Newport, Rhode Island Travel Guide: A Long Weekend with Beaches, Mansions & Dog-Friendly Stops
Newport, Rhode Island, had been on my list for a while, and over Labor Day weekend, my boyfriend and I finally made the trip with both of our pups! We stayed in Middletown, right outside of Newport, which ended up being the perfect location. It was quieter, close to the beaches, and still only about a 10–15 minute drive from Thames Street and downtown Newport.
We drove up from Pennsylvania on Thursday and stayed through Monday morning, giving us a few full days to explore. Between the beaches, Cliff Walk, boat tour, amazing food, coffee shops, and the dogs coming along for the adventure, it was the perfect long weekend. Here's my full Newport RI travel guide, day by day.
Day 1: Road Trip to Rhode Island
We left later than planned on Thursday, and the drive ended up taking us about seven hours.
Connecticut traffic... rough.
Since we brought both of our dogs, I got creative with the backseat setup. My car has captain's chairs, so I basically built them a cozy little sleeping area with whatever I could find so they could stretch out and be comfortable for the long drive.
By the time we finally made it to our Airbnb in Middletown, we were DONE. We settled in, ordered food, and went straight to bed.
Nothing exciting, but after seven hours in the car, sleep was exactly what we needed.
Day 2: Middletown, Sachuest Beach & Downtown Newport
Friday morning, we started our day at Custom House Coffee, which was only about seven minutes from our Airbnb.
We LOVED this place.
They offer mobile ordering, although the lines honestly weren't bad while we were there. I got a coffee and a donut the first morning and immediately understood why it was so highly rated. This became our coffee shop for the rest of the trip.
After coffee, we took the pups for a walk near our Airbnb.
One of the reasons I loved staying in Middletown was that we were tucked away from the busy downtown area but still close to everything. We were only about a three-minute walk from Pebble Beach.
And yes, as the name suggests...
ALL PEBBLES.
The dogs didn't care. They ran around, explored, and had a great time. It felt like such a cute little hidden spot that was completely off the beaten path.
Friday was supposed to be the warmest day of our trip, so we decided it was officially a beach day.
Most of Newport's beaches are actually located in Middletown, which worked perfectly for us. We drove past Third Beach first, where parking was around $30.
We thought that was expensive, so naturally we kept going to Sachuest Beach...
Where parking was also $30.
So, PSA: if you're visiting during peak season and don't have a local parking pass, prepare yourself for beach parking fees.
That being said, Sachuest Beach was really nice. There were bathrooms, a food stand, and plenty of space. Third Beach looked beautiful too, but it only had portable bathrooms and didn't appear to have food available, so Sachuest worked better for us.
Luckily, our Airbnb provided beach towels and chairs, so we set up for a few hours and enjoyed the sun.
For lunch, my boyfriend got a lobster roll while I stayed very on-brand with chicken tenders.
After the beach, we went back to the Airbnb, got ready, and headed into downtown Newport.
For some reason, Thames Street was DEAD.
This was a Friday night of Labor Day weekend, so we were expecting absolute chaos, but we somehow got lucky. It wasn't crowded at all.
Another Labor Day weekend bonus?
THE SALES.
Basically every store was having end-of-season sales. I found a Newport sweatshirt for $19, so naturally that came home with me.
We stopped at Bowen's Wharf for a drink. There was an outdoor area right on the pier with two bars and live music, and it was such a fun place to hang out for a while. Definitely worth stopping by if you're walking around downtown.
For dinner, we went to Stoneacre Garden, a farm-to-table restaurant I found while researching the trip.
Highly recommend.
The food was great, the restaurant was beautiful, and it was the perfect way to end our first full day.
One more Newport PSA: do a little parking research before you arrive downtown.
We paid around $30 for a lot because we didn't know the area yet, and after walking around we realized there were definitely cheaper options nearby. We weren't exactly scammed, but we definitely paid the tourist price for convenience.
After a very full day, we headed back to cuddle the dogs and go to sleep.
Day 3: Newport Cliff Walk, Cru Cafe & Sunset Boat Tour
Saturday morning started with one of Newport's most famous attractions: the Cliff Walk.
Everywhere I read said the Cliff Walk was around 3.5 miles.
Well...
We started at the very beginning and walked all the way to the end.
It was FIVE MILES.
And it does not loop.
That is a very important detail.
There are several other entrances along the Cliff Walk, including near the famous Forty Steps, if you don't want to do the entire thing. Just know that the parking around those entrances gets crowded quickly.
The walk itself was absolutely gorgeous.
You have ocean views on one side and some of Newport's incredible mansions on the other.
It is definitely something I would recommend doing.
By the time we made it to the end, though, the weather was warming up, the dogs were tired and needed water, and we suddenly had the realization:
How are we getting back to the car?
Luckily, Uber had a pet-friendly option!
Maybe this has existed forever and I just don't use Uber enough, but this was new to me.
We requested a pet-friendly Uber, and our driver happily took us and both pups back to the car.
She saved the day.
After the Cliff Walk, we wanted to try the famous Nitro Bar.
Apparently everyone else in Newport had the same idea.
