Roaming Rhode Island: our smallest state packs a big punch - State Of The Month

Travel America, Sept-Oct, 2002 by Diane Bair, Pamela Wright

8) Meander the Plains of Africa and Tropical Rainforest at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence. Set on 430 acres, this award-winning zoo houses more than 156 different species and over 900 animals. Polar bears and penguins, elephants, cheetahs, and giraffes, leopards, llamas and lemurs ... oh my. Stop by the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, too. Rent a boat at the Dalrymple Boathouse to explore the park's connecting waterways or walk the wonderland of parks and gardens.

9) Play a round of tennis on the oldest grass courts in America at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. They're also the only grass courts open for public play. Tennis buffs can check out the Tennis Hall of Fame Museum, which houses artifacts and exhibits covering more than a century of tennis history.

10) Live in the opulent past as you tour the famous Gilded Age mansions of Newport. These glorious "summer cottages" of the rich and famous (Vanderbilts, Astors, and Rockefellers to name a few) hug the shoreline and reveal the lifestyle of wealthy American aristocracy during the Industrial Age. You can purchase individual or combination tickets to the mansions. Don't miss The Breakers, built for Cornelius Vanderbilt, the most palatial of the mansions. The 70-room castle of marble, mosaic, alabaster, and mahogany resembles a 16th century northern Italian palace. At the Beechwood mansion, costumed, role-playing servants welcome you as guests for their anniversary ball. You can get a peek at many of the mansions' facades and grounds on the dramatic Cliff Walk. The 3.5-mile, up-and-down trail runs from Memorial Boulevard and Eustis Avenue to Bailey's Beach. You'll also have splendid views of the rocky Atlantic coastline along the way.

While in Newport, take a drive out to Fort Adams Park for a picnic, sign up for a harbor cruise, or walk among the sea grasses and dunes at pretty Second Beach. Garden aficionados should head to the Green Animal Topiary Gardens in nearby Portsmouth. The gardens are a maze of sculpted geometric figures and animal shapes. For refreshments, head back to downtown Newport. Grab a seaside table at The Mooring restaurant at the Newport Yachting Center (yes, you'll have to wait in line--and forget about finding a parking spot nearby!) and watch the boats sail by. Or treat yourself to an alfresco brunch at the lovely Inn at Castle Hill, set on an ocean bluff with stunning views.

For more information, contact the Rhode Island Tourism Division (TravelAmerica Magazine), 1 W. Exchange St., Providence, RI 02903; (800) 556-2484. Or visit the website at www.VisitRhodeIsland.com.