle of all of the shops and activity. You have the marina to one side and bustling streets on the other. The Hammetts Hotel staff is super-friendly and informative, and the hotel itself has several health and safety regulations during COVID, such as following mask protocols and adding plexiglass at the check-in area. The rooms have a nautical vibe with huge windows that fill the room with natural light. I loved the deep blue pocket door separating the bathroom and the vanity room. It was awesome to be able to pop back up to the room to freshen up, change, and refill my water bottle between adventures.
Explore the area
The shops in Newport seem to go on forever and I’m not mad about it. There are candy shops, popcorn shops, clothing shops and more, spanning through the neighboring streets and Bannister’s Wharf. I really enjoy browsing through the knickknack shops and finding cool pins and postcards to bring home. The Salty Babe had some great accessories. Be sure to grab some naked toffee from Anchor Toffee before you leave.
On a rainy day when I was visiting, I didn’t want to waste the day away by sulking that the weather wasn’t ideal, so I decided to make the best of it. I got in my car and first ended up in Bristol where I encountered Angelina’s (301 Hope St., Bristol) for a great latte, and some tips from the barista on how to not burn the milk and get a nice froth for the lattes that I make at home. Next door was Kait and Company, where I bought some scarves to bring home. Along the way up the state you pass through a small part of Massachusetts, where I ran into a country store called Johnson’s Roadside Farm Market (445 Market St., Swansea, Mass.) where I grabbed a blueberry square and continued on my Rhode Island journey to Providence.
Where to eat
On the way back, I stopped in Narragansett to eat at the Matunuck Oyster Bar (629 Succotash Road, South Kingstown). This place had a ton of seating and was packed at 3 p.m., so I knew right away it was going to be amazing
(I’d recommend making a reservation). They gave me a spot right on the barge where I had a full view of their production. They farm oysters right next to the property and offer tours of the farm where you can see the process. They sort them right on the dock, and then bring them up to serve them to you on a bed of ice. Their fresh raw oysters were absolutely delicious. Of course I had to go all out, so I ordered their warm oyster trio that came on a pile of hot stones. The trio was actually three pairs: Two oysters Rockefeller made with spinach, herbed breadcrumbs, bacon, and pernod; two grilled oysters seasoned with herbs and garlic butter, and two bourbon chipotlesauced oysters.
Back in Newport, seafood is also king. The Black Pearl (30 Bannister’s Wharf, Newport) had great clam chowder and frozen drinks while the Red Parrot (348 Thames St., Newport) had amazing lobster bisque with huge chunks of lobster meat. The Mooring (1 Sayers Wharf, Newport) is where you can get a little dressed up and sit on their patio to enjoy a stuffed lobster dinner or seafood ravioli covered in seared scallops and large shrimp.
Snappa Charters
I’d been checking out Snappa Charter adventures (33 State St., Narragansett) for so long now and I wanted to connect with Charlie, the owner, to finally give one a try. Charlie brings the boat out for various adventures, including deep-sea fishing charters that go out through mid-december. Three times a year, Charlie sets the boat up to do shark diving excursions, which is what I tried. We met pretty early in the morning at 6 a.m. at the dock, and shoved off soon after. It took about an hour and a half to get out to the spot. Once we arrived, they began chumming the water which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple hours depending on the day. It’s amazing to see these creatures in their natural environment, but you have to remember to be patient. After a few hours, we saw some shark fins from a distance along with a few whales breaching. As we started to give up hope that they would come closer, the sun came out, visibility improved, and a couple sizable blue sharks came rolling in and stayed around.