Forget summering in Newport—the real status symbol is arriving to a holiday party at a Bellevue Mansion in early December. Or enjoying a sunny late September beach day that’s blissfully free of crowds, and sipping sunset cocktails on the Castle Hill Lawn without waiting centuries (or until sundown) for an Adirondack chair. Or road tripping north up the coast of Aquidneck Island, foliage in full bloom and traffic on Memorial Boulevard traffic blessedly at half-mast. (Forgive the nautical pun, but it’s apropos for America’s sailing capital.)
It’s a common misconception that all the excitement and activity of a seaside resort town dwindles and diminishes as the seasonal tourists depart after the peak summer months. This late-season melancholy has been memorialized by the summertime sadness of Lana Del Rey, and in “La Madrague,” Brigitte Bardot’s bittersweet ode to the off-season in St. Tropez. (The wistfulness is apparently trans-Atlantic). True insiders, however, know that the off-season is the best season in many New England resort towns—the key is in knowing where to go, and when. To that end, we’ve rounded up the best restaurants, hotels and watering holes in Newport to frequent long after the high season has come and gone.
Even though the seasons have changed, you may recognize some faithful summer standbys on this off-season guide—from the Clarke Cooke House to the Gardiner House to the Black Pearl. The difference this time of year is where within said establishment to eat, drink, and be merry—swapping the Sky Bar for the Candy Store, for example (with exemptions made for late December), and the Pearl Patio for the Commodore’s Room. And if you’re unfamiliar with any of the aforementioned institutions, fear not—we’ve got you covered. Read on for the ultimate three-season guide to spending a long weekend in Newport in the quieter yet still charming (and severely underrated) months of September through May. Don’t wait until next summer to experience the gilded pleasures of America’s first resort town.
The Off-Season Guide to Newport, Rhode Island
Where to Stay
The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection
- 41 Mary St, Newport, RI 02840
The Gilded Age glamour of The Vanderbilt, the 32-room boutique property named for its illustrious former owners, comes truly alive in the colder months. The lush, vibrant jewel tones of the wallpaper and furniture infuses warmth into the Georgian-style home, built by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt as a summer residence in downtown Newport in 1909. The whisky tasting room experience at the Reserve Room warms up a frostier autumn evening, as does a fireside Manhattan at the clubby, “secret” Lobby Bar, a chic wood-paneled enclave. October may be the best month to visit, as guests can attend the Ghosts of the American Revolution Halloween Soirée, an annual party devoted to haunted aristocrats and ghostly Founding Fathers. A spirited event, to say the least.
Courtesy of Auberge Resorts
Gardiner House
- 24 Lee’s Wharf, Newport, Rhode Island 02840
Newport’s trendiest new hotel is as equally chic in the off-season as it is during the height of summertime. This is quite the feat, considering the 21-key hotel just opened in September 2023, and has quickly established itself as a see-and-be-seen destination. The playful yet elegant decor permeates the space with rich colors and splashes of pastels against bamboo and mahogany accents. The boutique property is designed to feel like a private residence, with a grand staircase sweeping guests up towards the grand lobby, which features a whimsical painting of mythical birds and enchanted forests. Forget the overdone nautical themes found elsewhere across Newport—the town may be the sailing capital of the world, but it’s also legendary for its decadent parties and the extravagant hospitality of society doyennes. Among this kind of lived-in elegance, it’s easy to feel like you’re on the list.
Gardiner House
Castle Hill Inn
- 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, Rhode Island 02840
The majestic Castle Hill Inn is an evergreen favorite amongst discerning travelers and Newport regulars (local and seasonal alike), and it’s not hard to understand why. A sprawling, Kennedy-style lawn with Adirondack chairs overlooks the water, providing optimal viewing for the fiery sunsets across the Atlantic, the Newport Pell Bridge in the distance, west across the Narragasentt Bay. The 40-acre property features 33 rooms and suites, some situated in seaside cottages while others are located up on the hill, within the Agassiz mansion. While the seaside cottages are preferable in the summertime (when private beach access is a top-notch luxury), in the winter months, the guest rooms within the Victorian manor, with their antique furnishings and gas-jet fireplaces, are the better option—enjoy the easy access to the wood-paneled hominess of the lobby bar, and book a table at Aurelia to observe the vibrant winter sunset (always more colorful in the colder months) from the bay windows of the elegant dining room.
