As if the near-limitless luxuries and thrilling adventures presented at The Preserve Resort & Spa in Southern New England are not tempting enough for you to make your home within its 3,500 acres, there is so much more to entice you within a 30 minute drive of its Richmond, Rhode Island, Southern New England gates
There is no finer, more fabled destination than Newport – the City by the Sea. Since the gilded age, when its internationally renowned mansions sprang forth, to today’s vital marriage of tradition and innovation, Newport has maintained special places in the souls and minds of visitors from all social strata.
Tours of Newport’s great mansions are but the tip of a massive iceberg that will – and here comes the mixed metaphor of the century – warm your heart and fire your imaginations. Take, for instance, a drive along the coastline. Even without a mansion in sight, the rugged topography with its rocky outcroppings and crashing surf will cast a spell you’ll not easily shake.
Within its downtown area, Newport offers a collection of fine and casual dining restaurants unlike any other on the planet. Shops of all descriptions line historic Thames Street. And history itself will come alive as you walk the narrow, ancient streets with their well-preserved 18th and 19th century homes.
Whether you’re an impassioned spectator or skilled participant, boating from Newport’s glorious safe harbor will enrapture you. Shipboard tours of the surrounding waters reveal a full-bodied portrait of the City by the Sea that no land-based excursion can rival.
Newport – it awaits you less than 30 minutes from your Preserve home.
A short drive up Rt. 95 North will bring you to Providence, the Renaissance City and the capitol of Rhode Island. The city’s skyline seems to change from day to day as tastefully designed structures endlessly rise. All are mandated to find aesthetic blends of the past we know and the future we imagine. The results will take your breath away.
College Hill overlooks Providence from the east, its Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design buildings seamlessly integrated into a cityscape that includes Benefit Street – the magnificently restored 18th century neighborhood that is a living history text.
Providence has developed an international reputation as a “foodies” paradise. You will be presented with a poverty of riches as you attempt to choose an eatery from the scores of hugely respected choices before you.
On the West Side, you can stroll the streets of Federal Hill, one of America’s most famous “Little Italy” neighborhoods. As you might expect, restaurants are everywhere. But so too are shops of all descriptions. Think of “The Hill” – and, for that matter, all of Providence – as an antidote to the homogenization of the American city.
Nestled in the southwestern corner of Rhode Island, the aptly named Westerly as a “quieter” version of Newport – once with an aesthetic all its own. Long a summer home for the wealthiest of Manhattan residents, the city today has lost none of its panache even as it has gained an “everyman” vibe.
The Ocean House hotel dominates the famed Watch Hill neighborhood cityscape. A magnificent restoration of a gilded era masterpiece, it today offers luxury hotel and condominium accommodations with glorious views of the Atlantic, a five-star dining room, and a host of special services beyond description.
The Olympia Tea Room is a delightful eatery in the quaint Watch Hill “downtown” – just across from one of America’s few remaining, fully restored carousels. Boats of all descriptions find safe harbor in the nearby bay.
Watch Hill is indeed a harbor of refuge from life’s strident insistencies.
And then there is Mystic, Connecticut – a marvelous destination just over the Rhode Island border that is worthy of “ringer” status here.
Think of Mystic as a smaller version of Watch Hill, more quaint, delivering an overall aesthetic that doesn’t overpower the senses as it does seduce them.
So choose your destination in Southern New England, set out from The Preserve, and, to put it simply, have a ball. And no matter where you go, know that The Preserve will welcome you home in a manner that is unmatched anywhere on our green planet.
