August Walking Tours in Newport’s Old Quarter
Introducing the Colonial Point Tour and A Pop-up Living History Program
Newport, RI (July 2020) – The Newport Historical Society’s walking tour program, Newport History Tours, continues a weekend tour schedule for August. Small group tours that explore the heart of colonial Newport will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays at 11am. Social distancing guidelines of maintaining six feet apart from members of their tour group that are outside of their “quaranteam” and face masks are required.
The tour schedule will feature the popular Discover Colonial Newport tour on Fridays which uncovers stories of 18th century entrepreneurship, African American heritage and religious diversity during Newport’s colonial era. The focus of the Saturday tours will change weekly. The complete schedule is as follows:
Saturday August 1 at 11 am: The Road to Independence tour features Newport’s role during the American Revolution.
Friday August 7 at 11 am: Discover Colonial Newport
Saturday August 8 at 11 am: The Golden to Gilded tour explores Newport’s transformation from colonial Golden Age to Gilded Age summer colony.
Friday August 14 at 11 am: Discover Colonial Newport
Saturday August 15 at 11 am: The Rogues & Scoundrels tour shows where scoundrels lived, pirates profited and where criminals were punished.
And a socially living history program at the Colony House 10 am-2 pm: The Stamp Act Riots of August 1765.
Friday August 21 at 11 am: Discover Colonial Newport
Saturday August 22 at 11 am: The Common Burying Ground tour digs into the stone carvers, their art and the diverse people buried there who helped shape Newport’s history.
Friday August 28 at 11 am: Discover Colonial Newport
Saturday August 29 at 11 am and 1 pm: The Point Neighborhood tour highlights the rich colonial history of the craftsmen, merchants, religious dissenters and other personalities who once called this historic neighborhood home.
The hour-long walking tours depart from the Colony House and cost $15 per person, $10 for Newport Historical Society members and active duty military.
Tickets must be purchased online at NewportHistoryTours.com, cash payments are not accepted.
Tour groups will not exceed ten participants and visitors will be asked a series of screening questions to ensure the health of everyone attending. For more details visit NewportHistoryTours.org or call the Museum of Newport History & Shop at 401-841-8770.
The 1739 Colony House, located at the top of Washington Square, will continue to be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-2pm. Visitors can view inside the first floor and ask questions about the building’s rich history. Brief tours of the second floor are available by donation, depending upon staff availability.
The Newport Historical Society is pleased to offer a socially distant living history program.
On Saturday, August 15th from 10 am-2 pm, two costumed living historians will interpret at the Colony House behind stanchions. The historical interpreters will represent opposing viewpoints during the Newport Stamp Act Riots of August 1765 and debate about the growing tensions concerning the stamp tax. Donations welcome.
Additionally the Museum of Newport History & Shop, located at the foot of Washington Square at 127 Thames Street in the 1763 Brick Market, is available to visit by appointment seven days a week by calling 401-841-8770.
About the Newport Historical Society
Since 1854, the Newport Historical Society has collected and preserved the artifacts, photographs, documents, publications, and genealogical records that relate to the history of Newport County, to make these materials readily available for both research and enjoyment, and to act as a resource center for the education of the public about the history of Newport County, so that knowledge of the past may contribute to a fuller understanding of the present. For more information please visit