While researching pretty destinations in New England we could take a little drive to see, I remembered Newport. It’s a seaside town in Rhode Island that I hadn’t visited before despite growing up only 90 minutes away. This late winter was the perfect time to finally see what all the fuss was about those famed mansions!
I’ve now done two trips to Newport: one as a girlfriend-getaway with my toddler in tow during the shoulder season, and a return trip as a true grown-up girlfriend weekend to do the mansions, the spa, and dinners we wanted to linger over. Both have their charm, but the city absolutely shines as a girls trip destination, especially in the off-season when the crowds thin out and you can simply unwind.
Here’s everything you need to plan a Newport girls trip that actually feels like the splurge you wanted.
Plan your Newport weekend at a glance
Newport is small and technically an island. You can drive from one end to the other in about 25 minutes, which means a long weekend (Friday to Sunday) gives you plenty of time to slow down. A loose framework that works:
Friday: drive in by late afternoon, check in, walk the wharves before sunset cocktails and a leisurely dinner. Saturday: mansions in the morning, lunch downtown, spa or shopping in the afternoon, splurge dinner. Sunday: brunch, Ocean Drive with the windows down, and home.
If you have four days, add a Newport Vineyards visit and a sail or harbor cruise to the mix. If you only have two days, anchor on the mansions and one excellent dinner and call it a trip.
Accommodations in Newport
You’ll be spoilt for choice with many hotels complementing the area in coastal and nautical charm. For a quick trip with friends and access to a car, we stayed at The Wayfinder Hotel, about a ten-minute drive from downtown. Paying homage to lots of local artists, designers, and businesses, the common areas are bright and fun for a coffee or a lounge about. Our room was clean, sunny, and welcoming as well, although we got lost a few times in the winding hallways! The seasonal pool area also offers fun cocktails and swimming in the warmer months.
Other options closer to the center include The Vanderbilt, with gorgeous pools, a spa, and plenty of suites available. It’s a true splurge property right in the heart of downtown and easy to walk to dinner from. Or try the 5-star Chanler with views of Easton Bay inside a 19th century mansion. The Chanler sits right on the Cliff Walk, which means you can wake up, throw on sneakers, and step onto the path with coffee in hand.
For something more budget-friendly that still feels stylish, Gurney’s Newport on Goat Island has waterfront views and a saltwater pool, and it’s a quick drive into town. If you’re traveling with your furry pal, check out the new Paws on Pelham that welcomes dogs to visit Newport too.
A note on booking: Newport hotels fill up fast in summer and during specific weekends (the Newport Folk Festival in July, the Jazz Festival in August, and most weekends in October for foliage). Off-season rates can be 40 to 50 percent lower for the same property, which is a huge part of why I’d send a girls trip in March, April, or November.
The Mansions and Cliff Walk
People who know about Newport often think of the stately mansions first. Some have been maintained privately as homes, others bought by local educational institutions. But a few you can tour as museums to see how the other side lived more than a century ago.
The best way to experience them all is to start at the Cliff Walk. The 3.5-mile path runs along the Atlantic with the mansions on one side and the ocean on the other, and it’s free. Note: the Cliff Walk isn’t fully accessible and includes a few stairs and narrow walkways, and sections close periodically for repairs. Wear sneakers and check the official Cliff Walk site before you go for current closures.
Along the walk you’ll see mansions such as the elegant Chepstow from 1860 and the chateau-esque Ochre Court, which is now part of Salve Regina University. Keep an eye out also for the Rosecliff and my favorite, The Breakers.
It’s well worth taking a peek inside the iconic Breakers mansion, especially in the offseason when there are no crowds to be seen. An audio tour pointed out all the opulence celebrating the luxury of the gilded age decor and design.
Which mansion to pick if you only have time for one
The Preservation Society of Newport County manages most of the toured properties and offers combo tickets that get you into multiple mansions for a discount. If you can only do one, here’s some options:
- The Breakers is the star. Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1895, it’s the largest and most opulent. If you’ve never been, you canstart here.
- Marble House is the most photographable interior. The Gold Ballroom alone is worth the ticket. Excellent for a girls trip group photo moment.
- The Elms is the most “livable” feeling and includes the option of the Servant Life tour, which adds real depth to the experience and tells a side of the story the main tours skip.
