Summer in Newport can be quite expensive, if that is when you are thinking of traveling. It is a beautiful place to visit, but you can stay in other towns nearby and save some $. Many familes rent a beach house in Narragansett for a week or two - you'll find a load of choices if you Google Narragansett RI summer beach house rentals.
The house owners rent to college students during the school year (both of my sons and their friends lived in them while attending Univ of RI) and then to vacationing families during the summer. Many are within walking distance to the beaches. The houses vary in size and amenities, depending on your needs. Most all have grills for outdoor cooking. When my sons lived there, they would drive over to Galilee (next town over) and buy lobsters right from the fishermen and bring them home to cook - not bad prices either!
Narragansett is very close to Newport, and not far from Cape Cod or Boston for day trips, and it has some great beaches. Also near CT if you wanted to see Mystic Aquarium or historical Mystic Seaport.
Also, the ferry (both regular and high speed) to Block Island is in Galilee. Wonderful day trip. There are also whale watch and deep sea fishing excursions from this same area.
The Tall Ships will be coming to Newport July 6-9, and are a beautiful sight.
http://oceanstatetallships.com/
The mansions are fun, but if you have little ones, they can be tiring. When we have family visit, we always mix it up a bit, doing the mansions, The Cliff Walk (which goes right past some of the mansions - but a word of warning....you must be very careful on this walk, especially with children or elderly
http://www.cliffwalk.com/ ) and we also love to drive along Ocean Drive and stop at the viewing points. Just gorgeous! If you like tennis, there is always the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. Don't miss the Brick market Place with it's wonderful shops and restaurants.
Sign up for Groupon and Living Social for Newport - there may be some discounts thru them.
AAA may also have some, if you are a member.
Sorry if I overloaded you with info, but not sure where you are from, and wanted you to be aware of the other things if you are going to be in the area for any length of time. We have a lot of hidden treasures in our little state!!
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
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