Newport’s southwest shoreline condenses centuries of maritime lore, Gilded-Age excess, and raw Atlantic drama into a short, easily navigated ribbon of pavement. Start at Castle Hill and track east along Ocean Drive to Brenton Point; in barely four miles you’ll pass several landmarks, from an 1890 granite lighthouse to a cove-sheltered beach, each warranting a quick pull-off or at least a glance through the windshield. Allow 60-90 minutes so you can park safely, snap photographs, and absorb the history woven into every bend of the coast.
1. Castle Hill Lighthouse
A 34-foot conical granite tower capped by a black lantern, activated in 1890 to mark the East Passage of Narragansett Bay.
2. Castle Hill Inn (Alexander Agassiz House)
The adjacent shingle-style mansion (1875) was built for marine zoologist Alexander Agassiz and today operates as a Relais & Châteaux hotel on a 40-acre peninsula.
3. U.S. Coast Guard Station Castle Hill
An active small-boat station (address: 75 Ridge Rd.) guarding the approach to Newport Harbor; you’ll glimpse its quay and patrol boats just east of the inn.
4. OceanCliff Hotel & Resort
Occupies the former Bronson Villa site (built 1864; remodeled 1892), now a 24-room Victorian-Romanesque retreat atop ten ocean-front acres, popular for weddings and sunset cocktails.
5. Seafair (Hurricane Hut)
A crescent-shaped rubble-stone mansion at 254 Ocean Ave., designed in 1936 by architect William Mackenzie Jr. and famed for surviving the Hurricane of ’38. Comedian Jay Leno purchased it in 2017.
6. Portuguese Discovery Monument
Granite sculpture ensemble (first installed 1988, rebuilt 2014) honoring 15th-century Lusophone navigators; it stands on the inland lawn just inside Brenton Point State Park’s western entrance.
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7. Brenton Point State Park
Eighty-nine ocean-sprayed acres where Narragansett Bay meets the Atlantic; free parking, picnic tables, and steady winds that power the annual Newport Kite Festival.
8. Fort Adams State Park (short detour north via Harrison Ave.)
The largest masonry coastal fortification in the United States (begun 1824); guided tours explore its bastions and listening tunnels, and the surrounding lawns host sailing regattas and music festivals.
9. Eisenhower House
Inside Fort Adams stands this 1873 Commandant’s Residence, used in 1958–60 as President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Summer White House”, today rented for events with sweeping harbor views.
10. Gooseberry Beach
A family-friendly sandy cove east of Brenton Point; public but privately managed, it requires a daily parking pass and is prized for gentle surf and a seasonal snack bar.
Practical Tips
- Parking: Fort Adams and Brenton Point offer the largest free lots.
- Best light: Early mornings showcase Castle Hill’s beacon against pastel skies; late-day golden hour paints Seafair and Brenton Point in warm tones—ideal for photos.
Follow this compact circuit and you’ll log lighthouse lore, presidential history, and shoreline splendor—all within an easy morning or afternoon drive.
