My Rhode Island Stopover: Mansions & Seafood

On my way to Boston, I made a detour to Rhode Island—got to check out the grand mansions and try the popular seafood spots! Experiencing the "old money" charm from over a century ago was truly a one-of-a-kind travel highlight 😌. Newport is literally lined with magnificent mansions 🏰! I bought a combo ticket and visited two iconic ones: The Breakers and The Elms. Stepping inside felt like stepping back into the Gilded Age—even their vacation homes were this opulent! The Breakers was extra lavish, with every corner screaming luxury ✨; The Elms had a more modern vibe, and I absolutely fell in love with its front courtyard and the huge banyan tree there 🌳. Wandering through these mansions, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d jumped into the world of The Great Gatsby 🎞️! That said, no matter how fancy they were, they didn’t really wow me—after all, "there’s no place like home," even compared to these 130-year-old "golden nests" 🏠. I also took a stroll along Cliff Walk 🚶♀️—the views of the ocean and coastline were stunning, totally worth the walk 🌊! For seafood, I went to The Moorings, a spot with great reviews on Google and Yelp 📱. Honestly? It was "okay" but definitely didn’t live up to the hype 😕. Let’s break it down: Seafood pasta: The sauce was… just indescribable (not in a good way) 🍝; Lobster roll: It was fine, pretty much on par with the ones at Quincy Market 🦞; Fried lobster balls: Way too salty 🥟; Clam chowder: Far too thick 🥣. Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend it. If you do decide to go, make sure to lower your expectations! Also, parking was a bummer—$11 per hour, and we ended up parking for 2 hours 🅿️💸. #MyEats #NewportRI #RhodeIsland #TheMoorings #TheBreakers #TheElms #LobsterRoll #SeafoodAdventure