Things to Do in Newport

Segway of Newport makes the world smaller by equipping customers with wheeled transports ideal for exploring Newport’s beauteous scenery. Crowned by TripAdvisor voters as the town's best tour company, Segway of Newport offers regular guided group tours atop Segways, Ultra Motor electric bicycles, and Dahon folding bikes. After a brief training session, patrons masterfully steer Segways toward Thames Street and onto scenic 10-mile Ocean Drive. Here, they coast past Newport Country Club and Gooseberry Beach before peering over the Cliff Walk's jagged edges and pondering whether the ocean is bouncy. Ultra Motor electric bikes reach speeds up to 20 miles per hour, driven by feet or their own enchanted power, whereas 7-speed cruisers or 21-speed mountain bikes allow riders to set a pace of their choosing.

Bikes & Kites rents and sells a wide variety of outdoorsy goodies and gear, including bikes, kites, Frisbees, sunglasses, beach accessories, and refreshments. With today's side deal, you and a friend will get to take a three-hour, self-guided tour of the seaside atop your choice of bike (the Easton's Beach concession offers 21-speed hybrid bikes or cozy beach cruisers). From Bikes & Kites, take your two-wheeler down the back roads on a leisurely ride to Sachuest Point, or glide through downtown Newport, taking in the town's best views. For a more removed roundabout, pack your rented pedals in your car and unload in Bristol to ride the scenic West Bay Trail, winding through towns along the bay, woodlands, and marshes.

Since he was 14 years old, Matt Gineo has heard the sea’s siren call. As a youth he joined the Sea Scouts, where he learned how to sail, tow, and safely traverse the water. Now the owner of Oldport Marine Services, he maintains a fleet of boats that tour Newport’s rocky coastline daily, showing off the area’s sparkling waters and natural beauty.

Harbor tours work their way up the shoreline, dotted with lighthouses, historical mansions, and bottles containing unread pirate grocery lists. As boats pass by sights such as the Newport Bridge, Jamestown, and the early-19th-century Fort Adams, guides share facts and anecdotes about Newport’s historical role in the pirate world and the slave trade. As tours travel back down the coast, the narrative returns to the present, with tales about the America's Cup and the city’s success as a fishing center.

Oldport Marine Services diversifies itself by offering a number of other aquatic services. Staffers build and repair boats, install engines, and run a water taxi that zips customers across the city faster than riding on the back of a sea serpent.

For a complete list of membership benefits, click here.

Norman Bird Sanctuary spans more than 300 acres and seven miles of hiking trails where binoculared bird lovers can spy on local and migratory birds. Hikers can explore the woods or climb Hanging Rock to feast on views of the ocean. In addition, the Sanctuary organizes public programs such as hands-on educational events for children and evening lectures for adults.

Ann and Michael Martini have long shared a love and familiarity with Rhode Island's culinary landscape. Ann left her post at Rhode Island Monthly to work with chefs, restaurants, and food events, and Michael, a professional chef, has let his knives fly at upscale Rhode Island eateries for more than 25 years. Together, they bring outsiders into New England's culinary gems to sample signature dishes, tour kitchens, meet chefs, and get lucky guests’ tongues autographed. Ann coordinates each tour, then sends Michael off with up to a dozen people to receive insider access to restaurants, gourmet shops, and other palate-pleasing stops. For two hours, groups cover about 2 miles of ground at a leisurely pace. There are treats to sample at each stop—although, according to the Sun Chronicle, "What's almost as good as the food is the fact that the chefs welcome tour guests into their kitchens, which in many cases have sous chefs and other personnel beginning to prepare for dinner service."