- Newport Public Schools
- Community Partner Links
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Audubon Society of Rhode Island
The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the state's first environmental organization, invites you to discover the wonders of nature. Annually, more than 17,000 members and supporters along with tens of thousands visitors enjoy our fifteen refuges statewide, award-winning Environmental Education Center, and enthralling special events and fascinating programs.Our Audubon was founded in 1897 to halt the slaughter of birds used in the day's fashions. Today, our mission promotes environmental education, conservation and advocacy.
The Audubon connects you with nature all year through recreational and educational activities, emphasizing birds while encompassing all native wildlife and habitats.
The natural world is both sanctuary and classroom. Audubon encourages you to enjoy nature, learn from it, and protect it. Join us and experience the discoveries that nature offers you.
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Bike Newport
BikeNewportRI.org is where all things bicycle in Newport come together! Advocacy, enterprise, education – it’s ALL here. Join us!We are everyone in Newport who cares about improving bike friendliness, safety, access, courtesy, health, fitness, enterprise and planning.
There’s nothing that spells SUSTAINABILITY quite like bicycling. We sustain ourselves, our communities, our environment, our families and our finances. The more we bicycle the better we feel, the cleaner our air, the less congested our streets, the more productive our students and workers, and the happier our tourists.
Join us in the movement to make Newport, our beautiful City By the Sea, a model of bike smarts and bike friendliness. -
City of Newport
City of Newport, Rhode Island
- Established: 1639
- Incorporated: 1784
- Form of government: Council and city manager.
- Council meetings: The second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., the board of license commissioners follows the council meeting.
- Fiscal year begins: July 1
History
Rhode Island was founded on the basis of complete religious and political freedom, and in Newport, Quakers and Jews found a comfortable haven shortly after its founding. By the early 1700s, commerce, combined with a successful farming and fishing industry, brought great wealth to the community. Newport ships probably developed what became the first resort in British North America when, during the 1720s, sea captains brought passengers from the Carolinas and Caribbean who wished to get away from the heat, fever and humidity of their plantations.
Newport was one of the five most important settlements in the 13 colonies, sharing that distinction with Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charlestown. Newport was the "Birthplace of the Navy,” and with private and naval shipping combined, added to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the community. Newport combines three communities in one — the settled community, the Navy (which bases its Naval Education and Training Center here), and the “summer colony.”
The city claims more standing buildings built before 1830, than any American community. Contemporary Newport has a variety of museum attractions, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Newport Art Museum and the Museum of Newport History. There are windjammer cruises out of the port, excursion boats, harbor and city bus tours, scuba diving, surfing, spearfishing, summer theater, golf, tennis and fishing along with numerous yacht races. Its numerous restaurants serve up the best in Rhode Island seafood, and several are known for their continental cuisine. -
Cliff Walk
The Cliff Walk along the eastern shore of Newport, RI is world famous as a public access walk that combines the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline with the architectural history of Newport's gilded age. Wildflowers, birds, geology ... all add to this delightful walk. In 1975 the walk was designated as a National Recreation Trail ... the 65th in the nation and first in New England. The walk runs 3.5 miles and about two-thirds of the walk is in easy walking condition. What makes Cliff Walk unique is that it is a National Recreation Trail in a National Historic District. -
Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center
Since 1922, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Community Center has provided a wide variety of human services and enrichmentactivities to meet the diverse needs of Newport County residents.The Center provides a daily breakfast program, a pre-school, before and after school programs, a literacy, math and science based summer camp, an entrepreneurship program for women, the area’s highest-volume food pantry, and a variety of supportive services. -
East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP)
East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP) is a private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) corporation that provides a wide array of health and human services to the residents of Rhode Island’s east bay including the municipalities of East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Little Compton, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and Jamestown. As part of special contract obligations some of EBCAP’s programs serve residents outside of the east bay area.
The services provided by EBCAP include: Head Start Services and Early Head Start; family health and dental services including East Bay Smiles and the Molar Express; family development case management services including social service information and referral and basic human needs; food pantries; youth programs; the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless; Heating and Energy Services; the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Feeding and Nutrition Program (WIC) and senior services including case management, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents (FGP) and the Ocean State Senior Dining Program (meals in a social setting).
