For this weekend getaway you’ll actually get to enjoy 2 cities that are just over an hour away from each other - Newport, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. You can do them in either order, whichever way you prefer. When you stop in Newport, there are a few must-do’s. First there’s the Cliff Walk. It is a 3.5 mile National Recreation Trail along the coast and it is broken up into these 5 segments: Memorial Blvd to Forty Steps Forty Steps to Ruggles Ave Ruggles Ave to Belmont Beach Belmont Beach to Ledge Rd Ledge Rd to Bellevue Ave Another way to see the shoreline and some historic sites in Newport is the 10 mile Ocean Drive. Some of the highlights along the way include: New York Yacht Club Fort Adams State Park Sail Newport Hammersmith Farm (Jackie Kennedy’s childhood home) Castle Hill Lighthouse Brenton Point State Park This drive is also broken up into segments: Brenton Cove Shore East Passage of Narragansett Bay Ocean Drive Bellevue Ave Once you make it to Bellevue Ave, whether it’s by Cliff Walk or Ocean Drive, you’ll want to check out the historic Newport Mansions. The Preservation Society of Newport County has preserved 11 historic mansions in the area dating as far back as Colonial times. The houses are all within walking distance of each other, but you can also take the trolley to each one. There is free parking in the area too. These are the 11 mansions: The Breakers Chateau-sur-Mer Chepstow The Elms Green Animals Topiary Garden Hunter House Isaac Bell House Kingscote Marble House Rosecliff Rough Point (not part of The Preservation Society of Newport County) With just a short amount of time to spend in Boston on this weekend getaway, I recommend making 2 things your priority - The Freedom Trail and historic Boston foods. The Freedom Trail connects most of Boston’s most iconic historic sites and landmarks. These are the highlights: Boston Common (America’s oldest public park) Massachusetts State House Park Street Church Granary Burying Ground (gravesites of Ben Franklin’s parents, The Infant’s Tomb - where hundreds of children have been buried, John Hancock, Paul Revere, James Otis, Samuel Adams, Boston Massacre victims, Robert Treat Paine) King’s Chapel & Burying Grounds (Boston’s First Anglican Church) Boston Latin School Site/Benjamin Franklin Statue (oldest public school in America) Old Corner Bookstore (downtown Boston’s oldest commercial building - where famous American literature was published including - Walden, The Scarlet Letter, Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, Battle Hymn of the Republic Old South Meeting House (where the Boston Tea Party began) Old State House (oldest surviving public building in Boston) Boston Massacre Site Faneuil Hall (home of free speech where America’s first Town Meeting was held) Paul Revere House Old North Church (famous for Paul Revere’s midnight ride) Copp’s Hill Burying Ground USS Constitution (oldest commissioned warship afloat) Bunker Hill Monument While working your way through the Freedom Trail you will definitely get hungry. Boston has some pretty famous foods that all either originated in Boston or were made famous in Boston and you’ll want to try them all including: Boston Baked Beans, Boston Cream Pie, Cannolis, Clam Chowder, Lobster Mac N Cheese, Lobster Rolls, and Clam Bakes. There’s a few historic taverns and restaurants you’ll want to check out while you’re in town too. The Green Dragon Tavern was frequented by Paul Revere and John Hancock and was supposedly the place where the plans to invade Lexington and Concord were overheard, which made Paul Revere’s midnight ride happen. In the Charlestown area is Warren Tavern which is the oldest tavern in Massachusetts and it is where George Washington and Paul Revere both visited. Lastly, Union Oyster House is the oldest restaurant in Boston and the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the US. Hopefully the history and food lover in you enjoys this weekend getaway to these iconic East Coast destinations! A Weekend Guide To Washington DC and Philadelphia These two cities you could spend weeks exploring if you really wanted to, but if you live within several hours you can explore them on weekend getaways when you have the urge to get out and travel for a bit. The main sites you want to see in DC are part of or near the National Mall. This area consists of landmarks, national museums, and memorials. First let’s talk about the landmarks. When you go to DC there are some places you just have to visit including the White House, US Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Ford’s Theatre, National Cathedral, and the Old Post Office. For the museums, there’s basically a museum for everything, most of which are part of the Smithsonian Institute. The ones you definitely want to go to are the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, American History Museum, The Castle, Holocaust Museum, Newseum, and the International Spy Museum. For the memorials, a lot of these would also be considered landmarks, but I decided to make them into their own category. There’s the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, World War II Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and Arlington National Cemetery where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier resides and where you can see the Changing of the Guards Ceremony. Visiting in the Springtime is great because of the blooming Cherry Blossom trees and the Winter can be a little rough with the icy walkways, but it is still a good time to see everything. There are even more landmarks and museums that were not mentioned, so depending on the kind of time you have, feel free to explore the others! Once you make your way to Philadelphia, which is only a couple of hours away, there are plenty more historic sites to check out. Even better though, Philadelphia is a great foodie city, home to some pretty famous dishes. The first thing you’ll want to do in Philadelphia is visit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. If American history interests you, you’ll also want to visit the Museum of the American Revolution, National Constitution Center, Betsy Ross House, and the Benjamin Franklin Museum and his grave site, and the United States Mint. Some other places worth checking out in Philadelphia include One Liberty Observation Deck, Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia Zoo, and Elfreth’s Alley. Once you’re ready for food, the 2 main foods you want to try are the Philly Cheesesteak and a Hoagie. To try the original Philly Cheesesteak, visit Pat’s King of Steaks where the first Cheesesteak Sandwich was created in 1930. It’s open 24/7! If you’re from one of the states that has one, you know that people who have Wawa are obsessed! So also stop by a Wawa at some point in time if you’ve never been or if you have been, but just don’t have one near where you live. You can get your Hoagie at Wawa or any of the dozens of other locations that claim to have the best hoagies. Why not try a few and find your favorite! This should be enough to keep you occupied on several weekend getaways to Philadelphia and DC. Enjoy! :)