Courtesy of Relais & Chateaux
What to Do
Mansion Tours
The historic thoroughfare that serves as the promenade for Gilded Age mansions, Bellevue Avenue can be a bit of a disaster to navigate in the summertime. But come fall, the traffic begins to lessen (as does the volume of pedestrian daytrippers), and the beauty of the opulent architecture and the beech and magnolia trees along the avenue becomes truly enchanting. It’s during this time of year that touring the mansions is most enjoyable—when the weather isn’t too sunny to feel guilty staying indoors, and when you’ll have smaller groups on the guided tours, allowing you to imagine what life was once like behind these gilded doorways. If you visit in December, you can witness the mansions lit up for the holidays—The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House and Chateau-sur-Mer welcome guests with ornate holiday decor and period-appropriate displays.
Courtesy of Discover Newport
Wine Tasting
If you weren’t already aware of the growing wine scene on Aquidneck Island, you’d be forgiven for thinking the native drink for Newport was always (and only) a Dark ‘n’ Stormy. Vineyard tours and wine-tasting experiences are continually growing in popularity on the island, and the fall is the perfect season to leave the beach in favor of greener pastures. And this year, in particular, is a very exciting moment to check out the local harvest—Newport Vineyards is celebrating its 30th anniversary with outdoor events and live music, while Sakonnet Vineyards is honoring its 50th harvest celebration via a hay maze, pumpkin painting, and more. Meanwhile, Greenvale Vineyards, in Portsmouth, boasts live music and food trucks every Saturday on their idyllic property overlooking the Sakonnet River.
Courtesy of Sue Auriemma
Seaside Sauna
The colder climates usher in another type of beachside activity in the Ocean State: pop-up seaside saunas. The mobile sauna has been sweeping across Newport, and the southern coast of Rhode Island in general (Altaer Sauna just reopened for the season in Little Compton). The mobile sauna is a Nordic tradition that’s been transported across the Atlantic, to delighted results. The sauna originated in Finland, and is essential to Finnish culture and lifestyle—mobile saunas were developed for soldiers to find sweet, sweaty, solace while stationed away at bunkers. Today, Newport Sauna has leveraged that concept for a peacetime (and more peaceful) practice: bringing wood-fired saunas to locales across Rhode Island. Its permanent home (when not rented), is on Third Beach, just east down the road from Small Wave Sauna, which resides on Sachuest Beach (or Second Beach), also in Middletown. You can visit either establishment without renting the entire sauna privately, making this perfect for cold plungers and surfers reluctant to let the cold water act as a deterrent.
And If You Want a Taste of Farm Life…
‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice everything, and if you want to truly embrace all things autumn, head over to Escobar’s Highland Farm for some hayrides, pumpkin picking and apple cider donuts. Go apple picking from 100-plus varieties at Rocky Brook Orchard, and visit the pumpkin patch and farmstand offerings at Sweet Berry Farm (a rustic and bucolic hideaway just a couple miles from downtown Newport and the island’s beaches).
Where to Eat
The Black Pearl
- 30 Bannister’s Wharf, Newport, Rhode Island 02840
This Bannister’s Wharf mainstay is extra-popular in the summertime, as guests flock to the patio for mudslides on tap (and the famous Pearl Burger). The scene can get a little loud, and not-so-intimate, which is why the shift indoors in the off-season is so distinct. The interior of the Black Pearl offers another atmosphere entirely; one that’s simply perfect for a rainy day. The nautical paintings and dark wood paneling make you feel like you’re on the inside of a ship, and this feeling of sweet refuge is all the more potent on a cold winter’s afternoon. (Order the clam chowder). And, if you can, ask to sit towards the front of the restaurant, facing out to sea—the Commodore’s Room is designed to resemble the residence of a ship’s captain, with an intimate ambiance and gorgeous views of the harbor.
Black Pearl
Brick Alley Pub
- 140 Thames St, Newport, RI 02840
The Brick Alley Pub is a Newport institution that is beloved by locals and seasonal residents, but remains fairly under-the-radar for first-time visitors or casual weekenders. Located up on Thames Street, the pub doesn’t offer the waterfront views of the restaurants along Bowen’s and Bannister’s Wharf, but the interior decor is lively and distracting enough to make harborfront property unnecessary. Rhode Island memorabilia abounds in every corner of the pub, from Newport artifacts and New England curiosities to larger curios like a vintage yellow Chevy truck. This spot is perfect for relaxed off-season dining, serving tried-and-true pub-style American classics with a coastal twist: the loaded nachos are delicious, but so are the lobster rolls. But don’t let the low-key atmosphere fool you—Brick Alley is known for its award-winning seafood. (And the 250-plus bottle wine list doesn’t hurt, either.)
