This past Fourth of July, we took a day-trip from Mystic, Connecticut to Newport, Rhode Island where I was pleasantly surprised to find great food and amazing photo ops.

View of Easton's Beach from Cliff Walk

After a short one-hour drive from Mystic, we headed straight to the Cliff Walk.

Cliff Walk

This National Recreation Trail runs about 3.5 miles through Newport’s National Historic District.

Cliff Walk details

The walk starts at the western end of Easton’s Beach at Memorial Boulevard and runs south ending at Bellevue Avenue. There are a few exits – the last one being Ledge Road.

Beautiful

The trail is sandwiched between the Atlantic shoreline and Newport’s famed mansions. The first half of the walk is flat and simple. The path is lined with New England greenery but be careful of the poison ivy which can be a problem in the area.

Ocean to the left, mansions to the right

If you only have a short amount of time, start at Memorial Boulevard and end at the Forty Steps (my favorite part).

Forty Steps

Step #21 out of 40

Waterfall by the Forty Steps

After the Forty Steps, you’ll pass Salve Regina University, the Breakers, Rosecliff, Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Chinese Tea House, and Gull Rock Tunnel.

I call this the "Love is Life" tunnel

From here, the second half of the walk gets more challenging with no easy exits. You will find yourself hopping from rock to rock with 70 foot drops alongside of you.  Turn around here if you’re wearing flip flops!

Very slippery rocks!

The second half of the path turns into a little rock climbing

After completing the entire walk (about 2 hours if stopping for photos), you can turn around and walk back (no, thank you!) or take the 67 Yellow Line/Gateway/Via Bellevue bus line for a quick 15 minute ride back to Long Warf Mall. If you’re planning on touring any of the mansions, this would be a good time since the bus drops you off at the entrances of the most popular mansions.

By now you will be starving! If you’re looking for lunch, head to Diego’s at Bowen’s Warf – mexican food with a modern twist. Grab a seat on the patio and order a bunch of small plates to share. Ideal order: Grilled Mango Chorizo, Crispy Pulled Pork Ancho Springroll, Toro Corn, Salsa 4 Ways and The Hermosa Pizza. Don’t forget a margarita!

Diego's

After lunch, raid the stores for nautical inspired clothing and trinkets, visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame or take a sailboat ride around the harbor.

Whatever you do, just be sure to head over to Castle Hill to watch the sunset. Find an Adirondak chair on the massive lawn, check out their impressive wine list (recipient of Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence as one of the best wine lists in the world), and watch the sunset.

Stay for dinner (dress code is business casual) or head to Bannister’s Warf for the quintessential Newport dinner at Clarke Cooke House. Here you’ll find The Candy Store, Bistro, the 12M Yacht Club Room, porch and private dinning along with The Boom Boom Room – a night club drawing an electric crowd.

Sailors enjoying some ice cream at Bannister's Warf - Clarke Cooke House in background

Enjoy a nightcap at Forty 1° North - a new boutique hotel perfectly positioned on Newport’s Harbor. Grab a dockside table and ogle over the massive yachts docked in the marina – a perfect way to end a perfect day!

Visit Flickr for more photos from Newport