Back Trackin', Rhode Island Edition - Rain Day Fun in Newport

Hey, all! Project Thanksgiving is under way, so posting will be light this week. Since I'm being lazy on the blog front :), I thought I would share with you a post that was originally published on Weddingbee.com but modified a bit for this blog. Enjoy!


You can't always have great weather, and that was the case in the Northeast in the summer of 2009. We got so much rain that summer, we didn't know what to do with it all. That was most definitely the case during our final days of our trip to Newport.

So what's there to do in Newport on a rainy day? Tennis, anyone?

Husband J and I stopped in to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I can pretty much appreciate most sports and love live tennis. Husband J and I have even had one of our most fun outings ever together at the U.S. Open. I think that it had a lot to do with the martinis they were serving, but the tennis was good too!

Here's Husband J at the street entrance. You have no idea that you're about to walk into this.....

There were quite a few exhibits and items that you definitely can't find anywhere else.

The outfit Roger Federer wore when he won his 15th Grand Slam title. He's got some really huge feet!!

Some great memorabilia from the Battle of the Sexes match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973.

A painting of the amazing player and humanitarian, Arthur Ashe

A visit to Newport isn't complete without venturing out to its many historic mansions, the most famous being The Breakers. All I can say is, "WOW!" I didn't realize that this kind of opulence existed in the U.S. I'm talking Louis XIV Versailles-style, peeps.

Here's the outside..not bad for a summer "cottage"

We couldn't take pictures inside, but here's a taste of what you can see:

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The Great Hall

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Mr. Vanderbilt's room (His wife slept in a different one....)

That's me in the backyard :)

There are several lovely mansions besides The Breakers including Marble House. Marble House was built as a present from William Vanderbilt (brother of Cornelius, the one who built The Breakers) to his wife, Alva, who would divorce him a couple of years (or so) later after it was built. Oh well.

Here's Husband J in the Marble House driveway.

This structure in the backyard is a replica Japanese tea house. Alva Vanderbilt used to hold women's suffrage meetings here.

Now it's a cafe for guests to enjoy.

In all, we had a great time in Newport, rain or shine. There's quite a bit to keep you busy if you can't get out to go to the beach or sail. I didn't even talk about the food we ate!!