There is nothing like October on The Coast. This month brings so much to do, from a festive round up of fairs and festivals (see: the Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival, Rogue Island Comedy Festival) to a lengthy list of things you need to check off your epic autumn bucket list, like ghost tours, pick-your-own orchards, pumpkin parties and more.
Our picks for the month below.
COVID-19 NOTE:
When you're ready, we can't wait to welcome you back to The Classic Coast. Rest assured, the safety and well-being of both visitors and locals remains our top priority. The mask mandate requiring face coverings in Rhode Island has been lifted, however local businesses may ask you to wear a mask when visiting their establishments. Please be prepared for individual business mask policies. Additionally, shops, attractions and tours are monitoring the number of guests at any given time and may ask you to socially distance to enter.
All we ask when you land on these shores is that you play your part in keeping everyone safe. Please be kind, adhere to guidelines and maintain social distancing.
1 Audrain Newport Concours + Motor Week
- Where:
- Throughout Newport
- When:
- September 30 - October 3
- Cost:
- Prices Vary
The second annual Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week welcomes the world’s most exclusive auto brands and car collections back to Aquidneck Island for four days of special events, seminars, gatherings and more. This year's events include a VIP reception, symposiums and seminars, “The Gathering” at Rough Point, Wine by the Water winetasting event at Forty 1 North, “Hilltop Hangouts,” the Bonhams Auction, the Audrain Auto Museum Annual Fundraising Gala and, of course—the centerpiece of the event—the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance. Once the sun goes down, experience exclusive cocktail hours, dinners, and various VIP parties hosted in some of Newport's most impressive venues.
2 Festa Italiana in the Park
Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, Newport Festa Italiana has grown from its original weekend slate of events to a month-long calendar of opportunities for everyone to connect to their Italian roots. Events include John Panaggio Original Ziti Night, the 7th annual meatball challenge, Italian heritage parade, and of course, the highlight of the event: Festival in the Park.
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3 Hocus Pocus Party
It's no secret that Hocus Pocus is filming a sequel here in Rhode Island, so it's only fitting that Jane Pickens Theater host a screening of the original classic. After three centuries, three witch sisters are resurrected in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to put an end to their reign of terror once and for all. Enjoy free Halloween cookies from Mokka Coffeehouse.
4 Rogue Island Comedy Festival
- Where:
- Throughout Aquidneck Island
- When:
- October 7 - 11
Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, Newport Festa Italiana has grown from its original weekend slate of events to a month-long calendar of opportunities for everyone to connect to their Italian roots. Events include John Panaggio Original Ziti Night, the 7th annual meatball challenge, Italian heritage parade, and of course, the highlight of the event: Festival in the Park.
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5 Linden Place's Slave Trade History Walking Tour
Linden Place Museum will host walking tours of Linden Place Mansion and downtown Bristol, focused specifically on Bristol’s DeWolf Family and their involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. The DeWolf family, Bristol’s premier family in the 18th and early 19th centuries, was once one of the largest traders of slaves in New England. The two-hour guided tours take place on select Thursday afternoons at 1:30 PM and begin at Linden Place, the Federal-style mansion built by architect Russell Warren for George DeWolf. The tour then continues through the center of historic Bristol and down to the waterfront pointing out significant sites tied to Bristol’s lengthy and profitable involvement in the slave trade
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6 Columbus Day Sidewalk Sale
7 Curbside Comedy at Newport Craft
Curbside Comedy is back at Newport Craft after their show this summer raised more than $600 for charity. This time at the brewery, the line up is Connor Kwiecien and Sam Ike. Curbside Comedy delivers live, social-distance stand-up comedy to you. Our goal is simple: support up-and-coming comedians, give back to the community and put on the best possible show.
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8 Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival
Honoring the “Harvest of the Sea,” the Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival offers fresh, local seafood. Fish tacos, lobster rolls, stuffies, chowder, fried calamari, clams, oysters, signature cocktails and cold beer accompany continuous live music, and family fun, all beneath the Wharf’s colorful tents. As you savor some delectable dishes, relax and enjoy the beats from area musicians. Live folk, surf rock, Caribbean and blues music are just a taste of what you’ll hear.
9 Newport Food Truck + Craft Beer Festival
The Newport Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival arrives at Fort Adams State Park with the area's most popular food trucks dishing out fan favorites. Trucks include Binge BBQ, A Mano Pizza + Gelato, Friskie Fries, Haven Brothers Mobile, La Costa, Mom on the Go, Moyzilla, Lobsta Love and more. Enjoy outdoor games like cornhole, giant jenga, giant checkers and more alongside craft brews from 15+ breweries.