Mission: The mission of East Bay Community Action Program is to provide high-quality, comprehensive and accessible health and human services to assist people to achieve their fullest potential.Vision: East Bay Community Action Program strives to be recognized as the premier health and human services agency in the East Bay. -
Fort Adams
Make history come alive for every member of your family. Just a short drive or a water taxi ride across Newport Harbor stands the largest coastal fortification in the United States. Visit this engineering and architectural masterpiece to see where the soldiers lived, enter the casemates, explore the tunnel system, and climb the bastions for breathtaking views. Consider renting the Fort with its 6-acre parade field or North lawn on the water for your special function. Watch for our upcoming special events including military reenactments, music festivals, and classic vehicle shows. From 1824 to 1950 Fort Adams housed generations of our soldiers, today it still stands ready for your enjoyment.
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Friends of Ballard Park
Ballard Park is a wild and natural open space of 13 acres located near the intersection of Hazard and Wickham Roads, directly across from Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island. The park was deeded as a gift to the City of Newport in 1990 by Carol C. Ballard. It has been designated by deed as an area to be used for conservation, education and passive recreation.
Its unique features include two 19th century quarries and a diverse variety of native and introduced plan species. Ballard Park allows for unobtrusive observation of the abutting 54 acre wildlife refuge by providing paths suitable for walking and bird watching.
The park is remarkably diverse. It forms an unfragmented block of habitat and open space with the contiguous 54 acre wildlife refuge, Gooseberry Beach, Newport Country Club and Brenton Point State Park.
In the Spring, Cooper Hawks and Northern Harriers (both state listed species) scan the meadow quarry for prey. Deer use the tall grass of the quarry meadow to bed and turtles amble into the meadow to lay their eggs in the summer months.
In addition to high rocky ledges and thickly wooded ravines, the park is home to a seasonal pond and several small streams. Parts of Ballard park have spectacular views out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Native trees, glades of ferns and wildflowers are also present creating glimpses of Aquidneck Island's 17th century past. In fact, in a city which has been continuously occupied since the earliest Colonial days, Ballard park contains an unusually pristine landscape which has both esthetic and historical value -
Go Newport! The Newport & Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau (NBCCVB)
The Newport & Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau (NBCCVB) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting of the City of Newport and the eight surrounding townships in Newport & Bristol County (Barrington, Bristol, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Warren) as a premiere destination for business and leisure travel. The Convention & Visitors Bureau promotional efforts include a year-long advertising campaign directed at leisure travel and business travel markets, targeted sales efforts, public relations strategy, participation in numerous trade shows, and a comprehensive websites (www.GoNewport.com, www.YourNewportWedding.com and www.GoNewportRestaurantWeek.com). The Convention & Visitors Bureau is available to aid in planning a meeting or corporate event, to assist travel professionals including media, tour operators, and travel agents, and to provide information to help visitors enjoy the destination. Additionally, The Convention & Visitors Bureau operates the Newport Visitors Information Center, which offers admission tickets to area attractions & events, maps, brochures, and information, a convenient place to park, and always a hospitable welcome to visitors to the area!
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the NEWPORT & BRISTOL COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU is to positively influence the economy of Newport & Bristol County, Rhode Island and its municipalities by marketing the region as a travel and tourism destination. -
Kids First Rhode Island
MISSION: Guiding Communities to Improve the Nutritional and Physical Well Being of Children and Their Families. GOAL: All Rhode Island schools and childcare centers will become places where our children have the opportunity to learn and practice healthy eating and physical activity daily. -
New England Farmways
New England FarmWays is a special initiative of the Rhode Island Center for Agricultural Promotion and Education (RICAPE), established to make our farms and nature based sites in southern New England more visible and accessible to people of all ages and interests.
