Newport, Rhode Island

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For many years NEGB has visited Block Island on this weekend. We always stayed at the Old Town Inn next to the airport and enjoyed David’s and Lucinda’s hospitality. They have sold the Inn and we will try visiting Newport, RI, instead this year.

You can fly into Newport State Airport (KUUU). There are three instrument approaches, two to the shorter runway 16 (2,623ft); RNAV with MDA at 600ft and VOR/DME at 680ft and a LOC to runway 22 (720ft). Fog is always a concern this early in the season and the other choice is to fly into Quonset Airport (KOQU) which has a 7,500ft runway with ILS and RNAV to runway 16 (DA 218ft) and RNAV to 34 (MDA 460ft). Quonset airport is only a 20 min drive to Newport, and it is easy to get rental cars delivered to the airport.

Newport is a city founded 1639 set on Aquidneck Island in the New England state of Rhode Island. It is in Narragansett Bay, approximately 33 miles southeast of Providence. It is known as a New England summer resort and is also known for the Gilded Age mansions lining Bellevue Avenue, some of which are now museums. The most famous is The Breakers, an 1895 mansion patterned after a Renaissance palace. It is also famous for its rich sailing history. It was the location of the first U.S. Open tournaments in both tennis and golf, as well as every challenge to the America’s Cup between 1930 and 1983. It is also the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport, which houses the United States Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and an important Navy training center. It was a major 18th-century port city and boasts many buildings from the colonial era.

There are many hotels in Newport. We suggest that you look into a hotel that suits you. This weekend is preseason, but it is still a good idea to book early. TripAdvisor has a good list with 25 suggestions of what to see and do in Newport. Everyone is responsible for their own ground transportation.

We will plan on meeting at 6pm Friday evening for drinks and dinner. We will make dinner reservations when we know how many will be arriving Friday. Saturday, weather allowing, I will host a barbecue at 5pm at my waterfront home which is three miles south of Quonset Airport (25-minute drive from Newport).