Mansions and Munchies; Christmas in Newport, Rhode Island

Winter tends to be a tough time of year to plan a road trip because of the cold weather and worries about possible difficult driving conditions. However, on those days that are nice we always find time to get out of town. Newport, Rhode Island is generally thought of as a summer destination but you may want to take a trip to help get you in the holiday mood. With the festive season upon us, we thought it would be the perfect place to enjoy seeing some Christmas decorations. Three of the historic Newport mansions (The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms) are open and dressed in their holiday finest from November 19th to January 2nd. 

Rest assured we didn't forget our foodie roots and sampled some of the local cuisine and have a few suggestions.  You won't be disappointed. 

So it's time to get you in the holiday spirit with another trip to the great state of Rhode Island.

First up, The Breakers:


And just a small sample of their beautiful decorations:


And then Marble House:


One of their trees:


And finally the Elms:


After spending three hours walking through the Mansions and looking at all that is Christmas we were getting hungry. While strolling on Bellevue Avenue, we walked into one of the nearby jewelry stores and chatted with the employees to see where the locals would recommend for dinner. A very nice lady gave a bunch of suggestions but she said that Jo's American Bistro was our best option.


A nice warm cozy environment inside with candles flickering, Christmas music in the background and decorations on the windows this made for a great first impression:

The fried calamari with a Thai chile aioli was superb!


How about a tender filet with bacon, cheddar mashed potatoes?


And mini cupcakes for dessert, Yum!


Fast forward to the next morning and we found the The Corner Cafe for breakfast:


My wife, who is originally from Rhode Island, insists that everyone in the state is nice and after meeting the wait staff here I agree! Talk about getting us in the Christmas mood, it certainly helps when everyone is friendly.

Huevos Rancheros - delicious!



Want to know how far it is from you and the Mansions, Jo's and The Corner Cafe: Click on the map below for the distance to Newport.

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