4.7 / 5Best of Newport and Saint John Two Port Package
4.8 / 5 | 112 Reviews
Small
Moderate
An approximately 10 minute walk from the cruise ship pier.Newport History Walking Tour
Join an expert guide on this Newport History walking tour and learn about Newport's history from the colonial Golden Age to the Gilded Age! Hear stories of entrepreneurship, African American heritage, religious diversity, pirates, privateers, the American Revolution and more.
Your tour starts at the historic Brick Market building. This award-winning institution provides people of all ages with an engaging introduction to the area's rich history and the beauty of its architecture. Glimpse the lives of the people --past and present-- who have made Newport one of America's most historic cities. Next, you'll visit the Washington Square. It is the geographical and historical heart of Newport, Rhode Island. More trapezoid than square, it exists at the intersection of several major streets and what was the colonial long wharf, projecting into the harbor off Aquidneck Island and into Narragansett Bay.
Continue on to the Old Quarter. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 due to its extensive and well-preserved assortment of intact colonial buildings dating from the early and mid-18th century. In Newport, 17th-century English settlers started a community based on religious toleration, which lead to a thriving, cosmopolitan city. It attracted craftsmen and artists, and citizens with the wherewithal to patronize them. Distinctly American originals, such as Newport's Goddard-Townsend craftsmen, the finest furniture makers in America, flourished in Newport. In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy Americans, along with gifted artists, writers, and architects, made Newport their summer resort during the Gilded Age. Your tour concludes near the Washington Square.
Book your spot on this historical tour today.
Standard
Easy
An approximately 5-minute walk from the cruise ship pier. Top 10 Highlights & Bay of Fundy
Grab your camera and get ready to explore Saint John and Saint Martin. Saint John, also known as the Greatest Little City in the East, is a vibrant waterfront town and you'll soon understand why as you immerse yourself in its Victorian charms, Irish roots and friendly people. You will also visit Saint Martin, the village was founded as Quaco in 1783 by soldiers from the disbanded loyalist King's Orange Rangers. Life here is governed by the rhythm of the world's highest tides.
Stroll through picturesque tree-lined neighborhoods and make your way down to the historical architecture in the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area. At the City Market you will meander through aisles of stalls with vendors peddling everything from fruit and cheese to gourmet coffees, teas and local apparel. Enjoy the immaculate gardens, monuments and bandstand at the public Kings Square, then head to the Loyalist Burial Grounds with its semi-circular arch-topped wrought iron gates. Once here, look at the worn engravings on the original tombstones of the first residents who arrived in America for "a way of life free of persecution and hostilities." While in town head to the Saint John River to watch the Reversing Falls Rapids, a series of rapids and whirlpools that occur as the river collides with the Bay of Fundy.
Down in the quaint fishing village of Saint Martin you will find the world's best seafood chowder and the world-famous Bay of Fundy. This special bay has the world's highest tides thanks to its unique delta shape. At the extreme, the difference between the low and high tides can measure up to 19 meters! Arrive at the bay when the Atlantic Ocean has rescinded and walk up to 40 feet across the ocean floor and see dark, hidden caves, breathtaking rock cliffs, dramatic mud flats and much more. While here, learn about the 12 species of whales as well as dolphins, fish, seals and other marine life that call these marvelous waters home.
This tour is a must-do for history buffs and bonafide nature lovers! Book this popular tour now and reserve your place.