- Rosecliff is where they filmed scenes from “The Great Gatsby” (1974) and “27 Dresses.” If your group leans into the romance and movie-set energy, this is the one.
The Breakers plus one other (Marble House or The Elms) is the ideal combo for a Saturday morning. After that, you’ll want lunch and a sit-down.
Newport Vineyards and the wineries
Newport Vineyards is the largest working vineyard in New England, and a visit deserves more than the drive-by mention. The property has a tasting room, a marketplace, a tank room, and an excellent restaurant called Brix that serves a proper sit-down lunch. The wines are genuinely good (their Albariño in particular is delish), and the vineyard tour is worth the small upgrade.
For a girls trip afternoon, here’s a protip: plan for a tasting flight, share a charcuterie board, and let the afternoon stretch. Book ahead in summer and on weekends.
If you want to add a brewery stop, Ragged Island Brewing and Coastal Extreme Brewing are both worth a visit and easy to add to a vineyard afternoon.
Spa and wellness
Splurging on a spa morning is one of my favorite ways to break up a girls weekend, and Newport has some lovely options.
If you’re staying at The Vanderbilt or the Chanler, the in-house spas are excellent and worth booking the day you arrive (they fill up). For a destination spa experience, Bodhi Spa on Aquidneck Island is the one I’d send a girls trip to. It’s known for its Water Journey, a circuit of hot pools, cold plunges, a Himalayan salt cave, and hammam-style soaking pools that you do at your own pace over a couple of hours. It’s the kind of place that resets you, and the group rate makes it perfect for three or four friends going together. Book ahead.
For something quicker, Spa Fjor at Gurney’s offers waterfront treatment rooms and is easy to fold in if you’re staying nearby.
Sailing, harbor cruises, and Ocean Drive
Alongside the famed Cliff Walk, Newport’s outdoor scene is one of the most fun things you can experience on a girls trip. A few specific picks:
Go on the water. Newport is a sailing town. Sail Newport offers lessons and group sails, and you can go out for a couple of hours or a full afternoon. If sailing feels like a bit much, the Gansett Cruises harbor cruises are a fun, low-effort way to see the city from the water. They have sunset cruises with cocktails that are particularly girls-trip-coded.
Drive Ocean Drive. This is the 10-mile loop that hugs the southern tip of the island. Pull over at Brenton Point State Park to look at the water, then carry on past the mansions on Bellevue Avenue. This is a perfect Sunday morning activity with coffee and a playlist.
Walk a beach. Easton’s Beach (also called First Beach) is the closest to downtown and has a lovely boardwalk. Second Beach (Sachuest Beach) in nearby Middletown is wider, less crowded, and has a great surf scene if you’re visiting in summer. Third Beach is the quietest of the three and where locals go.
Bike the loop. In warmer months, you can rent bikes from Ten Speed Spokes and ride Ocean Drive. It’s about 10 miles and very doable for a casual cycling group.
Where to eat and drink
Newport’s restaurant scene punches well above the size of the town. Here are the spots I’d send a girls trip to:
Giusto for a sunset cocktail
On a blustery walk by the wharfs, we nipped into a sleek bar with water views for something sweet and a cocktail at the bar. We’ll have to return for a full meal as the creations from local Chef Kevin O’Donnell looked delicious.
Flora at Gardiner House
To splash out at dinner, I enjoyed a classic ambience with the perfect winter waterside mood at Flora. My friend and I chose tasty, sippable wines with a pre-fixe menu that featured filet and wonderful Basque cheesecake to finish. There was no wait in late winter and we closed the place down with a wonderfully patient and friendly staff.
The Reef
For a fee, your whole group can access one of the chic and cheerful igloos at The Reef for harborside dining (in the colder months). For off-season seafood, I was wholly impressed by a plentiful raw bar and a massive lobster roll to boot.
Diego’s
On Bowen’s Wharf is a Mexican food joint with satisfying drinks and bites. Have some fresh fish tacos and a margarita overlooking the harbor and you’ll be all set.
Brunch and casual picks
For a sit-down brunch with the group, Corner Cafe is the local pick (cash-only, expect a wait, worth it). Belle’s Cafe at the Newport Shipyard is more upscale and has waterfront seating.
For a casual lunch on the wharves, The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar is the move for chowder and a view, and the Brick Alley Pub is a Newport classic that’s been around since the 1980s.
