Sometimes as parents, there are weekend trips/vacations that need to be childless. I fully support vacations with and without your kids, but it’s not fully a vacation when you bring the kids…am I right? We do this not because we don’t love having Evie with us, but because we need to make sure we get a break and spend time together just the two of us. We feel incredibly lucky to have Cody’s dad near us now so that he can help watch her if we want to do a quick weekend getaway, but before we had some help, we would just bring her with us or ask our friends to watch her.
Cody and I have made so many great memories on our spontaneous weekend getaways in the Northeast ever since we realized we can visit so many places in such a short amount of time. This trip I wanted to make extra special because we were celebrating an incredible achievement in his career as he has become a partner at his landscape architecture firm. It’s a huge deal and he could not be more deserving of this role. Anyone that knows him/us knows how hard he works in addition to how dedicated and passionate he is about his career. I’m one VERY proud wife! If you want to take a peek at their portfolio of works – here is a link. Yep, they are awesome.
So onto Newport, RI. (Ps. it’s only 1 hour from Boston – without traffic)
We visited the weekend before Thanksgiving so it was a bit chilly, but not in the single digits like it was last week. So I wanted to share a little guide for a winter getaway to Newport. 
1. THINGS TO DO –
Scenic Drive – Hands down my favorite thing about visiting Newport is the drive along the coast (aka “ten-mile drive”), it’s breathtaking. We’ve done it several times and I have yet to tire of the views and historic homes/mansions. In the Summer, we visit Castle Hill Inn for drinks on the lawn overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, but it’s too chilly for that and I believe they close for the winter. But definitely, bookmark that spot for Summer.
Mansions – So after a drive along the coast, I would recommend visiting a few of the historic mansions. This is the perfect indoor activity! If you scroll down in this blog post you can see a couple of the mansions.
Shopping – I typically plan my trips around food and shopping, anyone else guilty of this? There are a lot of great shops in Newport and all within walking distance of our hotel (see below). A few favorites: Farmaesthetics (amazing skincare shop), Kiel James Patrick (love this shop and the people behind the brand), Monelle (great women’s clothing/accessories shop), and another natural skincare shop called Shore Soap Co.
2. STAY –
We are a bit obsessed with the Lark Hotels brand and their properties in the NE region. I’ve stayed at Whitehall in Camden, ME / The Hotel Portsmouth in Portsmouth, NH / The Sydney on Martha’s Vineyard / Gilded in Newport. For this trip, we had a lovely stay at The Attwater. The photos above are a few from the inn and even more cheery and coastal-chic than it looks! My favorite part of staying at The Lark Hotels are their breakfasts, whether delivered to your door in a basket or curated small plates breakfast like the photo above, they just nail it. It’s my favorite meal of the day, so when a hotel gets this right, they’ve sold me. I mean, there are other things that are required for a good stay, like a good mattress and cozy sheets. Cody and I were talking about if we could pick 3 things a hotel must-have for a good stay and we both agreed on the three. 1. comfortable bed & linens (cozy mattress, nice sheets & good towels) 2. nice products in the bathroom + good water pressure 3. thoughtfully designed. All of the Lark Hotels I’ve stayed in have all 3 and I have yet to find a more comfortable bed in a hotel/inn.
Anyway, The Attwater is within walking distance of all the good stuff in Newport. It’s just steps from Farmaesthetics which is insanely dangerous for this skincare lover. If you are looking to visit during the Summer months, this is the PERFECT location to walk to everything. Luckily on that Saturday it was warm enough for a coat and scarf to get around!
3. FOOD –
We made reservations at White Horse Tavern “America’s Oldest Tavern” and I was worried it was going to feel touristy and cheesy, but it was actually really GREAT. I had the best chicken dish I’ve ever eaten. I recommend experiencing this place!
Other foodie spots: The Mooring, Midtown Oyster Bar, Diego’s, Pour Judgement, The Vanderbilt Grill
I hope you bookmark this for your next trip to Newport in the cooler months!