Travel Blog: A Long Weekend in Rhode Island

Let's head to Rhode Island for a weekend getaway on the latest SoBros travel blog.

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When you receive an invitation to a proper New England wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, well, you jump at the chance to make a weekend out of it. That was the case for my wife, Aura, and me just a few weeks ago as a cousin was tying the knot. Prior to meeting my wife, I had never been further north than Cincinnati. That changed when I flew up to New Jersey to meet her family in 2012. Then it changed again in 2021 when we hopped on a train from Matawan and headed into New York City for my first trip there. And, finally, my “furthest trip north” metric has updated again to Rhode Island. Keep your eyes open for me, Maine – at this rate, I’ll see you in a few years.

We had three nights in town and knew that we had to make the most out of it. Aura and I are champions of efficiency. We seized the opportunity to take a couple college tours with our niece while we were on this trip. I’ll spare you the travel blog on Storrs, Connecticut. Though, it probably wouldn’t be that long…something like “really cute small town and massive college campus.” There. We’re good. I bring it up to say that our stroll across UConn’s campus meant we wouldn’t actually hit Rhode Island until about 2PM, making for a later start on Day 1.

Day 1

Our destination on that first night was a quant little motel in North Kingstown (about 10 minutes northeast of and across a couple of bays from Newport) named the Hamilton Village Inn. With an hour or so to spare before we could check into our hotel, Aura decided we should drive on in to Newport, drive around, and scope things out. I’m a big bridge fan. To drive out over not one, but two, bays and see the sailboats and lighthouse strewn about across the water was awesome. When we eventually made Newport, I wanted to park the car and walk around right away. It’s a town that just feels ripe with history. The architecture and the town’s layout feel like something from a bygone era. There were restaurants and shops on the waterfront, and plenty to hold our attention. But, it was just a slight preview of what was to come. We were exhausted – that Wednesday, my wife and I had driven up from Nashville…14 hours in a car to Matawan, New Jersey. We slept for a few hours and hit the road towards Connecticut at 5AM Thursday morning. After walking around that campus, it was another hour in the car to Rhode Island. Needless to say, we were absolutely gassed.

My wife has this awesome rule on family vacations. I’m not quite sure where she got it, but the rule is that everyone gets to pick one thing that they HAVE to do before we go home. My thing? A brewery. I mean, come on…look at this gut. You guys can see from space that I love beer. But, generally speaking, I do love immersing myself in the locale I’m visiting – art, food, history…and yes, perhaps most importantly, beer. My buddy Dan lives in the area and he sent me a few suggestions for places to visit while we were there. Among them was Ragged Island Brewing. I took his word for it, and I told Aura and our niece, “that’s my thing.” I didn’t realize it was 25 minutes north of Newport, and that they didn’t serve food (we had a hankering for some apps), and I justly took my lumps for dragging us out there. But, before we made our trek back to the Hamilton Village Inn, I enjoyed a couple of really good IPAs. The apple cinnamon seltzer stole the show, though. I still don’t know if it’s actually up on their menu, but the barkeep coaxed me into it. I’m a sucker for a good seltzer, and aside from the King Cake seltzer I had at Wingman Brewing in Mobile, Alabama, this one was the best. It tasted sweet…like a baked apple in the fall. The views of the bay were relaxing. I loved the greenhouse set up in front of the place. And, I caught myself thinking I wished I had more time to enjoy a sunset there or something.

We made the 32-minute drive back to the hotel, cleaned up a bit, and had a little rest. Aura had scouted some potential dinner locations and landed on a spot in the charming Wickford Village that wasn’t even a mile up the road. Known for historic, old-timey feeling shops and a quaint dining scene, it was certainly picturesque. I can only imagine how beautiful this region of the country is during the fall. Aura pitched a restaurant named ‘Wickford on the Water’ for dinner, and man…you guys ever get that feeling on vacation when you’ve been running around so much that you don’t even realize how drained you are? Then, you sit down for a meal and it all hits you at once. I think that was us on that evening. When the meal actually clicks, then it’s like an out-of-body experience. The fish and chips I had that night felt transcendent. I started with a coconut lime margarita that I’m still thinking about to this day…the usual tang of a lime margarita balanced by the smooth coconut…fantastic. And, we managed to get our niece to try some lobster with an order of lobster mac and cheese as an appetizer. 10/10 experience – the type that fills your stomach as much as it does your heart.

We capped off the meal with a stroll down the street to Village Ice Cream Co, where I ordered a peach milkshake. It was a beautiful evening. Late June, and I was wearing a hoodie just to find comfort down by the water. It was a welcome change from the searing heat of Tennessee. By this point in the day, we were on the verge of collapse. After so much running around, it was time to get some sleep. I checked my phone. It read 7:53PM. That was my last memory of the day.

Day 2

We slept in for a bit, which is to say that we slept past 4:30AM for a change. The beds at Hamilton Village Inn were comfortable, and the room was cool enough for my fat sweaty ass to sleep in like a baby. If you haven’t picked up on it, my wife is a bit of a scout on trips. She’d already found a diner for us nearby: Linda’s Diner. It was the real deal. Good coffee and just about anything you could think of off the menu. I had the Mexican omelette (jalapeños, sour cream, cheese, and salsa) with some rye toast. We noticed something on the menu called “Johnny cakes,” and had no idea what those were. Naturally, that meant that we were going to actually order the Johnny cakes, which ended up closely resembling grit cakes. Rave reviews all around for Linda’s Diner.