Rooftop drinks
The Vanderbilt’s rooftop has the best sunset view in the city, and you don’t have to be a hotel guest to go up. Order a cocktail, time it for golden hour, and bring the camera.
Shopping in Newport
Newport’s shopping district runs along Thames Street and Bannister’s Wharf, with pockets of boutiques along Bellevue Avenue. A few spots worth a browse:
The Whitehorne House and the surrounding Spring Street area for antiques and design. Coastal Living Newport for nautical home goods. Lemon and Line for the iconic Newport rope bracelets that make a good souvenir for the group. Marine Consignment of Newport is fun if you want to browse genuinely odd treasures from the sailing world.
For a coffee break, Empire Tea & Coffee on Broadway is a local favorite and a good photo stop.
Newport for bachelorettes
Newport is one of the top bachelorette destinations on the East Coast for good reason: it’s pretty, it’s walkable, it has a strong sailing-and-rosé scene, and it’s an easy drive or train from New York and Boston. If you’re planning a bachelorette weekend specifically, I’d anchor at The Vanderbilt or rent a large house through VRBO, plan one sail or harbor cruise, one nice dinner (Flora or Giusto), and one casual harborside lunch with margaritas at Diego’s. Book everything ahead. Newport bachelorettes peak from May through October and the good restaurants book up early.
Getting to Newport
Newport is roughly 90 minutes from Boston by car (via I-93 South to Route 24, no train option directly into the city), and about 3.5 hours from New York. From Boston specifically, the drive is a straight shot down I-93 and Route 24, and traffic is usually fine outside of summer Friday afternoons.
If you’re coming from further afield, fly into T.F. Green Airport in Providence (about 45 minutes from Newport) or Boston Logan (90 minutes plus traffic). T.F. Green is significantly easier and worth the slight upcharge.
Parking: Newport’s downtown parking is brutal in season. Most hotels charge for valet, and street parking near the wharves is limited and timed. Consider parking at your hotel and walking everywhere downtown, or use the RIPTA bus which has a Newport Visitors Center stop and runs along the main routes.
You don’t strictly need a car if you’re staying downtown and not planning to drive Ocean Drive or visit Newport Vineyards. Walking and rideshares cover almost everything.
When to go
Newport’s “season” runs from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, with peak crowds in July and August. For a girls trip, I’d send you in one of three windows:
Late spring (May to early June): the city is awake but not packed, restaurant reservations are easier, and the weather is mild enough for outdoor everything. This is my top pick.
Early fall (mid-September to mid-October): foliage starts in late September, the Folk and Jazz festival crowds are gone, and the light is gorgeous on the Cliff Walk. Book ahead because foliage weekends pull crowds.
Off-season (March, April, November): this is when I went and would do it again. Most mansions are open. Most good restaurants are open (a few close in January and February). Hotel rates drop significantly. The igloo dining scene exists for a reason. Pack a real coat and lean into the cozy.
I’d skip mid-July and August unless you genuinely want the high-summer party scene, because crowds, traffic, and prices all peak then.
If the kids are in tow
I’ve also done Newport with my toddler, and there’s plenty to keep the family side happy if your trip blends into a girls-and-kids weekend or you’re scoping it for a future family return.
The campus at Salve Regina University is genuinely one of the prettiest places to let kids run around. The 88-acre campus is full of more than 100 species of trees and offers grassy lounging spaces overlooking the water. My toddler loved running around hearing the chapel bells toll. The Cliff Walk’s flatter sections (near the start at Memorial Boulevard) are stroller-doable, though sections closer to the mansions get rougher.
For kid-friendly food, Diego’s is a winner (kiddos love the quesadillas) and Brick Alley Pub does the classic kid menu well. The Easton’s Beach Carousel is a quick stop for younger kids, and the Audubon Center at Sachuest Point has nature trails right on the water.
Quick tip: Newport’s downtown is more stroller-friendly than the residential blocks, which have brick sidewalks that get rough fast.
Newport, Rhode Island was such a wonderfully picturesque surprise
It proved worthy of a weekend, and the off-season girlfriend trip is genuinely one of my favorite ways to do New England in the cooler months. Whether you’re planning a bachelorette, a milestone birthday, or just a long weekend with the group chat, Newport delivers.
Thanks to the Wayfinder Hotel for hosting and Discover Newport for support!
Sending this to the group chat to plan our next girls trip. This is PERFECT.