Things to Do in Portsmouth

Save the Bay started in 1970 to combat the raw sewage and industrial toxins that littered Narragansett Bay. Since that time, Save the Bay's staff and volunteers have steadfastly revived the bay and its surrounding ecology by using a sustainable-ecosystem approach. The heart of their operation is the 15,000-square-foot Save the Bay Center. Its stormwater-management system contains a vegetated roof, a coastal-buffer zone, swales, and basins that can absorb and filter 164,826 gallons of rainwater. Made from recycled steel and metal, the center's interior hosts an array of educational programs for adults and kids. The center also features an aquarium, camps, and marine-life tours aboard its 45-foot US Coast Guard–certified vessel Alletta Morris or its 27-foot vessel Swift.

A non-profit film series, newportFILM sparks cinematic discourse in the Rhode Island community with independent programming. The organization aims to invigorate the filmmaking and film-loving communities with a festival spirit year-round, hosting themed mini-festivals on topics such as animals or the environment. Films travel to a variety of theme-appropriate venues, from summer showings under the stars to atmosphere-heavy historic theaters renovated to include high-tech A/V equipment but retain their old-fashioned scratch-and-sniff popcorn-scented seats.