This year marks the United States’ 250th birthday and it doesn’t get more Yankee Doodle Dandy than small town Bristol, in America’s smallest state, and home to the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebration in the country, dating back to 1785. But its patriotic vibe isn’t reserved only for one day in July — the center line on Hope Street, the town’s main thoroughfare, is permanently painted red, white, and blue, a federal exemption to standard traffic laws.
An easy, 30-minute drive from flashier Newport, there’s lots to explore throughout the year. Blithewold is a 45-room English-style manor house (warmer and less bling-y than Newport’s mansions), poetic gardens, and arboretum that overlook Narragansett Bay, from which to observe the area’s sailboat obsession. There’s wildlife spotting at nearby Seapowet Marsh, a lotus-filled pond that’s a teeming ecosystem, and Fogland Beach, a blackstone shoreline that’s perfect for kayaking and windsurfing. Back in downtown Bristol, stop for a pint and a burger at DeWolf Tavern, in what was once the DeWolf Rum Distillery situated on the waterfront landing.
However, to sleep like a scion, head to Newport for a night at the Vanderbilt Hotel, a restored Georgian-style mansion said to have been built for the mistress of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt. Gilded Age flourishes abound from sumptuous bedrooms, a Doris Duke-inspired parlor, and a secret bar, in which a Vanderbilt martini is a must.