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Newport Art Museum
Newport Art Museum boasts a dynamic Education department with numerous programs including classes and workshops for youth and adults, week-long summer camps for kids, community-based programs and partnerships, homeschool at the Museum, family programs, rotating exhibitions, studio rentals, and an immersive career readiness program for high schoolers.
The Newport Art Museum School, housed in the Minnie & Jimmy Coleman Center for Creative Studies, presents a rare opportunity to learn art-making skills in the context of a museum and its community of art lovers and learners. Museum members receive a 15% discount on most of our courses and workshops.
Whether you are looking to kickstart your child’s lifelong engagement in the arts, learning a new skill yourself, or if you’re looking to enjoy the therapeutic qualities of creating your own artwork in a friendly atmosphere, we look forward to welcoming you into our School and Museum.
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Newport County Chamber of Commerce
The Newport County Chamber of Commerce is one of Rhode Island's largest business advocacy organizations formed to enhance the business, civic and economic vitality of Newport County and greater Rhode Island. -
Newport County YMCA
We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities. -
Newport Friends of the Waterfront
Friends of the Waterfront, Inc., established in 1982 at Newport, RI is a not for profit 501(c)(3), public interest group with a mission:
To protect public access to the water;
To preserve historical uses, rights of way, and waterfront views; and
To help foster the development of Newport, RI's shoreline and harbor front areas in ways that maximize public access. -
Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport’s history. The Society’s collections originated thirty years earlier as the “Southern Cabinet” of the Rhode Island Historical Society. By 1853, several prominent Newporters recognized the need for a separate organization specifically devoted to preserving the history of Newport County, and the collections of the Southern Cabinet were reorganized under the auspices of the Newport Historical Society.
The first quarters of the Newport Historical Society were temporary. Meetings moved from member’s home to member’s home, and lectures were held in rented halls. By 1884, however, the Society was suffering from growing pains. It needed a permanent space to house its collections. After some deliberation, the Society purchased the old Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House (1730).
This was arguably their first real artifact, and certainly one of the first examples of adaptive reuse of an historic structure with deliberate homage to the structure’s own integrity. It is a responsibility the Newport Historical Society has taken seriously and managed well since 1884.
It did not take long for the Society to fill its new quarters. In 1884, they advertised that “The Newport Historical Society have taken possession of their new quarters on Barney Street and are soliciting donations of historical material relating to Newport.”
The influx of gifts was gratifying, but the membership soon realized there were untapped resources that the current building, surrounded as it was by stables, paint shops, and other fire hazards, could not safely accommodate. In 1887, the Society purchased a site on Touro Street and in the fall of that year moved its building there.
As the holdings of the Society continued to increase, the need for more space and security became evident. Ground was broken in 1902 for a brick library building on the Touro Street side of the lot. The new building provided office space for the Society, a fireproof vault for historic documents, and a library. In 1915, the meeting house was detached from the library and moved to the rear of the lot. A three story brick building was constructed between the library and the meeting house. Brick veneer, a slate roof, and steel shutters were added to the exterior of the meeting house to make its exterior covering consistent with the adjoining structures, and to provide added protection from the weather and the threat of fire.
The collections of the Newport Historical Society have continued to grow, and have, in fact, outgrown every structure provided for them within a decade or less of the ground-breaking. The result is one of the finest local historical society collections in New England. Its manuscripts, portraits, silver, furniture, decorative arts, and genealogical collection are nationally recognized.
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Newport Public Education Foundation
The Newport Public Education Foundation (NPEF), established in 1991, is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to improve the performance of Newport public school children by enhancing their educational opportunities and by building broad-based community support for quality public education.
We have done this in the past by providing teachers with grants to enhance their classroom activities, assisting the Newport Public Schools in rallying volunteers to read in the classrooms under the BOLD (Books Open Life’s Doors) program, and leading the campaign to raise more than $1 million for furniture, equipment and technology to ensure overall program enhancements at Newport’s historically preserved and renovated Thompson Middle School. We plan to continue in this tradition and expand into programs that support our teachers, students and schools.
