Where else in the Northeast can you watch a chucker of polo, then head off to a professional tennis tournament, and then participate in a murder mystery dinner theatre held in a Victorian mansion, all in the same day? Where else can you attend--or participate in--a yachting regatta at sunset and then take a course in wine tasting under the stars?

The high times of the past are alive and well in this jewel of the Northeast. Out in the harbor, a restored rumrunner harkens back to the days of Prohibition. Ashore at night, several times each season, the Astor family's Beechwood Mansion is transformed into a speakeasy where you first have to work your way past the bouncer by mentioning the secret password before gaining admission to a recreated gin mill of the Roaring ‘20s. Even without planned events, the Newport mansions bring back an age of elegance, opulence and decadence.

If it's the arts that you're after, there seems to be an international festival of some kind kicking off every weekend in Newport. Food festivals, jazz festivals, arts festivals, boat shows and more will fill your personal calendar for an entire summer if you so desire.

But slow down, you say? No problem. Instead of pulling into Newport Harbor and dropping anchor amidst the wine and cheese crowd as they prepare to toast the kickoff of the annual Newport to Bermuda race, head for quieter Jamestown on Conanicut Island. Ashore you'll find that this community has somehow escaped the overdevelopment and overpopulation that has ravaged so much of our countryside. Instead, a good pair of waders and a well-practiced surfcasting motion is not wasted here, and we guarantee you won't be interrupted while communing with the crashing waves.

Of course, once you've recharged, that suspension bridge that you see spanning Narragansett Bay can send you right back into the heart of Newport. It all depends on how many RPMs you want to expend on your summer adventures.

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