Things To Do in Newport

When the Newport Historical Society and the Newport Restoration Foundation joined forces, the result was Newport History Tours. Founded to celebrate the region’s rich and vibrant history, Newport History Tours designed more than a dozen tours that explore the city’s landmarks, historic sites, and more than 300 pre-Revolutionary War–era buildings. The tours touch on just about every aspect of the city’s past, with themes that range from the colonial era and Golden Age to prohibition smuggling, historical criminals, and lantern-lit holiday strolls.

Film buffs across six states stare wide-eyed at large cinema screens, losing themselves in first-run Hollywood movies and the smell of fresh, buttery kernels within Your Neighborhood Theatre's 17 locations. Though all theaters prioritize comfortable seating, old-fashioned friendly service, and high-stakes preshow trivia slideshows, each location encompasses its own distinct charm, be it through arthouse décor, 3-D screens, or Rhode Island's vintage 1950's drive-in setting.

A crew of professional mariners at Confident Captain/Ocean Pros prepares students to navigate the earth’s bluest patches with instruction in all facets of boat operation and maintenance. A schedule of classes includes primarily Saturday and Sunday sessions, which take place 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at the Confident Captain Training Center. Soak up lessons in vessel safety through the At the Helm program. Novice sailors absorb the basics of seafaring equipment, security measures, and barracuda-hunting calls from the Brand New Boater course ($95), and the Competent Crew class teaches the essentials of gear stowing, knot tying, and line tossing ($150).

Every Friday, the Firehouse Theater hosts a merry evening of witty improvisational comedy, performed by Newport’s The Bit Players. Watch the zany troupe as they drolly play off the suggestions of the audience and make off-the-cuff remarks in a series of short-form skits. Firehouse Theater is BYOB, so show-goers are obliged to bring beer, wine or a cask of aromatherapy bathtub gin. For teetotalers, free hot teas, cocoa, and cookies accompany every performance, helping audience members feel welcome, cozy, and primed for incessant giggling in the 49-seat theater.

Save The Bay has held to its mission since its founding in 1970: to protect, restore, and improve the Narragansett Bay region and its coastal waters through environmental action and stewardship. Save The Bay also defends the right of the public to use the Bay, encouraging visitors to act as responsible stewards of the Bay's bounty for future generations.

Today, Save The Bay's staff and volunteers continue their work from the Save The Bay Exploration Center that serves as the heart of operations. Its stormwater-management system contains a vegetated roof, a coastal-buffer zone, swales, and basins that can absorb and filter rainwater. Made from recycled steel and metal, the center's interior hosts an array of educational programs for adults and kids. Save The Bay also maintains an aquarium, camps, and marine-life tours aboard its 45-foot US Coast Guard–certified vessel Alletta Morris or its 27-foot vessel Swift.

Curves caters exclusively to women with a circuit of hydraulic-resistance machines that promote weight loss, protect against osteoporosis, and alleviate arthritis. Thirteen toning and strength-training stations use bodyweight to create resistance matched to each user's fitness level, decreasing the chance of soreness or injury. Because traditional lift-and-lower motions create bulky muscles, each machine uses push-and-pull motions to create toned, lean arms and legs perfect for crushing a grapefruit without looking like you can. An experienced trainer is always nearby to help manage machine maneuvering and muscle making.

Zombies traditionally crave human flesh, but the undead participating in the Zombies Got Guts race hunger for something else: to be human again. Donning their most creative zombie garb, racers compete on a 10-obstacle, 3K course, winning part of an antidote for every challenge they complete. Spectators can gather around the start and finish lines for a glimpse of the undead hoards setting off or––if they're lucky––transforming back into their old selves. The event also includes hourly tours of Fort Adams and a picnic on the Fort Adams parade field.