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I'm driving up from Newport to Boston on a Friday morning/afternoon with my wife for a little weekend trip, and I'm looking to find something neat to see on the way up -- a cool town, an historic site, etc.
You could stop to see the East side of Providence around Brown University. Drop into the RISD Museum and walk on Benefit Street. Many historic homes and structures, the Athenaeum (where Edgar Allen Poe courted Sarah Whitman), the first Baptist Church in America, etc. etc. Many great restaurants for lunch around as well.
Other ideas might be the town of Wickford- a picturesque little fishing village- or drop in to see Slater Mill in Pawtucket- the birthplace of the industrial revolution.
Since Newport to Boston is only two hours- you could make the better part of a day out of it fairly easily by choosing one of these.
I would say Providence is a must see, if you like old Colonial architecture and history. The City seems to be making much more of an effort than Newport is in all their beautification efforts downtown. Funny because I would think Newport has more of the City money. Way to go Providence-keep it up. Plus the restaurants are more reliable at this time of the season. Yes, Wickford is definitely a little nice stop on your way up.
I would say Providence is a must see, if you like old Colonial architecture and history. The City seems to be making much more of an effort than Newport is in all their beautification efforts downtown. Funny because I would think Newport has more of the City money. Way to go Providence-keep it up. Plus the restaurants are more reliable at this time of the season. Yes, Wickford is definitely a little nice stop on your way up.
If you decide on the East Bay try visiting Bristol. Much like Wickford on the West Bay, but it has more restaurants and better views of Narragansett Bay and Mt Hope Bay.
You've got a lot of good suggestions in two brief posts. My question to you would be how far out of the way do you want to go? The most direct route from Newport to Boston consists mostly of Route 24. Many of the suggestions here are a ways off of the primary route and secondary routes (like Dreamworks' which has a TON of info, btw) will make the trip (with stops) exceedingly long. Considering that the drive already takes 1.5 hours on the most direct route without stops (and without traffic), taking a roundabout route with stops could really push you for time and patience.
I would suggest sticking a BIT closer to 24 and there's still plenty to do. Plymouth is a day or more by itself and you'd almost be doing yourself a disservice to rush it.
If you want to make it VERY quick, I would check out Battleship Cove just off of Route 24 in Fall River. It's the world's largest collection of naval warships. You can walk aboard a WWII Battleship (the U.S.S. Massachusetts), Destroyer (the U.S.S. Kennedy), Submarine (the U.S.S. Lionfish), and a Russian Missile Cruiser. In addition there is a replica of JFK's PT Boat from Vietnam and a number of other smaller vessels and aircraft to check out. You can explore just about every room and compartment on each ship. In additon to the Battleship in Fall River, I would check out a Portuguese restaurant (this area is known for its Portuguese heritage) and Lizzy Borden's house. There are a number of Portuguese restaurants right near the battleship in downtown Fall River including T.A., Cafe Arpeggio, Sagres, Cinderella (I'd recommend both Sagres and Cinderella), Estoril, Cavalho's and Academia.
A few more minutes out of your way is New Bedford (about 10 minutes off of 24 down I-195). I would head straight to downtown New Bedford for the Whaling District National Historic Park (some photos of the park can be found here). This "park" is actually 16 preserved cobblestone blocks downtown from when New Bedford was the world's whaling capital. Moby Dick was written when Herman Melville lived in New Bedford and many landmarks from the book exist in the city and are open to the public. The centerpiece of the park is the New Bedford Whaling Museum... a GREAT stop. Of course, there are other attractions in the area as well. It's an architectural gem as it was the wealthiest city in the world, not just for one era (whaling) but for two (manufacturing). The Historic district is compact and walkable and the streets are lined with shops, galleries, restaurants, etc. There is a great Art Museum here (New Bedford Museum of Art), and a BRAND NEW Oceanarium called the New Bedford Ocean Explorium. I would highly recommend trying some seafood here since New Bedford is the highest grossing fishing port in the nation for 9 years running. Scallops are the primary catch but groundfish (flounder, etc) are great too. If you want seafood, try the Waterfront Grille (my favorite), Candleworks , Cork Wine and Tapas, or Freestones (all in the whaling distric and within walking distance of each other). About 1.5 miles from the historic district is the Buttonwood Park (designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead of Central Park NYC fame) and Zoo. The zoo there is small, but quite nice.
I'd also add that if you are into wine, check out a winery on Aquidneck or Westport, MA. This area is New England's Napa Valley. The Boston Globe put together THIS guide for wineries in the area. I would add Travessia Urban Winery to the list if you do decide on a New Bedford stop... it's in the historic district there.
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