Newport RI in March

[gojoe]

If you want some great Italian dining head up to Providence's Federal Hill.

 

[Kes]

I grew up in Newport and can't say too much about a lot of the tourist areas, but going off-season is the best. It's the only time most locals will go I have to say though, if you're looking for a beautiful, natural beach, skip Easton's Beach (also knows as First Beach) and head down to Sachuset Beach (Second Beach) which is actually in Middletown, just down the hill from Purgatory Chasm and St. George's. A great beach for long quiet walsk, beautiful waves and the sandunes you should have at a beach.

PS I'll put in a plug for the Newport Marriott. DH works there and it is a great base to walk to many of the hot spots in town.

 

[beansmom]

I grew up in Newport and can't say too much about a lot of the tourist areas, but going off-season is the best. It's the only time most locals will go I have to say though, if you're looking for a beautiful, natural beach, skip Easton's Beach (also knows as First Beach) and head down to Sachuset Beach (Second Beach) which is actually in Middletown, just down the hill from Purgatory Chasm and St. George's. A great beach for long quiet walsk, beautiful waves and the sandunes you should have at a beach.
.

ITA about Second beach. It's much bigger and less crowded (sort of) than Easton's beach. March will be too cold but in the summer you can go down there at night and have a large amount of privacy and it is absolutely beautiful.

I TOLD y'all Purgatory Chasm (one of them) is in Newport. Ha!

 

[drcmk]

I did that 2yrs ago & would definitely recommend it. We made the paperweights & it was a cool experience

Thank you. I think my artsy kids would really love it.

 

[wekhogan]

there's a great big chunk out of Ocean Drive as well...it was closed right past breton point between the point and King's Beach last time we were there (New Year's Day).

Did not know that - you couldn't drive thru? My husband will be devastated. He went to Salve for college and "the drive" was a Sunday morning ritual.

 

[Maybelle]

um...NO. I was NOT thinking of the Purgatory Chasm in Mass. There is a Purgatory Chasm on the road between Easton's Beach and 2nd beach...pretty soon after you pass St. George's prep school--which, btw, is a BEAUTIFUL building. It looms like a medieval abbey on the hill if you look up from 2nd beach.

As i said...i got married on the cliff over looking the ocean at Purgatory Chasm in Newport (altho it technically is in Middletown). And i was there Oct 15, 2012 so unless they've moved it since then, it's in Rhode Island.

http://amyjane.hubpages.com/hub/Purgatory-Chasm

altho i truly wouldn't recommend the cliff-diving at the Chasm.

I didn't mean any offense...I have lived in RI all my life and have never heard of this.

 

[wekhogan]

LOl, I've lived in RI all my life, too - and there are always things that surprise me. After 43 years, I just found out that Chariho isnt a town. Who knew?? And I don't guess the location of all of Frank Coletta's obscure town names when he does those quizzes. You'd think in a state you can drive thru in an hour, you'd know it all by my age. But, no.

 

[beansmom]

LOl, I've lived in RI all my life, too - and there are always things that surprise me. After 43 years, I just found out that Chariho isnt a town. Who knew?? And I don't guess the location of all of Frank Coletta's obscure town names when he does those quizzes. You'd think in a state you can drive thru in an hour, you'd know it all by my age. But, no.

point well made, hogan. and, no, you can't drive thru Ocean Drive (as of Jan 1)...a huge chunk was washed away in November/December in a winter storm. I will check when we go down in two weeks again to see what the state of repair is.

sorry, maybelle. My response WAS a bit on the snarky side. My apologies.