The port city of Newport is located on the island of Rhode Island in the same-named federal state of the USA.
Since 1639, when English immigrants settled there, the city has undergone a development that did not always suggest that it would become a tourist spot for the American high society.
In the 17th century Newport was relatively prosperous with some neighboring cities thanks to shipbuilding and economic and political alliances. In the 18th century its economic importance was intensified by the highly profitable triangle trade with the African gold coast and the Caribbean. At that time, the famous rum from New England was exported to Africa, where it was exchanged for slaves, who were again "shipped" to the Caribbean to obtain sugar cane molasses, the raw material for rum making. At this time, Newport was considered one of the most important seaports in the region besides New York and Boston.
However this prosperity was not meant to last a long time. During the independence war at the end of the century, the city was party destroyed by the British and lost its important position.
It took some time until a new, but no less bearable, economy settled in Newport - the tourism of the rich and the beautiful. Since the middle of the 19th century, the popularity of the city has not changed for the great names of American society.
The typical sea climate attracts from the American cities to the coast of Newport the rich bourgeoisie especially from April to October. Then there are ideal conditions for water sports and lavish parties.
Cruise offers to the port Newport, Rhode Island / USA East Coast
Many of the magnificent buildings that were built at the time of the Belle Époque can still be seen today in Newport. The imposing buildings were lovingly called "cottages" (huts) by their super rich owners. For those who want to see the one or the other hut, the tour begins with "The Breakers", the former holiday home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. With its 72 rooms it is the largest "hut" in the Bellevue Avenue, but by no means the only one that would have rather earned the title palace. House numbers will be looked for in vain here, the owners provide their houses with such well-known names as Chateau-sur-Mer, Rosecliff or Marble House.
While in the villas around the turn of the century (19th / 20th) decadent parties were celebrated, the magnificent buildings were discovered in more recent times as an ideal film backdrop. "The Great Gatsby" for example, a film based on the famous novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, was largely shot in Rosecliff.
Anyone who takes the tour along the villas on Ocean Drive is rewarded twice. The road follows the rough and romantic coast line, which alone makes a walk an experience. After a few kilometers, you will also come to the Hammersmith Farm from 1887. Really famous, however, is, from later times, because here Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy celebrated their wedding in 1953 and turned the house during the presidency of Kennedy into the summer residence of the family.
Of course there are, besides the many imposing villas of the city, also a Newport downtown which awaits its visitors with a wide range of shops, bars and restaurants. Interesting is there, among others, the "Rhode Island Fisherman and Whale Museum", with exhibitions about fishing history and whale catching.
To relax a bit from the touristy hustle and bustle,you should visit the Touro Synagogue downtown. It dates back to 1759 and is thus the oldest synagogue in North America.
For sports enthusiasts there is also enough occupation in Newport. Tennis and sailing are traditionally top priority here. When walking past the sailing boats in the harbor you become attracted by the sport, Newport's sailing school is open to everyone. The "International Tennis Hall of Fame" in Bellevue Avenue not only documents the history of the glorious sport, but also offers plenty of space for exciting matches on neat lawns.
Another reason to stop in Newport are surely the famous "Newport Jazz Festival" and "Newport Folk Festival". The annually held music festivals already had such illustrious guests as Miles Davis, Joan Baez or Bob Dylan, and invite each year the crème de la crème from Jazz and Folk to the city on Rhode Island.
Which cruise lines and ships sail to Newport, Rhode Island?
AIDA Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Explora Journeys, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Phoenix, Compagnie du Ponant, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises
In which country / island is Newport, Rhode Island located?