Brick Alley Pub
Perro Salado
- 19 Charles Street, Newport, Rhode Island 02840
Head north up Thames and cross Eisenhower Park to visit Perro Salado, a sensational Mexican restaurant tucked away in an 18th-century naval officer’s home on Charles Street. Christmas lights adorn the ceiling, a wooden cross hangs upon the wooden walls. You feel like you’re entering someone’s home, and each room offers a cozy, lived-in vibe perfect for slinging back margaritas. The juxtaposition between the historic and the contemporary blends together in a boisterous, casual environment perfect for a dinner with friends to warm up a long winter’s night. Order a pitcher of blood orange margaritas, and check out the famed lobster quesadilla. The fish tacos are also spectacular, as is the elote (chilled and grilled street corn). For more Mexican cuisine in downtown Newport, check out Diego’s on Bannister’s Wharf, which has since expanded its operations to include outposts in Providence and Middletown, as well.
Perro Salado
Where to Shop
Royal Male
- 104 Spring St, Newport, RI 02840
If you want to dress the part of landed gentry (or Mayflower descendent), head over to the Royal Male, a beloved institution in Newport that has been in operation on Spring Street since 1983. Despite its name, the family-run operation caters to both men and women with high-quality clothes from Britain and the continent, including Belstaff, Mackintosh, Hunter and Barbour. The high-end, indestructible quality of the barn jackets and wellies are perfect for trodding along a muddy field, or sloshing along the Cliff Walk (a historic walking path tracing the coast along the manicured lawns of Gilded Age mansions) on a stormy afternoon—an ideal Newport double-header on a cloudy day.
Courtesy of Discover Newport
Newport Mansions Store
- 1 Bannister’s Wharf, Newport, RI 02840
Looking for a Christmas ornament of the Newport Bridge? What about a murder-mystery set within the Bellevue Avenue Mansions or maybe a Gilded Age cookbook? All of these quirky Newport curios can be found at the Newport Mansions Store, which has an outpost downtown in Bannister’s Wharf (our preferred location), as well as four other gift shops within the historic mansions the shop works to preserve and maintain: The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House and Rosecliff. And it’s not just knick-knacks that the shops have to offer—assorted treasures include exclusive china collections and wooden models of historic sailing ships, alongside other historic products dedicated to all things Gilded Age and turn-of-the-century glamour.
Courtesy of Discover Newport
Where to Drink
The Clarke Cooke House
- 24 Bannister’s Wharf, Newport, RI 02840
To visit Newport and not to go out one night at the Clarke Cooke House is the same as visiting Cambodia and not checking out Angkor Wat. (For context, I was told if I didn’t see that world wonder, I may as well never have landed in Siem Reap.) I may be exaggerating here, but only a bit. In the off-season, the center of gravity in this multi-level harborside bar and restaurant shifts from the Sky Bar, the upstairs patio, to the more cozy and wintry Candy Store & Bistro, a midway bar where you can sip espresso martinis beside a roaring fire. An exception is made on New Year’s Eve, however, and the nights leading up to Christmas, when the revelry returns to the third level once more. Travelers wishing to head past the velvet rope up to Sky Bar should look sharp—and, for men, this means a blazer. Much may have changed in the past few decades, but the strict dress code at the Cooke House remains eternal. But once you’re in, let the games begin.
Clarke Cooke House
The Fastnet
- 1 Broadway, Newport, RI 02840
For a much more laid-back, yet equally boisterous and festive environment, check out The Fastnet, located on Broadway in downtown Newport. This pub is a longtime favorite, but its popularity in recent years seems to have skyrocketed, resulting in crowds of tourists and revelrous college kids swarming the back patio and pool tables on a weekend night in the summertime. Luckily, in the off-season, this chaos subsides, and a more laid-back atmosphere returns. Check out the live music (Irish folk bands are a staple), and play a game of darts or ping pong in one of the oldest watering holes in town. The pub is located in the historic home of Giles Hosier, a Quaker merchant who started an in-house brewery in 1700. Centuries later, it’s still the place to grab a pint.
Courtesy of Discover Newport
And Honorable Mentions to…
The Studio Bar at the Gardiner House is the ultimate spot for fireside martinis during the colder months of the off-season, the warm lighting and lush green walls creating an ambiance that is both cozy and sophisticated—the perfect place for a pre-dinner aperitif. As for a nightcap, head over to the Tavern at the Black Pearl, where the mahogany decor and nautical portraits of the interior bar is the perfect environment for a hot toddy.
Gardiner House
