THE SAKONNET LANDS are among my favorite parts of the state. On this full-day driving tour, I take guests to a beautiful mansion with an amazing arboretum and, then later in the day, out along scenic country roads to the southeastern-most part of Rhode Island.
In the morning, I start at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum in Bristol, just 20 miles from Newport. Blithewold is a beautifully landscaped historic public garden situated on Bristol Harbor with sweeping views overlooking Narragansett Bay. A forty-five room mansion, trees, lawns, flowers, gardens, and the sea combine to produce an aesthetic experience that is exciting and refreshing. Trained interpreters welcome group tours and tell the story of the Van Wickle/Mckee family, the creators of this beautiful seaside garden estate. Visitors experience breathtaking views of Narragansett Bay and see the house decorated with original furnishings just as it was when the family lived here. The narrated tour continues into the garden and through the grounds where magnificent trees and a variety of exquisite plantings demonstrate Blithewold’s prominence in horticulture.The guided house and garden tour averages about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I always allow additional time to enjoy the gardens and grounds after the guided tour.
For lunch, I often suggest a catered box lunch at Blithewold or heading over to The Lobster Pot, also in Bristol. Lobster Pot, a classic New England shore restaurant (it opened in the 1920s) features stuffed lobster, deep-fried shellfish, and the like.
In an entertaining and informative narrative, after lunch I take people on a scenic drive and hear the story of the settlement of some of Rhode Island’s oldest towns. The drive crosses Mount Hope Bay to Aquidneck Island at the town of Portsmouth. From there I take the Sakonnet River Bridge, back onto the mainland, and loop down to the Four Corners in Tiverton (founded 1694).
The drive continues southward down to the picturesque Sakonnet Point in Little Compton (founded 1682). After a brief stop for fresh air and photos, the tour returns along the Sakonnet River and then my guests are welcomed to a winery tour and tasting at Sakonnet Vineyards.
Tiverton, Little Compton and Bristol were all originally part of the neighboring Massachusetts Bay Colony, and did not become part of Rhode Island until long-standing boundary disputes were settled in1746. In its early days, Tiverton was chiefly a farming community with some fishing and boat construction. Until 1900 the manufacture of menhaden oil was one of the primary industrial pursuits. Cotton and woolen mills were established as early as 1827. Recent years have seen Tiverton grow as a summer resort and residential area with many fine shops in the Mill Pond area at the Four Corners. The Chase Cory House (1730) is notable. The Tiverton Historical Society now owns the gambrel-roofed building. This house is open for tours for a fee.
Along the way, I pause at the Pardon Gray Preserve to tell the story of coastal farming in Rhode Island. Owned by the Tiverton Land Trust, it is open to the public. Sometimes we take a short walk to the old family burial ground.
Little Compton is also a rural agricultural community. There is still small fishing fleet that operates from Sakonnet Harbor. The town has a classic New England Town Common, little changed from the time it was first laid out, some 300 years ago. Agriculture and fishing remain important in Little Compton, but today the town is residential with seasonal resort activity. Sakonnet Lighthouse, c. 1884, is at the very tip of the long peninsula. The story of how the lighthouse was restored, relighted, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places is included in the guide’s narrative. (Lighthouse itself not open.) The village of Adamsville has a working gristmill, Gray’s, and a monument to the Rhode Island Red Hen, the State Bird.
Little Compton Historical Society maintains The Wilbor House and barn. Samuel Wilbor built the farm about 1690. It was typical of 17th century New England. Nearly all the early details of the house survived, including beamed ceilings, featheredge boards and original plaster. Ioutt is where I like to stop to talk about vernacular architecture. This house is open for tours for a fee.
On the drive, we loop the old town common in Little Compton and stop to look at the old burial ground and the iconographic congregational church. There's a country store on the common for postcards, and a small restaurant for a quick cup of coffee or chowder. Not far away, the village of Adamsville has a working gristmill, Gray’s, and a monument to the Rhode Island Red Hen, the State Bird. Another stop for photos.
Sakonnet Vineyards, in Little Compton, was founded in 1975. Growing conditions found along the Southeastern New England coast closely resemble some of the great wine regions of the world, particularly, northern France. At present, fifty acres are planted. Wine production has climbed to over 30,000 cases annually. Its 2001 Vidal Blanc is featured in the November 2003 issue of "Food & Wine" magazine. Wine critic Richard Nalley ranks Sakonnet's Vidal Blanc as one of the nation's top ten wines Along with Sakonnet's Vidal Blanc, the winery's other estate wines include, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Rose, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. They charge a fee for tastings.