In response to the needs of our changing district, NPEF has recently updated its strategic direction. We will focus on five key ideas:
- To support programs and services that address district-wide educational needs and enhance student learning
- To foster community volunteerism in the schools
- To encourage a community dialogue addressing school district-wide educational issues
- To raise funds to support our current programs and to establish a strong financial foundation that will permit future expansion
- To ensure broad community participation in the organization and to create an organizational structure optimizing execution of all goals.
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Newport Public Library
The Newport Public Library seeks to strengthen the community by providing opportunites that support lifelong learning, encourage inspiration, imagination, and enjoyment, and connect people to each other and to the rest of the world.This mission will be carried out by providing members of the community with services that will:
- assist them to continue to grow and learn throughout their lives whether enrolled in a formal program of instruction or not,
- provide the materials and programs needed to support their recreational reading and information needs,
- provide a means for residents to interact in the community and to participate in public discourse about community issues,
- provide information resources needed to answer their questions,
- enable members of the community to find, evaluate and use information effectively,
- assist people in their exploration of the cultural heritage of the community.
These services will be provided in a clean, comfortable and safe environment that will make members of the community proud of their library. Some key services will be made available online 24/7.
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Newport Restoration Foundation
Founded in 1968 by Doris Duke, the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF), a non-profit institution, was formed with the express purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island’s 18th- and 19th- century architectural culture.It fulfills its mission in the following ways:
- Being a leader in historic preservation in Newport County and Rhode Island
- Preserving a collection of the arts of cabinetmaking and building trades of the Newport region, along with art and artifacts from Doris Duke’s life in Newport
- Utilizing its collections for educational programs
Since its founding, the NRF has restored or preserved 83 buildings. Today, the NRF continues to own a collection of 76 historic buildings, including 71 homes that are rented as private residences and maintained by a full-time crew of carpenters and painters. This is one of the largest collections of period architecture owned by a single organization anywhere in the country. More importantly, the majority of these structures are being lived in and used as they have for more than three centuries, making them a vibrant part of the community.
The NRF also owns and operates three museum properties:
- Rough Point, Doris Duke’s Newport mansion
- Whitehorne House, featuring the Doris Duke Collection of 18th-century Newport Furniture
- Prescott Farm, an example of early American landscape and architecture
The NRF continues to be actively engaged in educational efforts, scholarly research and historic preservation.
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Newport’s Old Quarter: The Arts and Culture Neighborhood
“When you say Old Quarter, it carries an image with it” Newport is, at its best, an exhilarating and thought-provoking journey back through social, artistic, and architectural history. A birthplace of religious and intellectual freedom, it is rich in culture, history, architecture, commerce and urban beauty. This unique city takes it heritage seriously. But something new is happening: our map declares in large type at the top, “Newport’s Old Quarter: The Arts and Culture Neighborhood.”
The designation for the colonial section of downtown Newport is the exciting result of a campaign created by five august historical organizations seeking to attract, please, and inform visitors. The Old Quarter encompasses the headquarters of the Newport Restoration Foundation, the Newport Art Museum, the Newport Historical Society, the Redwood Library and Athenæum, and Touro Synagogue. Seeking to highlight its character and importance, the organizations collaborated on the designation of The Old Quarter to help focus attention on its beautifully preserved colonial neighborhoods.
Newport’s Old Quarter comprises historic and unique architecture, museums, libraries, taverns, sustaining institutions, even a rare house museum with the finest collection of Townsend Goddard furniture outside New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Old Quarter offers Winter Festival visitors a look back at 370 years of history, and offers a unique touring experience within an historic, easily walked geographical parameter.
Defined by stately trees and striking 18- and 19th-century buildings, The Old Quarter is known for charming narrow streets. The heart of this city by the sea is full of museums, places of worship, and other fascinating sites that document the neighborhood’s role as America’s welcoming harbor of religious freedom.
“When you say ‘Old Quarter,’ it carries an image with it. The historic area quickly identifies itself in a descriptive and memorable way. It has a certain sophisticated sound,” says Pieter Roos, executive director of the Newport. Restoration Foundation, which offers a variety of walking tours in conjunction with the Newport Historical Society, with various themes, of The Old Quarter. “There is nothing in The Old Quarter that is more than 10 minutes away from anything else, and the history within it is astonishing,” says Roos.