From there, we ventured into Narragansett, where we parked and loaded up on coffee from Cool Beans Cafe. We took a stroll over to The Towers. A local vendor had set up selling some art in the information center, so we did some light shopping and discussed the history of this amazing structure. We stood by the bay for a few moments, allowing the wind to wash over us and listen to the soothing sounds of waves crashing. Stacks of rocks were placed every few feet along the coastline, a practice that the area must be known for given the photos of the rock stacks in local gift shops. It was a beautiful place, quiet early in the morning, but filled to the brim with nature’s splendor. We hopped in the car for another college tour – this time, it was at the University of Rhode Island. It was much smaller than UConn’s campus, but it still took me back to my college days. That reminds me…I never did go back and get my Masters degree…maybe now is the time.

This is where the rest of the family meets up with us, as we set out to meet up with the rest of the gang. My father in law booked a massive AirBnB in Middletown for us all to stay in. It was gorgeous, seemingly popping out of a book you’d find sitting on your coffee table that profiles quintessential New England homes. I stood on the back patio of the home and imagined myself spending the summer there, listening to the breeze blow past the open windows as I write my next book. Someday, someone will find it on a shelf in a random book store and say, “man, he wrote this that fateful summer in Rhode Island.”

We made way for Newport proper, starting our piddling around with a hearty lunch at Buskers Pub. We didn’t have too much time to experience the depths of Newport’s food scene, but I was told that the town offered whatever cuisine you desired. This time, it was that of the Irish. We started off with Scotch eggs, as any meal in an Irish pub should. It wasn’t enough, so we had to order the Irish sausage rolls as well. I had he corned beef and cabbage with mashed potatoes and smashed carrots and parsnips, which sounds so incredibly Irish just typing it out. It was all incredibly fulfilling.

Walking out of that restaurant, I wondered how I was going to make it through the evening. I could’ve had a rest and never gotten up again. Thankfully, Newport offers plenty to peruse, and my bloating could’ve used a good walking off. So, shopping it was. We didn’t veer off too far from the car since we were on a bit of a time crunch. But, we walked by souvenir shops, bakeries, stores selling beef jerky, and the like while a man sat on the street playing an accordion. Art galleries popped up every few shops, and it made me realize how artful the town is itself, each shop a different color than the last.

We went back to our AirBnB and readied ourselves for an evening at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It was a beautiful affair – the weather was just right, cool enough to enjoy the company of family and friends on a grass court. We caught up with loved ones, we dined, and we filled up our cups in a way that only the celebration of a great budding love can. Hell of a spot for a party. As the night would wind down, we’d find ourselves back at our AirBnB, cigar smoke drifting in the air out back, cold beers in hand, and a card game or two to prep us for a night’s rest. For all the tourist attractions that come with a good vacation, how is it that it always ends up being those quiet nights together, with little more than a deck of cards, that end up meaning the most to us?

Day 3

Feeling particularly restful (I like a rock hard bed), Aura and I got up in search of a local coffee shop to try. We landed on Custom House Coffee, where I enjoyed a dark roast with a shot of coconut flavor. We took our coffee over to Easton’s Beach to chill and watch the waves roll in to start our day. We contemplated a time when we could sneak off to partake in the Cliff Walk, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us. We made it back to the AirBnB to discover a collection of quiches from Le Bec Sucré, one of which was a mushroom spinach quiche that I could eat every morning for the rest of my life and be content with it.

With a little time to spare, Aura and I managed to sneak off for an impromptu lunch date, just the two of us. It was drizzling and overcast, but it didn’t dampen the mood at all. The Mooring was one of the more positively reviewed spots on all of the “places to eat in Newport” lists, and as we’ve already established, my wife is nothing if not a vacation scout. So, our minds were made up before I even knew it. I got to try some real New England clam chowder before we feasted on a meal we concocted of appetizer orders – crab toast and shrimp lobster fritters that reminded me of giant hush puppies with shrimp and lobster cooked in. I washed it all down with a couple IPAs, and buddy, I was in wedding mode. After lunch, I found a book store…just gotta do it in every town I visit. I picked up a few things from Charter Books and we disappeared to the confines of our AirBnB to get ready for the night to come.

This is where the wedding takes over, and I leave you all for a brief reprieve. These things are personal and meant only to share with our loved ones. I’m not in the business of reviewing family weddings. See you all in the morning.

Day 4

Back to Custom House Coffee. This time, it was with our bags packed and ready for the drive back to New Jersey. When we were roaming around the area after lunch the day before, Aura and I had discovered Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge and thought it’d be a great place for morning coffee. So, that’s where we landed – a nice stroll along the trail that butted up next to the coast line. Birds chirping, waves crashing against the shore, the occasional screech of a seagull. It was so peaceful – one of those places that just connects you to nature…your roots. I caught myself thinking I didn’t want to leave just yet.

In what was essentially just a long three-day weekend, we missed a lot of the more famous tourist attractions in the area. If only we’d had one more day to explore! Still, it was enough to feel the history and the natural beauty that the Newport area offers. It was enough to try the fresh seafood, to shop in cute boutiques, to find a sailboat ornament that reads ‘Newport’ to hang on the Christmas tree come December, and to slow down to feel the ocean breeze. It was a fantastic spot to celebrate family with as well…a special trip to a special place.

To help visualize the logistics of this trip, I made this little Google map with my face on it representing all the places we spent some time at:

And, here are a few links to check out the places we visited if you happen to be planning a visit to Rhode Island:

Photo Gallery

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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