Get out and go in Newport, Rhode Island and beyond

By: Cayte Burdick
Posted In: Entertainment

Go kayaking off the coast of Narragansett. Take a skiing trip to Loon Mountain. Go sailing in Newport harbor. Play some tennis at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, or head to the fairway at the Newport National Golf Club.

Did you know that you can do all of these activities if you are in Rhode Island? Most of them are right in Newport, a city rich with tourism. If you’re a student at Salve Regina University in Newport, you go kayaking, skiing and take other trips with the school’s Outdoor Adventure Committee.

Across the country, outdoor adventure travel is becoming a hot trend this year. More and more people are opting to travel outside of the country. According to the Ottawa Citizen, more families are going to Central America, Asia or Africa, instead of Disney World. Also, more people are trying out experimental travel. “Experiential travel is not just going and watching the flamenco dancer, it’s going and learning how to be a flamenco dancer,” Martha Chapman told the same newspaper. The Boston Globe reports of a survey done by BedandBreakfast.com which found that Bed and Breakfasts worldwide have 10 to 12 women-only groups stay with them a year. Many of these women are looking for some outdoor excitement. All of these travel trends show that more and more people are looking for some physical activity while they are on vacation, or even if they just want to do something different close to home.

Newport in the summer is bustling with activities and tourists. There is something for everyone to do – yachting, horseback riding, international polo, fly-fishing, bird hiking, baseball – the possibilities seem endless! According to Kathryn Farrington, vice president of marketing at the Newport Convention and Visitors Bureau, sailing is the number one outdoor activity in Newport. Sail Newport is a center that specializes in just that. You can also go outside of Newport and do some hiking on some beautiful trails in Tiverton and Jamestown. Girlfriends can go biking. Families can play tennis on the grass courts at the Tennis Hall of Fame. Kids can go boogie boarding and surfing on the waves of First Beach.

Things quiet down in Newport in the winter, but there are still activities to do. Skating at the Sovereign Bank Family Skating Center on America’s Cup Avenue is a popular choice. Also, GoNewport.com offers winter getaway packages to Newport that include reservations at a local hotel, breakfast, and vouchers for local attractions.

Elsewhere in Rhode Island, there are plenty of places to get your outdoor adventure fix. If you’re in the mood for getting out on the high seas, how about going kayaking? It is one of the fastest growing sports according to Daryl West, retail manager at the Kayak Centre, which has locations in Wickford and Charleston. Kayaks are popular because they have no sales tax, and require no gas, making them both cost effective and environmentally friendly. With gas prices rising over the past few years, more people prefer to ride in a kayak instead of a powerboat. Plus, kayaks can last for up to 15 years, making them a good investment.

All sorts of people go kayaking, says West. Customers at The Kayak Centre usually range from 30 to 50 years old. However all sorts of people go kayaking, from families, to second home owners in Rhode Island, to people in their 70s!

If you’re interested in trying out kayaking for the first time, it is not that hard to learn. The Kayak Centre offers many programs, such as Oceanplay I, one of their most popular programs. This is a beginner course and people of all ability levels can benefit. You can also just rent a kayak for a day to try out on your own.

With the recent popularity of world travel, The Kayak Centre offers trips to other countries to go kayaking. They have been going to places such as Bonaire in the Caribbean this for the past couple of years. This June, they are going to Iceland for the first time.

Students at Salve Regina can also take part in kayaking trips with the Outdoor Adventure committee, part of the Campus Activity Board at the school. They use The Kayak Centre for these adventures.

The head of this committee, Abby Muse, says that the ski trips are the most popular. “We have 24 spots [for each trip] … They fill the first day of sign ups. We just added a ski trip for this weekend.” For these trips, they make their way to New Hampshire, where snow is usually plentiful. It’s a long day (they leave Newport at 5:30 a.m. and return at 8 p.m.), but that doesn’t seem to stop people.

In the fall, the Outdoor Adventure committee has other options for students. “This past fall, we did a white water rafting trip the first week back at school. We had the kayaking trip a little bit later, and then we did a indoor rock climbing trip,” Abby says.

While students at Salve are here in the winter, skiing is the thing to do for some outdoor adventure. In the summer, tourists flock to Newport, especially the water. Taking a ride on a sailboat is most popular in Newport, but if you travel elsewhere in Rhode Island, you may want to give kayaking a try. The sky is the limit with outdoor activities in Rhode Island. So get out there and start taking some adventures!