Lobsterfest & Newport Playhouse 23

Day 1

Welcome Aboard! Settle back, relax and enjoy a leisurely drive to "The Ocean State," Rhode Island for the beginning of a great "New Tour" get-away filled with sightseeing, delicious food, entertainment, and shopping! Our first destination today is Mystic, Connecticut. Upon our arrival, enjoy some leisure time at Olde Mistick Village, a recreated picturesque 18th-century New England town with small independent shops, boutiques, restaurants and much more! Following our visit, we travel to Middletown, Rhode Island, a suburb of Newport, where we spend the next three nights at the Wyndham Newport Hotel. After checking into our hotel, rest and refresh in the comfort of your spacious room before we are treated to a delicious dinner at the hotel.

Day 2

After breakfast we meet our step-on guide, and depart for a tour of Newport's two famous scenic routes. First, we will visit Bellevue Avenue which is lined with opulent "summer cottages", and then we travel along Ten Mile Ocean Drive where we will view more stunning estates and enjoy spectacular views of the ocean! Following our riding tour, we visit the Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant for the highlight of our tour. You will dine on a Lobsterfest for lunch, followed by a lighthearted play, and after the "curtain falls" watch as the dining room is transformed into a delightful Cabaret where the Company Members continue to entertain us with songs and laughter! Next, we enjoy a visit to the Brick Market Place for some shopping and dinner on your own. Containing over 25 unique shops and eateries, Brick Market Place includes three parallel rows of businesses offering everything you could dream of from Fashion to Shoes to handmade Gifts and Souvenirs.

Day 3

After breakfast we'll visit the Marble House, for a self-guided audio tour. Built between 1888 and 1892 by Mr. William K. Vanderbilt as a birthday gift for his dynamic wife Alva, a leading hostess in Newport society who envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America. The house contains 500,000 cubic feet of marble and a Chinese Tea House built on the seaside cliffs, where Alva hosted rallies for women's right to vote. Next, we visit Bowen's Wharf, the Anchor of the Newport Waterfront, and premiere shopping and dining destination! Along brick walks and granite quays are redeveloped 18th-century sailmaker's shops, sail-drying lofts, and a variety of commercial wharf buildings that were essential for a busy maritime wharf and the establishing of Newport as a thriving seaport in one of the finest natural harbors in New England. Here you will find fragrant soaps and body lotions, unique jewelry, the latest fashions for women and men, and a diverse selection of tasty eateries and great restaurants. Lunch is on your own. Next, we climb aboard the Amazing Grace for a narrated cruise through Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. The one-hour scenic cruise includes close-up views of the lighthouses, sailing ships and yachts, grand ocean front estates, and more. Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own at the hotel's restaurant.

Day 4

After breakfast we will visit Rosecliff, for a self-guided audio tour. Commissioned by Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs in 1899, architect Stanford White modeled this mansion after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French Kings at Versailles. The magnificent ballroom, the largest in Newport, was the site of fabulous parties, including a fairy tale dinner and a party featuring famed magician Harry Houdini. Rosecliff has been the setting for several movies including "The Great Gatsby," "True Lies," "Amistad" and "27 Dresses". Following our tour, settle back for a relaxing drive home while you enjoy fresh memories from a terrific "Ocean State" get-away, the New England seacoast and maritime history and the opulence of America's Gilded Age.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D =Dinner