How to Find Cheap Hotels in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island, the one-time summer playground of America's wealthiest families, is noted for its numerous Colonial and Victorian mansions, water sports, fine dining and nightlife.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access to make your reservations

Instructions

Know Your Destination

1. Visit Newport's magnificent mansions, built during the Gilded Age by affluent families,such as the Astors(Beechwood) and the Vanderbilts(The Breakers). Scenes from the film The Great Gatsby were filmed in these mansions. At least 11 are worthwhile stops.

2. Brush up on a little local history. Newport was the epicenter of American slave trade in the late eighteenth century. God's Little Acre is one of the area's largest and oldest cemeteries, serving as the final resting place of many slaves and freed African Americans from this time period.

3. Visit the mysterious Old Stone Mill (also known as the Newport Tower). The mill is a round structure with eight arches of unknown origin but thought to be built by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago. The Christopher Columbus and George Washington statues are also essentials on the visiting list.

Organize Travel

1. Traveling to Newport, Rhode Island by plane will require a car rental from the airport. Newport is 28 miles from T.F. Greene Airport in Warwick, 75 miles from Boston's Logan Airport and 5 miles from Newport State Airport.

2. Consider taking the train to Newport. There are Amtrak stations in Kingston and Providence, Rhode Island.

3. Consider arriving by boat. The Newport Harbor Hotel has a marina with sixty slips for temporary dockage. To reserve dock space, contact the the hotel.

Choose Your Lodging

1. To book accommodations, contact Newport County Convention & Visitor's Bureau at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources below).

2. Save money by considering cheap alternative accomodations. Camping is cheap and fun. There are five campgrounds in the area surrounding Newport, in Middletown, Jamestown and Portsmouth.

3. Stay near the harbor to experience Newport's charming wharves, boutiques, restaurants and cobblestone streets. A variety of 2- and 3-star hotels are available in the vicinity.

4. Try Middletown or Jamestown if you aren't satisfied with the rates you find in Newport. They are just a few miles away.

Tips & Warnings

• Pack comfortable shoes. Newport is, for the most part, a walking town.

• Bring the appropriate outerwear for sudden weather changes.

• Take advantage of attraction admission packages and deals on cheap accommodations offered by the Preservation Society of Newport County.

• The Newport County Convention and Visitor's Bureau also offers attraction tickets, maps, discount getaway accommodations that are cheaper than many of the seasonal accommodations at some hotels. They can also help with event planning and driving directions.

• You may find cheaper accommodations if you visit during the off peak seasons, spring and fall.

• High winds or hazardous road conditions in winter may cause the Jamestown and Pell Bridges (coming into Newport from the west) to close.

• Be aware that summer is the busiest season, so book your accommodations well in advance.