It was around 11 AM, and the line was literally out the door and around the corner. We were tired, the dogs were tired, and none of us had the energy for that.
So we went back to the Airbnb and decided we'd try again another day.
Once we showered and got ready, we headed back into Newport for lunch at Cru Cafe.
This was another place that came up constantly during my research, and YES — I agree with the recommendations.
Super cute spot and really good food.
You order at the counter, receive a card for your table, and they bring the food out when it's ready. Don't be scared if the line looks long because they were extremely efficient.
Parking, however...
Again.
We paid around $24 for two hours.
At this point, I'm not sure whether Newport parking is just expensive or whether we somehow kept finding the most expensive lots possible.
After lunch, we walked around the surrounding area before deciding to visit The Breakers mansion.
Unfortunately, by the time we got there, tickets were completely sold out for the day.
It also happened to be college move-in day literally next door, so we think that may have contributed to how busy the area was.
We pivoted.
Earlier that morning during the Cliff Walk, we had passed The Chanler at Cliff Walk, which I had also read about while planning the trip. We decided to go back and have a drink there instead.
Beautiful views, beautiful property, and honestly not a bad Plan B.
We eventually went back to the Airbnb to hang out with our exhausted pups before getting ready for one of the things I was most excited about: our sunset boat tour.
I had booked a champagne sunset boat tour a few weeks before the trip because I noticed the boat tours were starting to sell out. Here's the exact tour we booked.
I am SO glad I booked it ahead of time.
The tour was around two hours, and we had such a great time. Newport is beautiful from the water, especially around sunset.
If you're planning a Newport trip, I would absolutely recommend doing some type of boat tour.
After the tour, we went to Diego's for dinner. We had gotten several recommendations for it, and luckily they were able to get us in.
The recommendation did not disappoint.
Great Mexican food and the perfect dinner after our boat tour.
Then we headed home and set an early alarm because we had unfinished business with
Nitro Bar.
Day 4: Nitro Bar, The Breakers & Sweet Berry Farm
We are huge coffee people, so we were determined to see whether Nitro Bar actually lived up to the hype.
Sunday morning, we got there around 7:20 AM.
No line.
By 7:30?
Out the door.
We timed that PERFECTLY.
We ordered three different coffees, and every single one was great.
Okay, fine. The hype was justified.
After coffee, we looked for a local trail where we could take the dogs. They were still tired from their five-mile Cliff Walk adventure the day before, so we found somewhere close by and did a shorter walk.
It was still beautiful, and honestly, Newport and Middletown have so many little outdoor areas that you can stumble across without having some huge hiking plan.
Then it was time for round two at The Breakers.
This time, there were plenty of tickets and time slots available.
And it was SO worth it.
The mansion is incredible, and it was really cool getting to see inside and learn more about the history.
The tour is self-guided. You can either follow along with the written information or download the mobile app, which I highly recommend.
After The Breakers, we stopped at Sweet Berry Farm.
This was right around the corner from our Airbnb, and I had read online that it was worth checking out.
It absolutely was.
Depending on the season, you can do things like apple picking and flower picking, but they also have a market and food inside.
We grabbed a small lunch, and everything was fresh and delicious. There is plenty of outdoor seating, a gift shop, a market, and play areas if you're traveling with kids.
Next time, we are definitely coming back for apple picking.
For our final night, I really just wanted to sit on the beach and watch the sunset.
So that's exactly what we did.
We went back to Sachuest Beach with the dogs, sat by the water, watched the sunset, and ordered DoorDash for dinner.
Honestly, it was perfect.
Nothing fancy. No reservations. No rushing around.
Just us, the pups, and the beach.
Day 5: Heading Home
We wanted to be on the road by 6 AM Monday because after our seven-hour drive to Rhode Island, we did NOT want a repeat performance.
It worked.
The drive home only took around five hours, which felt significantly better.
Newport RI Travel Guide: Quick Tips
Parking adds up: beach and downtown lots ran us about $24–30, so research cheaper lots before you go.
The Cliff Walk is about 5 miles end to end and doesn't loop. A pet-friendly Uber can get you (and the pups) back to your car.
Buy tickets for The Breakers in advance, especially on busy weekends.
Get to Nitro Bar before 7:30 AM to beat the line.
Book sunset boat tours a few weeks ahead because they sell out.
Stay in Middletown for quieter beaches and easy access to downtown Newport (10–15 minutes away).
Final Thoughts
Newport completely stole my heart.
I loved that we were able to have the best of both worlds by staying in Middletown. We had quieter beaches and trails right around us but were still only 10–15 minutes from downtown Newport, Thames Street, the mansions, restaurants, and everything else we wanted to do.
It was also a really easy trip to do with our dogs. There were plenty of places to walk them, outdoor areas to explore, and even the pet-friendly Uber option saved us after the Cliff Walk.
Between the beaches, Newport mansions, amazing restaurants, local coffee shops, shopping, sunset boat ride, and just slowing down for a few days, this was such a great trip.
We definitely didn't get to everything, which just gives me an excuse to go back.
Until next time, Newport.
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