Narragansett, Rhode Island

This massive coastal fortification, named for President John Adams, has guarded Newport Harbor since 1799. Originally built as a First System coastal fortification, Fort Adams was named in honor of then-President John…

Navigate the treacherous waters where Narragansett Bay meets Block Island Sound, guided by the historic Point Judith Light. This point marks a critical juncture for ships, but its waters have always been known for their…

Imagine sailing into Narragansett Bay, the Rose Island Light a welcome beacon after a long voyage. This lighthouse has been a guide for mariners since 1870. It was built atop the remains of Fort Hamilton, constructed…

Point Judith juts into the Atlantic at the southwestern corner of Narragansett Bay, and the waters around it have wrecked ships for centuries. The currents where the bay meets the open ocean create confused seas that…

Right here, at Ida Lewis Rock Light, you're standing near the former home of a true American hero. Ida Lewis, then known as Idawalley Zoradia Lewis, moved to Lime Rock with her family in 1857 when her father became the…

Ever wonder what life was like for Rhode Island mill workers? This preserved village offers a glimpse into that past. In 1853, the Hamilton Mill was built here, later expanding in 1866. Around it grew a community of…

Imagine navigating these waters without a reliable light! That's why the Newport Harbor Light, also called Goat Island Light, is so important. Completed in 1842, it replaced earlier, less effective beacons on Goat…

Ever wonder where the Navy’s top brass go to think? You’re near it: the Naval War College. Established in 1884 by Stephen B. Luce, the college aimed to provide advanced instruction in naval warfare and strategy. Tasked…

The Newport Casino exists because of a dare involving a horse. In 1880, publisher James Gordon Bennett Jr. bet a friend that he would not ride a horse into the Newport Reading Room, the exclusive gentlemen's club on…

William K. Vanderbilt gave Marble House to his wife Alva as a thirty-ninth birthday present in 1892. It cost eleven million dollars, seven million of that spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble imported from Italy and…

Newport's relationship with the Navy goes back to the Revolution, when the French fleet used the harbor as a base. The Naval Station was formally established in 1869, and in 1884, it became home to the Naval War…

Pull over here for a second; this building is where modern naval strategy was practically invented! Luce Hall, completed in 1892, was the Naval War College's first dedicated building. It's named after Rear Admiral…

Designed for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, this mansion whispers tales of Gilded Age extravagance. Belcourt was built as a summer cottage on Bellevue Avenue, a place to spend only a few weeks each year. Construction…

Get ready to be amazed by the sheer opulence of Marble House, a summer 'cottage' that redefines luxury. Built between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt, this Bellevue Avenue mansion was designed by…

Get ready to glimpse into the Gilded Age; you're approaching The Elms, a monument to extravagant wealth, sometimes called a 'summer cottage' with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Coal baron Edward Julius Berwind commissioned…

Get ready to be transported back to the Gilded Age, where unimaginable wealth built summer palaces right here in Newport. Bellevue Avenue became *the* place for America's elite to escape the city heat in the late 1800s…

Pull over for a sec, you've gotta see Trinity Church. This isn't just another pretty building; it's the oldest Episcopal parish in Rhode Island, dating all the way back to 1698! Back in the early 1700s, this church was…

You're near a house that whispers tales of early Newport, the Captain John Mawdsley House. It's one of the oldest structures still standing. The earliest part of the house, at the rear, was built before 1680 on Spring…

You're near a place that witnessed the very beginnings of American military tradition. Chartered in 1741, the Newport Artillery Company is the oldest military unit in the United States operating under its original…

Look left! You're about to pass one of the most incredible houses in America, designed by the legendary architects McKim, Mead, and White. This isn't just any old mansion; it's the Isaac Bell House, a masterpiece of…

Step back into the Gilded Age at Rosecliff, a Newport mansion where extravagance was an art form! This isn't just any old house; it was the ultimate summer playground for Theresa Fair Oelrichs, a silver heiress whose…

Dedicated in 1763, Touro Synagogue is the oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States and a symbol of religious liberty.

Three-and-a-half-mile public walkway along Newport's eastern shore, offering views of Gilded Age mansions on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.

Newport is where America's richest families built 'summer cottages' the size of palaces. The grandest is The Breakers, a seventy-room Renaissance Revival mansion put up between 1893 and 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II…

Pull over for a minute; you're about to enter a time machine! This 250-acre area is the Newport Historic District, a National Historic Landmark packed with buildings from the 1700s and 1800s. Imagine colonial merchants…

Pull over and imagine a pint with colonists – you're near the White Horse Tavern, believed to be the oldest tavern building in the US! Built before 1673, the White Horse has seen it all. While specific documented events…

Prepare to be amazed by a house that changed American architecture! This is the William Watts Sherman House, designed by the legendary H.H. Richardson in 1875. Later, Stanford White, another architectural giant,…

Rosecliff was built for a woman who threw the most extravagant parties Newport had ever seen, which is saying something in a town defined by extravagance. Theresa Fair Oelrichs, known as Tessie, was the daughter of a…

Step back into the Gilded Age at one of the first grand mansions on Bellevue Avenue. You're approaching Chateau-sur-Mer, a place that truly kickstarted Newport's era of opulent excess. Built between 1851 and 1852, this…

Ever wonder how Rhode Island became a haven for religious freedom? Look no further than this humble, yet powerful, Great Friends Meeting House! It’s a testament to the Quakers who shaped this region. Built in 1699, this…

Imagine being able to access all the knowledge in the world, way back in 1747. That's the idea behind the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. A group of prominent Newport citizens, inspired by the Enlightenment, decided to…

Step back in time at the Newport Casino, a historic athletic complex and recreation center built in the late 19th century. It was *the* place to be during the Gilded Age. Built in 1879 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr.,…

Seventy-room Italian Renaissance palazzo built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the grandest of Newport's Gilded Age mansions.

