Onward to Rhode Island
As we tearfully said goodbye to Camden, we pressed onward to Newport, Rhode Island. The drive took about 5 hours total.
The rain from last night spread a thick blanket of clouds across New England such that, when we got to Newport, the skies were still flat and dull. Having bookmarked a bunch of stuff for us to see and do on the map, we started by getting hot dogs at Wally’s Wieners on Thames Street.
Thames was packed with tourists like us. Unlike Camden, though, I didn’t think it was especially nice. All the shops we saw were some version of beach t-shirt you’d find along a boardwalk in Florida, and because the city was so old, the street was tight and cramped with too many cars running through it.
Justin recommended a coffee spot that we stopped to check out. It was good, but way too crowded for comfort. Finding ourselves not enjoying the experience, we sought out some other place on the island to check out.
I’d read before we went that the Cliff Walk was a must-do for first time visitors. After parking the car and wandering down to the cliffside, it was immediately clear that this was what we were meant to enjoy in Newport. The Cliff Walk is exactly what it sounds like; a cliff overlooking the sea that the public can enjoy. Old mansions that once housed Vanderbilts and other old-school wealthy Americans lined the walk, providing an interesting architectural element to complement the natural beauty of the cliff.
We drove Ocean Avenue, went around Brenton Point State Park, failed to visit Fort Adams State Park because a jazz festival was happening, and ended up going to Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling for dinner.
The sky, which had been overcast and threatening rain all afternoon, was beginning to worsen. Exhausted from traveling and being out all day, we decided to call it an early evening and checked into the hotel room where we watched a documentary and fell asleep before 10 PM.