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F A Q
Hours:
    Sunrise to Sunset
    365 Days a Year


Entrance Fee:
    Free

Harbor Shoreline
Google Map


Return Trip
South Walk:

    No Public Bus

Return Trip
    Walk north Wellington Ave, Thames St. > America's Cup Ave. > Long Wharf, > Washington St. -- 1.5 miles -- 31 minutes

Dogs:
    Leash only

Facilities
South Walk:
-- Newport Visitor's Center
-- Perrotti Park
-- Ann St. Pier Maritime Center
-- King Park


Map to Start:
    Newport Shipyard

Map to End
South Walk:

    King Park

Parking:
    Gateway Paid
    Wellington Free


Handicap Access:
     Public streets and sidewalks cover most of the walk, but cross links to public rights of way may be a problem.

Time to Finish
Each Walk:

     2.5 hours depending on how many shortcuts taken

Bike:
     Public streets are no problem but for traffic, but several areas are loose gravel or narrow.

Baby Carriage:
     Public streets and some public access over private land.
Picnic Area:
     King Park

Emergency:
    Cell 911

Refreshments
South Walk:
    
Everywhere and nearly everything

Maintenance:

    Public streets, rights of way and private property open to pedestrian travel. Parks are Newport City.

Liability:
    Limited -- Public Right of Way over private property, as well as city streets and sidewalks.

Harbor Walk Commission?
Newport is looking for members for the Harbor Walk Commission ... contact your City Councilor
Newport Harbor Walk Nameplate
Newport Harbor Walk South                             Newport Harbor Walk North
New Animated and GPS-Based Google Map Instructions [Beta Test]
Also See: Newport Cliff Walk  and  Newport's Ten Mile Drive
  • Newport Harbor Walk Perrotti Park
  • Newport Harbor Walk Maritime Center
  • Newport Harbor Walk Newport Shipyard
  • Newport Harbor Walk  Ferry Landing Bowen's Wharf
  • Newport Harbor Walk Stone Pier King Park
  • Newport Harbor Walk Dock at Washington St Ferrazolli Park
  • Newport Harbor Walk Tunnel to Ann St. Pier
  • Newport Harbor Walk Sign
  • Newport Harbor Walk Wellington Right of Way
  • Newport Harbor Walk State Fishing Pier
History Shaped Colorful Harbor Walk

        Since the discovery of America and its early colonization by the British, Newport specifically stood out from the rest of the colonies as it was one of the five major commercial seaports in the New World.

Newport Harbor Walk Map and poster        Because of its location, resources, and geography, Newport became an ideal center for industry and commerce to flourish and thrive. In the early seventeenth century Newport quickly transitioned from a farming community into a bustling, growing urban landscape in which laborers, artisans, craftsmen, and merchants alike tried to establish their businesses and take part in the boundless opportunities that America offered.

        Newport continued to prosper and develop at a rapid rate throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, changing the landscape of Newport from farms and windmills to streets, neighborhoods, workshops, fishing and marine industry, and shops. However, by 1760 this growth eventually slowed and came to a stop when British-Colonial relations became tense.

        Restrictive trade taxes and regulations such as the Stamp, Tea, and Sugar Acts put immense strain on Newport’s economy and increased anti-British sentiments. Finally, in 1776 Newport’s maritime economy literally ground to a halt when Crown troops occupied the city only to leave when they were needed in New York. Newport Harbor Walk Re-enactment of Rochambeau arrival

        With the conclusion of the American Revolution in 1783, Newport hoped to see the rebirth of its economy. However, by this time commerce and trade had shifted northward to Providence which had been less affected by the war. Attempts to jumpstart Newport’s economy through the illegal slave trade, the whaling industry, and the textile industry in the early nineteenth century were temporary solutions and ultimately failed.


        Newport’s economy finally turned around in the 1830s when the city became a popular choice among affluent families from the South, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia looking for a summer seaside resort. As the socially elite began to flock to Newport and build summer homes, a huge demand for laborers, carpenters, masons, plumbers, chefs, clerks, bookkeepers, gardeners, and servants arose.

        In order to meet this demand, Newport underwent a drastic revitalization in which the population swelled and construction increased in order to accommodate both the visiting upper class and the growing working class.

        Today Newport continues to attract visitors because of its picturesque scenery, history, cultural festivals, and variety of shops just as it did since its humble beginnings.

Newport Harbor Walk is broken into two segments Harbor Walk South [Main Harbor] and Harbor Walk North [The Point and Goat Island].

Newport Harbor Walk Rochambeau to High Tech Hull         Harbor Walk South [Main Harbor] covers Newport's "Active" harbor with a wide selection of boating, sailing, entertainment, history, and night-time action. Here's the typical New England waterfront that now mixes a large and active commercial boatyard and everything from T-shirts, to trendy boutiques, to antique shops, to "Chowda" tasting, to lobster tank looking, to tall ship sailing, to learning how to pour brass marine fittings and bend oak ribs.

        While Harbor Walk South is just over two miles from Stone Pier at King Park to Newport Shipyard, the harbor explorer is exposed to multiple diversions ... this is not an area to be rushed. A walking round trip is over four miles.

Newport Harbor Walk Bridge and St. John Church         Harbor Walk North covers Goat Island and Newport's historic residential Point Section which was the original colonial center of the city and waterfront. While the British managed to destroy Newport's colonial waterfront by breaking up and burning the wood docks for heat during the War for Independence, this section of the city has retained a surprisingly large number of colonial homes dating in the 1700s. Combined with a number a Victorian gems, this area of Newport is architecturally rich.

        The full Harbor Walk North tour starting at Storer Park to Goat Island and through the Point Section is just under three miles.
Newport Harbor Walk Image from 1873
Newport Harbor Walk Navy Hospital shoreline

Slated for 2017
Navy Harbor Walk

the continuation of Harbor Walk
to the North
Interesting Newport Walks/Drives:
Cliff Walk
This site is produced and sponsored by WebGhosts.com
in collaboration with Friends of the Waterfront
... "Preserving Our Shoreline for the Public"
v.7.15.2015 copyright WebGhosts.com, PhotoGhosts.com, Newport, RI 02840
Newport Harbor Walk web site is under construction. We welcome information or photos to share Web Master.