Our Newport Tradition: Four Days in Our Happy Place

Some places just feel like home. For us, that's Newport.

Chris first fell in love with Newport as a kid when his dad was working at the Naval Base. Years later, before we were even married, he brought me there for the first time. I finally understood why he talked about it so much.

Chapel where we got married

Since then, we've made it our tradition to visit at least once every year. Now that the kids are grown, coordinating everyone's schedules is a little more challenging, but somehow we always make it happen. This year we packed four days full of some of our favorite traditions and a few new discoveries that we'll definitely repeat.

We headed down Thursday morning, stopping in Jamestown for lunch at JB's on the Water. We found it last year and loved it so much that it immediately earned a permanent spot in our Newport weekend tradition. Sitting outside in the sunshine overlooking the water was the perfect way to ease into vacation mode before crossing one the Claiborne Pell Bridge into Newport.

After checking into our hotel downtown, we met Devan, Sean and the boys at The Lawn at Castle Hill Inn. If you've never been, picture Adirondack chairs scattered across a perfectly manicured lawn overlooking Narragansett Bay while sailboats quietly drift by. Add a drink in your hand and a grandson happily exploring the grass, and it's pretty close to perfection.

Dinner that evening was another first for us at Pasta Beach, and we'll absolutely be back. Everything on their menu sounded delicious, and the atmosphere was fun.

Of course, no first day in Newport is complete without a stop at Kilwin's. Chris and Frankie both ordered some chocolate ice cream while I enjoyed watching one of my favorite Newport traditions unfold around us. On our way back to the hotel, we wandered beneath the colorful Umbrella Sky installation hanging above the street. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing those colorful umbrellas.

Friday morning started early. Chris and I joined the growing line inside Co-dough Bakery about fifteen minutes before they dropped the rolls. We'd heard about their gluten free sourdough cinnamon rolls and wanted to see what all the excitement was about.

They were worth every minute of the wait.

We bought cinnamon rolls for ourselves, Devan and Sean, plus something I had never seen before: sourdough brioche hamburger buns. We grilled burgers on them after we got home and now I understand why people rave about this new sourdough everything bakery.

While we were out, we stopped by Newport City Hall to pick up copies of our marriage license for my upcoming Real ID application. Not exactly vacation excitement, but sometimes it's nice checking little life errands off the list while you're already there.

Lunch was at Clark Cooke House, somewhere we'd always stopped for drinks but never actually eaten. That officially changed this year thanks to Devan, our reservation queen. Great food, great atmosphere, and another place we'll happily add to our regular rotation.

Later that afternoon, Chris and I finally checked something off our Newport bucket list: the short walk to Castle Hill Lighthouse. We'd talked about doing it in the past but never made the time. The trail is easy enough for flip flops, and the views along the rocky shoreline are absolutely stunning. It would make the perfect picnic spot.

That evening we gathered at Surf Club for dinner and drinks with everyone. The blackened shrimp bowl I ordered may have been one of my favorite meals of the weekend. I'm already planning to recreate it at home.

Saturday morning called for coffee and a walk through downtown before we decided the weather was simply too beautiful to stay on land. We rented a small motorboat on base and spent the next hour cruising Newport Harbor. Sometimes the best way to experience Newport is simply from the water.

Lunch was at Mother Pizzeria, another annual tradition thanks to their incredible sourdough pizzas. They're also great at accommodating our ever-growing family group.

That afternoon we met up with even more family for drinks before climbing aboard a sailboat. The weather definitely wasn't ideal. Gray skies, light rain and a chilly breeze made it one of those "Well...we're here!" kind of adventures.

By Sunday morning, we weren't quite ready to leave.

We started with breakfast walk to Drift Cafe, where we'd discovered the day before that their acai bowls and gluten free breakfast options were too good not to repeat. Sometimes when you find something great, you don't need to keep searching.

Every Newport trip looks a little different. Restaurants change. We find new places to explore. The kids and grandkids get older. 

But the reason we keep coming back never changes. It's not just the sailboats, the ocean views, or the incredible food. It's the memories we're still making there.

A Slice of Home: Cincinnati Traditions That Never Get Old

Every summer, we make our way back to Cincinnati. We always stay with my mom, who picks us up and drops us off at the airport like the true MVP she is. (Even when that meant leaving her house at 3:30AM for our departing flight...now that’s love.) 

⚾ What We Did:

• This was the first time in almost 10 years that we were home during baseball season and the Reds were actually playing at home, so we made the most of it with a game night alongside my mom, aunt, and BFF. We had amazing seats down the first base line (thank you, Seat Geek!), caught two free t-shirts from the Spirit Team, the Reds won, and the whole night was the best kind of summer nostalgia. Bonus: we landed the perfect parking spot thanks to my aunt - too good to share publicly!

  

• Visited Krohn Conservatory for the Gothic Botanica Butterfly Exhibit. At least one butterfly landed on each of us (me, Mr. C, my mom, and my BFF), and I even ran into a former student and her mom...such a sweet treat.

  

• Took a quick walk over to Mirror Lake in Eden Park after Krohn's for a short break. Too hot to stay long, but a beautiful view while we were there.

