Thanks for responding Emily!

Here is what I'm thinking. Please let me know if this isn't logical. :D

Could we tie in Sunday brunch @ Castle Hill with a visit to Fort Adams and the 10 mile drive? What about dress code for the brunch? Would a cutesy summer dress with sandals (me) and pressed shorts and a collared shirt (the Mr.) be inappropriate? Sometimes it's hard to marry 'exploring tourist' with nice places! :0)

Thanks for pointing out my obvious oversight! We definitely want to include a stroll along Thames and the various wharves.

Again, I appreciate your insight. :-) Happy Saturday!

Most definitely Sunday brunch at Castle Hill is a terrific choice. Probably wise too since they are so expensive now. In the summer, we all dress very casually at restaurants and I would not hesitate to wear shorts to brunch there. We've gone to dinner there dressed for a special occasion only to find half the people in jeans. You can tie this in with the drive and Fort Adams as well.

Once you finalize your plans, I would keep in mind that you need to make reservations way ahead for everything. The weekend of your stay is one of the busiest in Newport. Wedding are big business in Newport now and Castle Hill Inn gets a lot of them. Make sure you book that brunch way ahead as you may be competing with wedding visitors from the nite before. There are many different cruises around the area and I would be sure to get one that brings you out of the Bay a little bit so you get to see more of the beautiful landmarks. There are terrific lighthouse tours run out of Quonset, RI that bring you all around the bay. If you like sailing, there are several sailing vessels, including former 12 meter winners.

Maybe you should skip Boston and just do Newport!!!! LOL!!

I forgot to post that the Newport tourism website is "gonewport.com"....if you haven't already found it.

Emily, I will definitely take your advice and make a reservation for our brunch at Castle Hill.

I love the idea of a lighthouse tour. How far is it to Quonset?

Thanks for the link to Go Newport. I had checked it earlier in my planning, but now that I have a better idea of what I'd like to see and do, I probably need to give it another look.

There's nothing I enjoy more then trip planning, so thanks for helping me along in my endeavor! :D

There is so much to see in the area you will need more time! Whenever we have visitors a trip to Newport is a must. The ocean drive is always the highlight. Stop at Fort Adams then Castle Hill for brunch. Continue from there through Bretton Park which is at the point. Great views of the ocean and you will see many fabulous homes along the way. You could make your way back along Bellevue Avenue and do a mansion tour. While the Breakers is the largest we find the Marble House to be the most impressive. What's nice about the Marble House tour is that you are given a recorder with which you listen to - it allows you to view the mansion at your own speed and you can receive additional information on a certain area if you desire. Through the Preservation Society you can buy tickets that will get you into both of these mansions as well as others. Rough Point is not part of the Preservation Society and therefore an extra cost. We have taken the Rough Point tour and it was very interesting. As part of your driving tour be sure to continue down to First (Easton), Second and Third Beach. There are many great shops along Thames and the wharves are also very interesting. In the harbor you could pick up a ticket to ride the ferry. You can pay one price for the day which can take you to Fort Adams, Rose Island Lighthouse and Jamestown. Neat way to be on the water. We have also done one of the sailing tours. We also did the lighthouse tour out of Quonset which I thought was great. It's probably 25-35 min drive from Newport. As far as the Cliff Walk is concerned parts have been closed due to Hurricane Sandy so not sure how much of it you will be able to enjoy when you come. Now for the food. I would highly recommend a drink at the rooftop bar at the Vanderbilt Hotel. There is a fantastic view of the bridge and the harbor. A drink at the Spiced Pear is nice as well (view of First Beach). You must order clam chowder at the Black Pearl (i think the rest of the menu is just ok). There is a great restaurant in Jamestown (which you could take the ferry to or drive) called Trattoria Simpatico. I have to be honest the restaurants in Providence are much better than Newport so if you could do a night out in Providence - you might even catch a waterfire night! Off the beaten path and where the locals go is Salvation Cafe and Tuckers Bistro. Hope that helps and enjoy your stay

Hello KNT! Your post is full of great info, so thanks!

Our Boston trip is 'written in stone' so I can't add anymore days, but I can vow to put Newport on my list of places I want to return to again someday. :D That's what I did with Boston after our '08 visit. :0)

Thanks for the info on The Breakers & Marble House. We love self guided audio tours. We must be 'nosy people' because we always enjoy the extra info. ;0) Given the time I'd go into every single mansion, but I know that won't be possible. <sigh>

I've already checked the website for the tour out of Quonset, but they haven't posted their summer 2013 schedule yet. I'll keep checking.... It sounds like a lovely way to see a lot of beautiful scenery.

The Spiced Pear and Salvation Cafe are already on my 'radar', but I'll just have to see how things work out. With such a short amount of time to cram everything in, it will only complicate things if I have a set restaurant agenda too. I think my best bet is to have several that I'm interested in and see where we are when it's time to eat and hopefully some of my 'targets' will work out. The exception will be our evening meals. It's easier to plan those because they come at the end of the day. I'm going to try to make those choices count! :D

Thanks again for all your help! I'm sure it won't be the last question I post between now and our trip! ;0)

On this particular weekend and the next, I would not leave restaurants to chance. I see that you don't want to lock yourself in to a certain spot but the problem is that you won't get what you want as it will be so crowded.

Besides tourism by car, plane, etc, Newport is a beautiful natural harbor and this is a popular boating destination at this time of year. Not to mention those weddings........!! We are going over with our boat for July 3-5.

If you don't want to miss out on your choices, set up the reservations! The good thing is that no matter where you are in Newport, your restaurant won't be far away!! The city is not that large.

Hi again Emily!

So to clarify, you suggest that I make lunch reservations as well as dinner reservations and the reservation for brunch @ Castle Inn?

In bigger cities that hasn't always worked for us, but I suppose since Newport is smaller and everything is within a short distance, this plan will be more feasible.

I'm sure glad I'm a TA member. This information is so valuable.

Thanks for helping me plan our trip! :0)

Well, for sure the brunch reservation for Castle Hill.

You will have dinner on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday so yes, for sure those three since you are most likely going to pick the most popular spots and you will need them.

If you pick Scales and Shells they don't take reservations.

Lunch,,,,I guess it depends on what you pick. If you say that you really want to have lunch say at the Spiced Pear.........I would reserve that as well.

If you use Open Table, a lot of these(but not all) are listed in there and when you get closer, you can see what's available. I have become a big fan of Open Table in the last couple of years because I love their $20 coupons!!