Prepare to be transported back to an era of unimaginable wealth and extravagance! Ochre Point showcases the opulent summer 'cottages' of America's wealthiest families during the Gilded Age. At the heart of this historic…

Imagine Gilded Age extravagance: this $4.5 million mansion was built in 1892. Ochre Court was commissioned by Ogden Goelet. He hired architect Richard Morris Hunt, the same architect who designed The Breakers, Marble…

Check out Poplar Point Light, guiding ships into Wickford Harbor since way back in 1831! Back then, they built a stone house for the lighthouse keeper and topped it with a wooden tower. This light helped boats navigate…

Site of the devastating December 1675 attack on a Narragansett winter camp during King Philip's War, one of the bloodiest conflicts per capita in American history.

Imagine life in Rhode Island over 300 years ago – you're driving past a piece of it right now. This is the Samuel Clarke Farm, anchored by a house built around 1691, making it one of the oldest surviving homes in the…

Ever wonder what life was like for early colonists in Rhode Island? Smith's Castle offers a fascinating glimpse into that past. Originally established as a trading post by Richard Smith in 1638, it became a central hub…

Stop and pay your respects at this ancient burial ground, a place where the echoes of Rhode Island's Native American history still resonate. For centuries, this small plot of land has served as the final resting place…

Ever wonder where influential thinkers went to clear their heads? This is it. Here, in 1729, the Irish philosopher Dean George Berkeley bought a modest farmhouse. He wasn't just looking for a quiet place to write. He…

Imagine being hunted, your home destroyed, and desperately needing a safe place. That's the story of Queen's Fort. Before 1676, this rocky hill was likely a refuge for Queen Quaiapen, a leader of the Narragansett tribe,…

This seemingly quiet corner of Rhode Island holds a story of resilience and loss. For nearly two centuries, this area served as the reservation lands of the Narragansett people. In 1709, the Narragansett were confined…

Right here, beneath the waves, lie the remains of two British warships deliberately sunk during the American Revolution. In 1778, the HMS Cerberus and HMS Lark, along with two other British vessels, found themselves…

Imagine a world without instant communication. That was life before the Massie Wireless Station. Built in 1907, this unassuming building in Point Judith, Rhode Island, played a pivotal role in early wireless…

That little sparkplug out there, Sakonnet Light, almost vanished forever, a victim of one of New England's most destructive storms. Built in 1884, it dutifully guided ships around Sakonnet Point for seventy years. But…

Right here, on this very land, American forces clashed with the British in a fight that would test the mettle of a new nation. August 1778, the Battle of Rhode Island raged across these fields. American and British…

Green Animals sits on a seven-acre estate in Portsmouth overlooking Narragansett Bay, and it contains the oldest topiary garden in the United States. Thomas Brayton, a cotton mill treasurer from Fall River, bought the…

Pull over here for a second; you're looking at one of the oldest houses in Rhode Island! It's a survivor from the earliest days of colonial life. This is the Clement Weaver–Daniel Howland House, built all the way back…

Check out that building! It's the Armory of the Kentish Guards, a reminder of Rhode Island's long history of independent military organizations. The Kentish Guards were first chartered in 1774, and have served in…

Imagine plotting revolutionary strategy right here! This is the General James Mitchell Varnum House, home to a key figure in the fight for American independence. Built in 1773, the house became the residence of James…

For over a century, Warwick Light has been a steadfast beacon, guiding ships safely through Narragansett Bay. Construction began in 1826, and the lighthouse was first lit in 1827. It replaced an earlier, less effective…

Pull over for a peek into the Gilded Age at the Aldrich Mansion! This opulent estate was once the summer home of Senator Nelson Aldrich, a powerful figure in Rhode Island politics. Aldrich, a Republican, developed the…

This unassuming lighthouse witnessed a century of maritime activity on Narragansett Bay. Bristol Ferry Light, built in 1855, guided ships safely through these waters, especially the ferry that ran between Bristol and…

This historic lighthouse has guided ships safely around Block Island since 1867. The Block Island North Light was built in 1867 to replace earlier, less effective warning systems. Its location on Sandy Point marked a…

Imagine finding a place where people lived thousands of years ago. That's what the Tomaquag Rock Shelters are all about. In the late 1950s, a man named Nathan Kaye discovered these shelters under two granite outcrops…

These walls have seen more than their fair share of Bristol's history. This is the Bristol County Jail, built right here on Court Street. The jail as it stands today was constructed in the mid-1840s, between 1846 and…

Bristol, Rhode Island, has been celebrating the Fourth of July longer than any other town in America. The tradition started in 1785, just two years after the Revolutionary War ended and four years before George…

Three years before Lexington and Concord, Rhode Islanders committed one of the boldest acts of rebellion in colonial history right here in the shallow waters off Warwick. HMS Gaspee was a British revenue schooner tasked…

Coggeshall Farm sits on Colt State Park in Bristol and re-creates the daily reality of a Rhode Island coastal farm in the 1790s. This is not a mansion or a monument. It is a muddy, working farm where staff in period…

Imagine relying on this very spot for life-saving weather forecasts! This is the former U.S. Weather Bureau Station on Block Island. Built in 1903 after a fire destroyed the previous station, this building, with its…