Living history is experienced in The Old Quarter’s galleries, shops, taverns, and restaurants and on the vibrant streets of this timeless arts-and-culture neighborhood. There is something for every age and interest in The Old Quarter. -
Norman Bird Sanctuary
Established under the will of Mabel Norman Cerio in 1950, the Norman Bird Sanctuary constitutes the largest area of preserved open space in Newport County. A wildlife refuge, NBS encompasses over 300 acres and seven miles of trails that wind through diverse habitats. Nearly 30 acres are maintained as hay fields. Woodlands are the most prominent plant community, and four ridges provide spectacular views of the surrounding ocean and ponds. Located next to the Visitor's Center and gift shop, the Sanctuary's 19th Century Barn Museum features natural history displays and a children's area with interpretive murals and hands-on exhibits. -
Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island's largest cultural organization, preserves and protects the best of Newport County's architectural heritage. Its 11 historic properties and landscapes - seven of which are National Historic Landmarks - trace America's architectural and social development from the Colonial era through the Gilded Age. In keeping with its mission, the Society strives to offer its members and the public a comprehensive view of each property's architecture, interiors, landscapes and social history.
The Society is headquartered in a three-story Romanesque Revival mansion at 424 Bellevue Avenue, constructed in 1888 as a summer residence for William H. Osgood of New York. Its last private owner was Herbert Claiborne Pell, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and Hungary. After several incarnations as a school building, the property was purchased in 1992 by the Preservaton Society, which conducted an extensive restoration and renovation of the building for use as its administrative headquarters.
The Preservation Society of Newport County is accredited by the American Association of Museums, a recognition of excellence within the museum community. AAM accreditation is a seal of approval that promotes ethical and professional practices. -
Redwood Library
The Redwood Library and Athenæum is the oldest lending library in America, and the oldest library building in continuous use in the country. Founded in 1747 by forty-six proprietors upon the principle of "having nothing in view but the good of mankind," its mission continues over 250 years later.
The Company of the Redwood Library was established in 1747 by Abraham Redwood and a group of his friends and associates. One of the country's earliest "public" libraries -- that is, open to the public though not "free"--Redwood is the oldest surviving lending library in the country. Redwood remains a "membership library" (open to the public) supported by Proprietors, who own shares and pay an annual assessment, and Subscribers, who pay fees. The Original Collection of 751 titles has grown to a collection numbering more than 160,000 volumes.
In 1833 the Library's name was changed to The Company of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum to reflect its expanding role as an educational institution. Today the Library is open without charge to qualified scholars and researchers and to those making use of the collections. Lectures, exhibitions, fine arts displays, and other educational activities are part of Redwood Library and Athenaeum's continuous offerings to the community. -
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish & Wildlife
Our mission is to ensure that the Freshwater, Marine, and Wildlife Resources of the State of Rhode Island will be conserved and managed for equitable and sustainable use. The Division of Fish and Wildlife protects, restores, and manages the fish and wildlife resources of the state. We have a staff of 43 employees, including biologists, technicians, fish culturists, heavy equipment operators, and skilled workers. Our facilities include: the main office, three biological field offices, two development stations equipped with workshops and heavy machinery, and four freshwater fish hatcheries.
The Division is responsible for operating and managing twenty-four wildlife management areas totaling over 46,000 acres. We also operate over 200 boat launching ramps and shore fishing areas located through the state.
The Division is responsible for setting seasons, size limits, methods of taking, and daily limits for the harvest of all wildlife as well as all recreational and commercial fisheries in the state. We are are divided into three separate sections: Marine Fisheries, Freshwater Fisheries, and Wildlife Management. Each section is responsible for specific program activities. These activities include fisheries and wildlife research and management, freshwater fish hatcheries and fish stocking programs, habitat restoration, public access, land acquisition, education and information, public angling and hunting programs, and commercial fisheries management.