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Scenic Newport, RI Self-Driving Audio Tour

Overview
Recommended: Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

Explore Newport, RI with a scenic self-guided driving tour! See everything this seaside town has to offer at your own pace. As you drive down Bellevue Avenue, the "most beautiful avenue in the world", see and learn about the gorgeous Gilded Age Mansions along the way - including The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff, Château-sur-mer & more. Continue along Ocean Drive, featuring breathtaking vistas. This self-guided tour allows you to explore with maximum flexibility and value.

Within 30 min, we'll send you two things: a password & an app. Download the app, enter password, & download tour. When you arrive, go to the Discover Newport Visitor Center to start the tour. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.

This is not an entrance ticket. Check covid rules & opening hours before your visit.

No expiration — The tour comes with lifetime validity!
City: Newport
Sat 21 Sep
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You can choose the date already on the booking website
Starting at $14.99
Sat 21 Sep
Starting at $14.99
Make a reservation
What's Included
Offline use: No cell signal or wifi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction.
Private tour in your/rental car: No group. Take breaks for photos/ snacks/hikes. Go at your own pace
Don’t miss a thing: Full itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated hidden stories, video, text
Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Travel over multiple days or on next trip. Never expires.
Good value: Buy just one per car. Don’t pay for each person. Save money compared to a bus tour.
App on your phone: A link to download the Action Guide app. Password for your tours. Preview at home
Easy to use: Stories play automatically by GPS. Hands-free. Get HELP all day: Call, Chat or Email.
Additional Info
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • How it works: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions. Download the app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. To begin touring, go to the Starting Point and launch the app. The audio starts automatically. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience. Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
  • Good value: Purchase only one tour for the entire vehicle instead of taking the bus and paying for each person. You will see a significant saving. Connect your phone to car speakers by a wire or bluetooth. Enjoy the tour by listening together as you drive.
  • Flexible Schedule: Once the app/tour is on your phone, you can use it any day and at any time. You can use it over multiple days. And, also use it on your next trip here. This tour never expires.
  • Preview the tour: You can use it before the trip at home (highly recommended), use it during the trip, and use it after you come back.
  • Don't miss a thing: You will get everything with the app - a complete itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated audio stories, story script, images, videos, deep dives, hidden gems, exciting locations, recommendations for hikes, adventure, activities, treks, and stop-by-stop direction.
  • Private tour: You can use it in your car or rental car. No worries about groups or crowds. Start the tour app on your phone. And it will direct you step by step. You can stop for as many breaks as you like. Take a break for Instagram photos, and take a break for lunch/snacks. Go on a hike. The tour will wait for you and start when you start again. You can even do the tour over multiple days. Go at your own pace.
  • Easy to use: The stories play themselves as soon as the GPS is activated. It requires no use of your hands at all. You can get HELP by calling, chatting, or emailing any time of the day.
  • Offline: There is no need for a cell signal or Wi-Fi while touring. App’s GPS map works offline.
  • Expiration/go again: The tour will last for the rest of your life on your phone. It is available for use on any day of your next trip.
  • Use pictures for a photo book: Create a photo book using clean (no crowd) app images of each spot to make a memorable trip. All the photos and the correct sequence is ready in the app for you to use.
  • Social media: Share clean (no crowd) images with friends/family.
  • Devices supported include iPhones with iOS 13 & above, Android phones with version 9 & above and all cellular-enabled tablets & iPads.
  • Face masks required for travellers in public areas
  • Please refer to CDC guidelines while you are taking the tour. This is a private self guided tour so please take social distancing measures
What To Expect
1
Newport Visitors Information Center
Our journey begins in downtown Newport, just by the Newport Visitor Center. As we set off into the heart of Newport, we'll dive into the past to learn about Newport's hey-day: the Gilded Age. This era of nouveau-riche American elites like the Vanderbilts and Astors has been marked by gorgeous mansions. We'll explore the architecture and architects behind these designs as drive.
2
International Tennis Hall of Fame
At the International Tennis Hall of Fame intersection, we'll turn onto the famed Bellevue Avenue -- the most expensive avenue in America. We're about to see the most magnificent homes ever built in this country... facetiously known as "summer cottages". You can choose to pause here to check ou the Hall of Fame, which features tennis greats.
3
The Elms
Finally, we'll see the Elms. This masterpiece was designed for the coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, and inspired by France's Château d'Asnières. Here we'll want to slow down as much as possible to hear about the Berwinds -- and maybe pull inside for a tour!
4
Bellevue Avenue
When we spot Mr. Belmont's statue, we'll turn off Bellevue. We're now heading towards some of the largest and finest mansions in Newport -- and they're technically not even on this famously expensive avenue! As we drive, we'll learn a bit about Belmont -- whose fascinating story we'll pick back up when we see another grand house later on the tour.
5
Ochre Court
Ochre Court will immediately arrest our eyes! This châteauesque mansion cost of $4.5 million... in 1892. And it certainly shows! Now the centerpiece of the Salve Regina University, this mansion isn't open for tours... but that won't stop us from learning all about it's rich and fascinating history!
6
Chateau-sur-Mer
As we head back towards Bellevue Avenue, we'll pause to check out the delicate beautfy of Chateau-sur-Mer. Not only is the first Gilded Age mansion in Newport, it also boasts one of the most beautiful, green, sprawling gardens. Both the house and the gardens are open for an optional tour.
7
National Museum of American Illustration
Right on the corner of Bellevue, we'll pause once again for a glimpse of Vernon Court. This mansion holds a different type of treasure inside: the National Museum of American Illustrations. Norman Rockwell fans simply can't skip this hidden gem.
8
Hammersmith Farm
Our journey brings us to Hammersmith Farm, the childhood home of Jackie Kennedy. Jackie and JFK would later return to summer here, enjoying the same scenery, views, and breeze that you feel today!
9
Fort Adams State Park
We'll continue both our history lesson and journey into Fort Adams, as we explore this historic site and it's significance to Newport's independence.
Show 6 more stops
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Traveler Photos
Reviews (169)
joseph_w
May 2021
nothing. the tour ran ahead of our driving. difficult to keep up. was not what i had expected. was worth exactly the cost. would not do again
Response from Host
May 2021
We intentionally talk about each mansion a little in advance so that you have plenty of time to admire it (or pause nearby) when you pass it. Because Bellevue Ave is jam-packed with amazing mansions, it’s important to know what to look for before you get there!
Jim_M
May 2021
The app worked better than I expected. We enjoyed our tour of Newport - great alternative to taking a public bus tour.
Response from Host
May 2021
I’m really glad you enjoyed the tour! Thanks for your review! If you’re still in the area, we have all sorts of similar tours both in Boston, Cape Cod, Salem, and beyond (Newport, Acadia, etc). Hopefully, you get the chance to use some of these in the future!
nbs57
Apr 2021
This is a nice informative tour of Newport mansions and ocean views. The audio was just as good as having a live tour guide. We were able to go at our own pace and pull over and take pictures when safe to do so. Since it was April, the only mansion open was The Marble House. We stopped and went in it and was awesome. We strolled outside to the backyard and the landscaping and ocean view was spectacular. The wealth of the families of the gilded age was evident in the grandness of the mansions and landscape. Beautiful, big trees and flowers were a joy to see. This tour was a good deal and I throughly enjoyed it along with my two companions.
Response from Host
Apr 2021
Yay! I’m so glad our tour was able to give you guys a great Newport experience! This town has such a rich history. Hopefully, you get a chance to explore the Cliff Walk with our tour too (as well as our other tours in Providence, Boston, Cape Cod, and beyond)!

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