Postcards from Newport Rhode Island

I thought that it would be nice to take a drive today to Newport, Rhode Island. A discovery I made a few years ago...One day when I was very homesick for Long Island, specifically the Hamptons where my mother used to live, I went for a ride. I was on the telephone with my mother and I was telling her how much I missed Long Island and that I was thinking of taking the ferry from New London Connecticut and drive there. She very often took the ferry from Montaque Point to Block Island and she was telling me that it was a very nice place to visit and why not look into a ferry from Rhode Island.


Well, I got directions to the ferry and as I drove through Rhode Island I was completely surprised by it's splendor. OMG when I saw the bridge that lead to Newport it took my breath away.



Come to think of it, it still takes my breath away. Well, the first day I arrived there I fell in love, and I called my mother and told her that Newport Rhode Island is so amazing. Now mind you Newport is only about an hour away, and you know I love adventure. The idea of crossing a bridge always awakens my wanderlust and makes me feel as though I were on vacation when I get to the other side.





As I drove along the beach drive, the homes the winding roads along the shoreline were truly spectacular.

Ocean spray, originally uploaded by bluebirdsandteapots.

I especially love the ocean view along the drive.





The museums along Belleview Avenue are just gorgeous to see from the outside. The tours for the Newport Mansions are great and I mean great like in Great Gatsby, where they filmed the movie in Rosecliff Mansion. When my oldest daughter was reading The Great Gatsby for school we toured the mansion and she said that when we were in the study it was just as the book described.





At Astors' Beechwood Mansion there is a live interactive performance. You are greeted at the door by someone who is interviewing you for a job at the mansion. They have various actors and actresses tell you the story about the mansion as you are led through the mansion on the tour. This has been one of our favorite tours.



Christmas at the mansions is another gorgeous event. My daughter Ashley gave me a tour of the Breakers for my birthday at Christmas time. The mansions are decorated with gorgeous decorations, singing choirs and Christmas festivities.

Rosecliff hosts a flower show every June, this year it is beginning on June 27th. This photo was taken on a walk along the cliffwalk.



Another really special sight is the Chinese Pagoda that was built to serve as a teahouse at the Marble House mansion. On the Newport Mansion site they described: "Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, a summer house, or "cottage", as Newporters called them in remembrance of the modest houses of the early 19th century. But Marble House was much more; it was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent stone palaces." I am a history buff, and I love interiors and driving through enchanting neighborhoods, if you are like me Newport is a place to see.





This actress who was taking us on the tour of At Astors' Beechwood Mansion sat down at the piano and sang a song to us, as we looked out at the gorgeous view.





A gorgeous cottage in a place called Gooseberry Landing along the Ocean drive by Gooseberry Beach.



If you are one of those people that love to take rides to see the homes along some fabulous neighborhood, and adore interiors, this book is wonderful. It is my favorite coffee table book, and many of my favorite ride bys are in there. The book lets me peek behind the doorways and into the history of each home. Newport has the most incredible history.




So many famous people have lived in these homes, and still do.




A lovely place to visit. The name of the song for this post is Summer Wind.

kites in newport, originally uploaded by bluebirdsandteapots.

Oh, and I almost forgot, if you drive along the shore you will eventually meet a park that overlooks the ocean. You will find the kite lady who will sell you any kind of kite you would like to fly in the summer wind.







You can't miss her, she'll be right beside the lemonade truck.

Here is a piece of the view



I designed these postcards when I first fell in love with Newport. I put them aside because I didn't know what I might do with them. It was so nice to have a reason to share them today. I hope that you enjoyed your dance through Newport today.