10 Things to Do in Newport when Waiting for your Dinghy

I got plenty of practice at patience this week when our 5 – 7 days in Newport stretched to 13 days as we waited for our dinghy engine parts and repairs. Doug reminded me that being cranky doesn’t help and I reminded myself to intentionally take a deep breath and enjoy what comes our way. So, with that attitude, below are 10 fun things we did during our long stay in Newport beyond the standard tourist attractions and boat projects.

1. Visit Wickford – a quaint town with nice shops, restaurants, and historic homes. We had a great family stroll and lunch and I did a solo early morning run to get in some alone time.
2. Improv at the Firehouse Theater – The Bit Players perform on Fri, Sat, Mon and Wed nights. BYOB for a surprisingly fun night of comedy.
3. Spend time with family – we were lucky that my brother and his family live in Newport and were awesome hosts – BBQ’s at their house, a softball tournament (Go Riptide!), and catching up.

   

4. Game Day and Movie Night – when it rains for the day, hunker down and pull out the board games and movies.
5. Rent bikes at Newport Bicycle – Nice road bikes with proper gears! Ride out Bellevue Ave by the mansions then park the bikes at 40 Steps and walk the Cliff Walk.
6. Visit the National Museum of American Illustration – Excellent museum set in a historic mansion with a great audio tour. This one was a surprising family favorite.

   

7. Jazz or Folk Festival – We were fortunate to be in town for the yearly Folk and Jazz festivals. Last minute Jazz Festival tickets to see Trombone Shorty from StubHub cheered everyone up.
8. Visit Jamestown – The small downtown has nice shops and restaurants. With time to kill, we ventured farther out wandering past the old homes of Jamestown. And surprise, we got to Dutch Harbor on the other side of the island and found a snack shack at the Boatyard with drinks and tacos. Homemade mango lime juice made our day!
9. Eat at The Pink Pig BBQ and Boru Noodle Bar – Great BBQ in Jamestown and Ramen in Newport? Who knew? Two don’t miss lunch stops when we needed a break from seafood.

   

10. Circumnavigate Narragansett Bay – A day sail that cannot be beat! We liked it so much that when one of Erin’s school friends happened to be in town for vacation, we did a second mini harbor tour with her family.

    

After all of those activities, our dinghy engine is finally fixed and we are on the move again! Headed to Mattapoisett for the evening to stage for an early morning Cape Cod Canal transit, then a few days in Provincetown before heading to Maine. And I’m confident that my patience is now improved enough that I don’t need any more lessons for a bit!