This will be my last Thursday blog until September 20.  Each year we take a much needed break from too hot, humid, & buggy Virginia Beach; work; and computers to celebrate the end of summer and head to the rocky shores, crisp winds, magnificent mansions, and scrumptious restaurants of Newport, Rhode Island.

If you’ve never been there, its a great vacation spot for people of all ages.  If you enjoy walking, you can explore the bluffs on Cliff Walk’s three-and-a-half miles of scenic paths, with the sea on one side and 19th century summer “cottages,” once lived-in by America’s original “1%,” tucked behind high fences and neatly manicured hedges on the other.

While few of these mansions, built by many of our country’s most successful entrpreneurs and industrialists, are currently occupied, most have been preserved with original furnishings and artwork and are open for guided tours. Some of the tour guides dress in period costumes and assume the roles of Vanderbilt or Astor family members and house staff, presenting an idea of how day-to-day life went for those listed in America’s first Social Register.

Even if you’ve not visited these they might look familiar, as many Hollywood films have been shot here.  For example, the mansion, “Rosecliff,” was the setting for “The Great Gatsby, ” “True Lies,” and “27 Dresses.”

There are many other points of interest as well, such as: The International Tennis Hall of Fame, Naval War College Museum, the first American Synagogue, the church where JFK & Jackie Kennedy were married, Green Animals Topiary Garden, Newport Sailing School and Tours, the Polo Fields and matches, Fort Adams, and many public parks, beaches, and recreational boating opportunities.

Altogether, a great place to re-create oneself.  Happy (non)Labor Day!