  

🍴 What We Ate (When Mom Wasn’t Cooking):

• LaRosa’s pizza and hoagies - my forever favorite. We had it for lunch the day we arrived, grabbed slices at the ballpark, had pizza again our last night, and brought hoagies back to Maine to stretch the hometown flavor just a little longer. Is that too much?!?

  

• Shoreline Social - after the butterfly exhibit, we headed here for burgers and a breeze. The outdoor seating overlooks the Four Seasons Marina and was the perfect mid-afternoon recharge. Fortunately the breeze cooperated so we could enjoy being outdoors.

  

• Cazadores in Milford - a family tradition for Mexican lunch. We met up with my aunt and sister, and while the food was great, the margaritas may have been the real highlight.

  

Love getting home to see my favorite people, revisit my favorite places, and play tourist in between. It’s never long enough. So grateful for family and my BFF for always making time for us. Until next time, Cincy. 💛

Summer Road Trip to Newport, RI: Highlights and Adventures

We just wrapped up another fantastic summer road trip to Newport, RI, and it was everything we hoped for and more! We stayed downtown, which meant we could easily walk everywhere and soak up all the charm this beautiful little city on the sea has to offer.

We arrived around lunchtime, so we enjoyed a picnic on the lawn outside the O'Club on the Navy base, with stunning views of Narragansett Bay and the Newport Pell Bridge. We also hit up the Exchange where mrC scored some new sneakers!

After checking into the hotel we were ready to get out and about in Newport. We hopped on the free trolley to explore the Great Elephant Migration exhibit at Salve Regina University on Bellevue Ave. Stunning! Life-size Indian elephants made out of lantana camera, an invasive weed that encroaches on wildlife habitats. It started to rain, so we headed back to the hotel for cocktails before dinner.

Dinner that night was a treat at Mother Pizzeria, a new spot we tried, followed by our traditional Kilwins ice cream downtown. You can't go to Newport without having some Kilwins!

Day two was just as wonderful. We started with another trolley ride to see more elephant exhibits at Rough Point and Breakers mansions. We even saw the iconic Rough Point camels! The Breakers was charging people full price to see the elephants, so we walked around the back on the Cliff Walk to get a peek. The views were worth it!

We hopped off the trolley to have some coffee and tea at a charming shop on Bellevue Ave while people-watching. 

Lunch at the Lobster Bar was a highlight—great views of the harbor and the boats coming and going made it extra special. Afterward, we walked down Thames Street and window-shopped a bit before popping into Giusto to enjoy an afternoon cocktail on Hammetts Wharf. They did not have the same yummy appetizer as last year.

The kids joined us in the evening for dinner at Diego's on Bowen’s Wharf, where we had the best Mexican meal we've had in Newport. We wrapped up the night with drinks at Surf Club, enjoying the outdoor seating and great conversations. My brother and sister-in-law who made it to Newport also joined us!

Our final day started a bit rough after a fun night out, but we grabbed some healthy food from the hotel and met up with the kids for a sailing tradition. Since the sailboat could only take five, I stayed behind with baby Frank. We had a blast playing on the lawn, looking for shells, watching the seagulls, and spotting a baby bunny at the O'Club. We walked over three miles, soaking in the last of Newport’s beauty.

It was a trip filled with memories and fun times with family. Until next year, Newport!

Road Trip: Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival

Back in July we took a two day road trip for the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. The festival was in many places on the Cape, but since we wanted to stay in Hyannis, we focused on events in the Upper and Mid Cape area.

After crossing the Sagamore Bridge, our first stop was at the Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich. This looked like the place to be to see the most hydrangeas and it did not disappoint.

We saw fun artwork like this throughout the gardens.

Bonus feature was a Carriage to Classic car exhibit, which made mrC very happy! He used to have a car like this.

Our next stop was the village of Sandwich to do a historic walking tour of showpiece yards and gardens. We were given a map to do a self guided tour of featured homes we could visit in the village Sandwich. There was also the option to join a group, but we wanted to go at our own pace.

After the walking tour, we grabbed smoothies and a gluten free sandwich at a local place called Beth's (so good). Then we walked all the way to Sandwich Boardwalk - we were last here Summer 2016. It was quite crowded with beach-goers and kids jumping off the bridge.

For dinner we went to Anejo Mexican Bistro for dinner, a place we knew well from our summers in Falmouth, and was a nice, easy walk from our hotel. On the way back we stopped for Katie's homemade ice cream.

The next day we planned to take a Hyannis sight-seeing boat cruise, but the weather was too windy to go out and they cancelled. Our plan B for the day was walking the Kennedy Legacy Trail. I do not recommend walking this in flip flops!

The trail had ten different spots for us to explore and learn a little bit more about the Kennedy family and their life in Hyannis. The JFK Memorial Park had a fountain that is reminiscent of the eternal flame reimagined on water. We also got to see where JFK made his acceptance speech at the Hyannis Armory, where they went to church and the museum.

We enjoyed some good food, keeping it clean and healthy leaning into gluten free and dairy free options which was pretty easy because there were a lot of options.

One food highlight was getting to eat at The Daily Paper. This place had the best GF breakfast sandwich on an English muffin when we had breakfast here after I ran the Ragnar Cape Cod in 2014 and it was still on the menu! Highly recommend having breakfast here.