Free mansion visits, Harvest Festival, Taste of Newport: Time to make your weekend plans
Halloween may be right around the corner and there are plenty of holiday-related events taking place this weekend, but there's more to the end of October than candy and costumes.
If you're you're looking for something to do that doesn't involve ghosts and ghouls there is plenty happening to get you into the fall spirit and in some cases help your community.
You can help plant trees in Miantonomi Park or taste some of the best bites Newport County has to offer. Or head over to a Harvest Festival or tour some of the mansions for free.
Check out what's happening this weekend across Newport County and start making your plans.
Reforestation event in Miantonomi Park
Join the Newport Tree Conservancy for the 5th annual reforestation event in Miantonomi Park on Friday and Saturday as 100 native trees are planted in Newport’s Miantonomi Park. The Newport Tree Conservancy is pleased to continue this initiative to plant native tree species that provide shade for people and habitat for birds and other wildlife. This ambitious project is not possible without the help of the community.
Volunteers are needed and advance registration is sought. This event is family-friendly; scout and home school groups are encouraged to join.Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
NTC will provide snacks and volunteer T-shirts. Please dress for the weather, as this event is rain or shine. Bonus points for wearing something spooky. Bring a reusable water bottle, closed-toe shoes, and gloves if you have them.
For more information or to register visit https://www.newporttreeconservancy.org/volunteer. Questions? Accommodations? Email Volunteer@NewportTreeConservancy.org
Barks & Brews Fundraiser
Head over to Ragged Island Brewing for the Third Annual Barks & Brews Fundraiser on Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Hosted by Tracie Hall Real Estate, this years’ event will be in support of Operation Stand Down RI. The event is free, and includes live music, food trucks, a silent auction and a Halloween-themed Pup Parade! All proceeds collected will directly benefit homeless and at-risk veterans. Don’t forget to bring your furry friends in their Halloween finest! The Pup Parade requires a $10 donation, payable via Eventbrite or at the event.
For more information visit eventbrite.com/e/barks-brews-third-annual-pup-parade-tickets-705688452157.
Free mansion admission
Residents of Newport County are invited to enjoy free admission to the four open Preservation Society properties on Saturday and Sunday.
This offer includes residents of Jamestown, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton. Free admission is also extended to personnel stationed at Naval Station Newport and their immediate family, and to students of Salve Regina University. Proof of residence or Naval Station or student ID is required.
The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rosecliff will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Houses and grounds close one hour after last tour admission. This offer does not include the Beneath The Breakers or The Elms Servant Life tours.
With HBO’s “The Gilded Age” returning for Season 2 starting October 29, guests can enjoy the unique experience of walking through historic spaces used as settings for a popular television drama.
The free Newport Mansions app provides audio tours that tell the fascinating stories of the people who lived and worked in these grand mansions. Younger visitors can enjoy entertaining Family Tours at The Breakers and Marble House, where the mansions come to life with fun sound effects and fanciful creatures like the dolphin under the grand staircase and Apollo the Sun God bragging about his curly hair. Visitors should download the app in advance and bring their earphones or earbuds.
At Rosecliff – sparkling after an extensive $7.4 million restoration project that lasted almost eight months – be sure to visit the second floor, where the exhibition “The Celestial City: Newport and China” showcases treasures of Chinese art collected by Newport merchants and industrialists; photographs and stories from Newport’s early Chinese community; and the writings, portraits and family heirlooms of Chinese women suffragists who inspired American women’s rights leaders including Alva Vanderbilt Belmont of Marble House. Contemporary artworks by Yu-Wen Wu and Jennifer Ling Datchuk will illuminate Chinese contributions to Newport as well as hidden connections between the Newport mansions and the Chinese American experience.
For more information visit newportmansions.org/events/newport-county-days-2023.
Taste of Newport
Child & Family’s 40th Annual Taste of Newport will be held on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the Wyndham Newport Hotel in Middletown.
Established in 1866, Child & Family is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working every day to help the most vulnerable children, families, and older adults across Rhode Island. Taste is Child & Family’s signature event raising millions of dollars over the past four decades to support Child & Family programs. The past few years have been challenging for everyone but has hurt those Child & Family serves most of all. This historic annual fundraiser benefits the many Rhode Island families, children, and older adults who use Child & Family programs and services during times of crisis.
Taste is a joyful celebration of the BEST Rhode Island has to offer with the finest restaurants, caterers, beverage vendors, and confectioners. Guests will have an opportunity to bid on tempting silent auction offerings, all while learning about the important work of Child & Family throughout Rhode Island. The online auction will start Thursday, Oct. 26, at 9 a.m. and will close at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. There will also be a wine raffle held at Taste where guests will enter to win an Overnight Stay at Castle Hill Inn with Afternoon Tea, and a Gourmet Breakfast provided by Castle Hill Inn, Newport Restaurant Group, and Mancini Beverage.
For more information, including a preview of auction items and participating Tasting Station partners, visit childandfamilyri.org/tasteofnewport/
Newport Vineyards Harvest Festival
The sixth annual festival will give visitors the opportunity to sip, savor and toast to the seasons’ crush with two days full of grape stomping, wine and beer tasting, festive food, live music and new this year – a stein hoisting competition!
Two sessions are available each Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29: Session 1: 11:30 a.m.– 2 p.m.Session 2: 2:30 p.m.– 5 p.m.Tickets range from $30-$35 and include admission to one session, a souvenir logo glass, and your choice of 5 tastes from the wine and beer bars. Food items and additional beverages are available for purchase.
For more information and tickets visit https://www.newportvineyards.com/event/6th-annual-harvest-festival
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Things to do in Newport Oct. 27-29: Barks & Brews, Free mansion visits
