When it comes to Newport, the 3.5-mile long Cliff Walk is a must. On the one side you have the ocean stretching out and crashing against the rocks and then on the other side some of the most ornate mansions left in America. The walk has always been a public access trail – even going back to the 1600s when Rhode Island was a colony. The land itself actually stayed empty until the Gilded Age when wealthy families began building the incredible mansions we see today.

One of those stunning mansions situated along the Cliff Walk is Marble House – and the whole reason it exists is because it was a 39th birthday gift to Alva Vanderbilt from her husband. Yes, you read that right – a birthday gift! Not only did they hire Richard Morris Hunt, one of the most respected architects ever, Alva herself was involved in every detail. I met with Trudy Coxe, CEO and Executive Director of the Preservation Society of Newport County to tour the mansion as well as learn more about Alva’s unique life and role in fighting for women’s right to vote.

Ever see someone’s sign at a concert or race and think, “Wow, that’s a really beautiful sign.” Well, The John Stevens Shop will have your jaw on the ground. Since 1705, this shop has specialized in handmade, one of a kind stone inscriptions. Current owner and creative director, Nick Benson is a third generation stone carver and continues this ancient tradition. His inscriptions are done in two different standard fonts, and they’re the kind of fonts we are used to typing on the computer. Nick, though, can carve them by hand without making a single mistake. I join him to see just how much skill it takes to carve a single letter!

You can’t talk about Newport’s long history without taking a look at its ties to the slave trade and the unique situation enslaved Africans found themselves in here. I met with Keith Stokes of the 1696 Heritage Group to learn more about this complex history of interdependence, not to be mistaken for integration. First we met at God’s Little Acre – a communal burial ground that holds the largest and oldest collection of original markers of enslaved and freed Africans. We then moved on to the homes of Reverend Samuel Hopkins, one of the first abolitionists in America, and George Buckmaster, an active slave trader who also rented out this house to Isaac Touro, founder of one of the oldest synagogues in North America. Along the way Keith tells me more about the perseverance of these early enslaved and later freed Africans.

If you’re like me – every time you visit a lighthouse you wonder what life was like for its keepers. Well, at the Rose Island Lighthouse, you can do just that. While it got its start in the mid-1800s, the island was almost destroyed in the 1980s. I met with Charlotte Johnson, former executive director, to learn about how this whole area was almost buried under dredge material when some guys wanted to build a huge marina. Charlotte led the charge to protect the island, coming up with all sorts of protest demonstrations. Today it’s on the National Register of Historic Places and people can, in fact, come stay here overnight. During the day it’s a museum and at night guests can sleepover.

As you might expect from a city on the water, seafood is a huge part of Newport’s cuisine. When it comes to Narragansett Bay, New England’s largest estuary, the combination of fresh and saltwater make it the perfect place to find quahogs. These hard clams are found all along the eastern shoes from North to Central America and are a particular favorite in Rhode Island. I hopped aboard with Dave Gigliotti to learn more  about his surprisingly zen job of fishing for quahogs and got a quick lesson on how to properly pronounce their name.

Of course, the best way to enjoy these quahogs is with a good, ole fashioned New England clambake! If you’re in Newport, why not arrange one with McGrath Clambakes at a landmark like Historic Fort Adams? Here the clams are made by heating up rocks and using seaweed so that saltwater will steam and flavor the clams and other food. T.R. McGrath’s family is famous in these parts for his clambakes. His grandfather staged them back in the day and his father once put one on for 2,000 people. So far his biggest is 1,000 guests.