Rhode Island

For a glorious hike take the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk, which hugs the coast along the back side of Newport's mansions from Memorial Blvd to Bailey's Beach. You will not only enjoy the same dramatic ocean views that were once reserved for the Newport elite, but you'll also get to gawk at their mansions along the way.

Ten historic properties, including six of Newport's grandest mansions, are managed by this society. Each mansion takes about 90 minutes to tour. From April to mid-October, the Breakers and Rosecliff are open from 9am and the other mansions from 10am. Closing times vary and hours are reduced in the off-season – call ahead. A variety of discount ticket options are available: check the website for details.

During summer and on a handful of dates in the cooler months, much of downtown Providence transforms into a carnivalesque festival during the popular WaterFire art installation created by Barnaby Evans in 1994. Marking the convergence of the Providence, Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket rivers, 100 flaming braziers illuminate the water, overlooked by crowds strolling over the bridges and along the riverside.

Immediately east of Providence's downtown, you'll find College Hill, where you can see the city's Colonial history reflected in the 18th-century houses that line Benefit St on the East Side. These are mostly private homes, but many are open for tours one weekend in June during the annual Festival of Historic Houses. Benefit St is a fitting symbol of the Providence renaissance, rescued by local preservationists in the 1960s from misguided urban-renewal efforts that would have destroyed it.

A 5-mile drive southwest of Westerly town center, you'll come to the cloistered community known as Watch Hill, where New York's rich and/or famous have lavish and beautiful cliff-top mansions overlooking the wild Atlantic Ocean. Parking here is tricky, but the best thing to do is find a spot for your chariot, then stroll the hilly streets and lanes, respectfully taking a peek at how the other half live: a good place to start is around the Ocean House hotel.

The ruddy-brick John Brown House, built in 1786 atop College Hill, now houses yet another impressive Rhode Island local history museum. This one is lovingly curated by the Rhode Island Historical Society. Both docent-led and audio-guide tours (around an hour) are available as you walk your way through the beautiful, authentically furnished period rooms of the mansion.

This wonderful interactive art project, akin to a grown-up version of hide-and-seek, was started by Rhode Island artist and glassblower, Eben Horton, to promote the natural beauty of Block Island. Initially, 550 numbered, hand-blown glass orbs have been hidden along Greenway Walking Trails across the island. The rules are simple: if you find an orb, keep it and register your find with the Block Island Hospitality Center; if you find another, leave it for the next sleuth.

Slater Mill, on the banks of the lower Blackstone River, has been dubbed the 'Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution' – with good cause. It was here that, in 1793, Samuel Slater built the first successful water-powered cotton-spinning mill in North America, which effectively shaped the world we live in today. The site comprises the lovingly restored 1793 Old Slater Mill, the 1810 Wilkinson Mill and Sylvanus Brown's 1758 early Pawtucket cottage, housing exhibits on cotton-spinning and local history.

With good surf and close proximity to the Connecticut state line, Misquamicut draws huge crowds. It offers families low prices and convenient facilities for changing, showering and eating.

Located in Portsmouth, 6 miles north of Newport, on the site of a former missile manufacturing plant, this fantastic, new-in-2017 museum showcases more than 60 vintage, classic, hot-rod and muscle cars that will elicit sighs of envy from any self-respecting rev-head. The state-of-the-art 50,000-sq-ft exhibition space features meticulously preserved European and American cars dramatically lit in the style of a contemporary art gallery. Accompanying displays show tech specs and tell the stories behind the cars.