Sailing Mystic Hearts

After four nights in the southern anchorage in Newport, some winds were expected that would leave us a little exposed, so we headed north up the Narragansett Bay to tuck away in Bristol. (We briefly visited this town many years ago, in 2014, on the same trip that we visited Newport for the first time. While we only had an afternoon to drive through and visit the Herreshoff Marine Museum, we had always hoped we would return one day.) Now that we were back, we spent the next two days working from the boat, walking the town after work, checking out the historic homes, and finding the best ice cream spot in town.

Equally as old as Newport, this town has a completely different vibe. The streets in downtown Newport are busy in the peak summer months, full of tourists and bustling with activity. Bristol felt sleepier, but not in a bad way. It was nice to see thriving shops and restaurants without the throngs of people clogging the sidewalks. Overall, we prefer Newport because of the variety of activities and it has some of our favorite restaurants, but Bristol was a perfect getaway from the crowds. The anchorage wasn’t full, and we had plenty of room to spread out and keep our distance.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES

HERRESHOFF MARINE MUSEUM – It’s been a decade since we visited, but we spent a nice afternoon looking at the historic boats in 2014, many of which you can climb on and take a peak in. For those unfamiliar with the Herreshoff name, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company was founded in 1878 in Bristol and designed high performance racing yachts that are known the world over. Not quite a hundred years later, in 1971, the museum was created to preserve the history of the Herreshoff yachts and the legacy of the family that started it. Admission fees are currently $18/person for adults and $15/person for seniors, military, teachers, and children age 11 and up. Children 10 and under are free to enter.

ACTIVITIES ON THE LIST FOR NEXT TIME

There isn’t a lot to do in downtown Bristol other than touring the historic neighborhoods and waterfront parks, so on our next visit, we’ll hopefully be eating our way through town. We’re interested in checking out:

1. Pomodoro Italian Kitchen – Homemade Italian food on an outside patio.
2. Bristol Sunset Cafe – We live for brunch! This cafe is highly rated, currently at 4.8 stars on Google with just over 400 reviews.
3. Bristol Bagel Works – They serve more than just bagels. Our go-to sandwich is a bacon/egg/cheese, so we’ll be sure to get this if we stop by.

RESTAURANTS

JULES ICE CREAM – Located directly across from Independence Park on Thames Street, Jules Ice Cream has a nice variety of ice cream flavors, homemade waffle cones, and even a few vegan options. This shop has earned local “Best Of” awards, and it’s easy to see why. I had a cup with two flavors, orange-pineapple and coffee-Oreo. Both were fantastic.

HELPFUL INFO FOR BOATERS

DINGHY DOCK – There is a free public dinghy dock at 201 Thames Street, located next to Rockwell Park.

GROCERY – We did not stop at the grocery store while in Bristol, but from what we can see, the nearest store, a Stop & Shop, is about a one hour walk from the public dinghy dock. We would recommend provisioning at the Stop & Shop in Newport, which is a much closer walk.