10 Harvest Market
Sample great food, shop local artists, listen to local bands and enjoy a day outside at the inaugural Harvest Market Pop-up at Pardon Gray Preserve in Tiverton. Explore more than 50 vendors on the back lawn of Pardon Gray Preserve. Afterwards, enjoy guided walks through Weetamoo Woods, meet and greet with alpacas, pick your own pumpkin at the pumpkin patch and more.
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11 Simmons Farm Mozzarella and Cheese Making Class
Spend an afternoon learning the art of mozzarella cheese-making with Simmons Farm's resident cheese-maker, Karla Simmons. You'll learn how to make cheese curds, and stretch and form the curds into mozzarella. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to make homemade fresh butter using fresh-from-the-farm cream. Take a short break to sample some of the other cheeses the farm produces alongside local wine from Newport Vineyards, beers from RI's Revival Brewery or seltzers/sodas from RI's Yacht Club Soda. The class will wrap up when everybody has a delicious ball of mozzarella, a 1/4 lb. of butter and a gift bag containing a kit for you to make more mozzarella at home in a Simmons Farm tote bag.
12 Fall Farm Frolic
13 Phantoms and Fire
Explore the museum after hours where you will find spooky delights, from bats and bonfires to cauldrons and candy, and from ghosts to spooky drama! Take your entire family, as there is something for every age around every corner. Pre-registration is required; purchase tickets below.
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14 Cars + Coffee: Trunk or Treat
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ONGOING
PUMPKIN PALOOZA
When: Saturday and Sunday through October 31, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Frerichs Farm & Greenhouses
Frerichs Farm & Greenhouses is hosting Pumpkin Palooza every weekend through October 31 (closed on October 10) filled with family fun. Stroll through the holiday house, enjoy make your own scarecrows, paint a pumpkin and more.
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AUTUMN LEAVES MUSIC SERIES
When: Dates Vary
Where: Bowen's Wharf
Enjoy live performances on the waterfront throughout October. Local shops and restaurants at Bowen’s Wharf welcome you to join the tradition of local live music, waterfront dining, shopping, and crisp autumn air in Newport this Fall.
Note: All events are weather permitting and the schedule is subject to change.
FIRESIDE TOURS AT RAIL EXPLORERS
When: Through October
Where: Rail Explorers USA
Enjoy pedal-powered ride along the Southern Circuit featuring small campfires to spread out around with Rail Explorers. Bring your own marshmallows to enjoy while you savor twilight across the Narragansett Bay.
GHOST TOURS
When: Thursday - Monday in September & October, 8:00 PM; Saturdays in November, 5:00 PM
Where: Tour departs from Mainsail Restaurant at Newport Marriott
Admission: $20 adults, $18 seniors + military, $12 children
Peer past Newport's Gilded facade into the city's dark past on a 90-minute lantern-led evening stroll. You'll explore shadowy lanes with centuries of history and some of the area's most haunted sites including Jailhouse Inn—Newport's former jailhouse, the oldest tavern in America, Washington Square and more. Tours cover less than one mile and travel at a leisurely pace. Wheelchair accessible.
HARBOR CRUISES
When: Through mid-October
Where: Newport Harbor
Admission: Prices vary
There's something intoxicating about a fall harbor cruise—when the water remains warm but the air is newly crisp. Help raise the sails on a legendary America's Cup yacht, climb aboard an authentic lobster boat, spot seals lounging off the coast on an education vessel, or sip a mimosa on an 80-foot, turn-of-the-century-style pilot schooner.
FREE GUIDED BIRD WALKS
When: October 10, October 24
Where: Norman Bird Sanctuary
Admission: Free
Meet in the parking lot. Count up as many bird species as you can, from soaring red-tailed hawks to tiny hovering hummingbirds. You'll learn how to identify common year-round residents and seasonal migrants. All birding levels welcome. Binoculars are helpful but not required.
ESCOBAR'S HIGHLAND FARM CORN MAZE
When: September 3 - November 7, Fridays - Sundays
Where: Escobar's Highland Farm
Admission: $10 ages 12 and up, $8 children 5-11, free for children under 4 (cash only)
Get lost in the 8-acre corn maze at Escobar's Highland Farm. Not to worry, they'll rescue you if you get lost.
HAYRIDES
When: Weekends in October
Where: Pachet Brook Tree Farm + Escobar's Highland Farm
Head to Pachet Brook Tree Farm, a 90-acre family-run farm in Tiverton, for a 30-minute hayride through the fields and woods decorated for the season, ending at the pumpkin patch. Hayrides are also offered at Escobar's Highland Farm in Middletown.
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