Rhode Island has the distinction of being our nation’s smallest state, but it seems to have the country’s largest appetite. We were amazed by the number of “unique to Rhode Island” culinary treats tempting our palates. Our first stop was at Flo’s clamshack. Correction – Bill and I made the first stop; the kids refused to go inside — clams are just not their thing. Anyway, Flo specializes in a Rhody treat known as a stuffy. This is (surprise, surprise) a clam dish. The clam is diced, mixed with breadcrumbs, onions, and hot sauce, then piled back into the clam shell, secured with a rubberband, and cooked. Kind of like clam meatloaf. To tell you the truth, it tasted mostly of hot sauce. We washed it down with a bowl of Rhode Island clam chowdah – clear broth with potatoes and clams. None of that sissy tomato or cream stuff.


We didn’t have any trouble getting the kids into the Newport Creamery. We’d heard they made good milkshakes, which, for some strange reason are sometimes called “cabinets” in Rhode Island. Apparently, this has something to do with the old days of storing milkshakes in cabinets within freezers. Anyway, the Creamery has it’s own take on the popular dairy dish: the Awful Awful. This milkshake (made with ice milk) is Awful big and Awful good, hence the moniker. They weren’t kidding — only one member of our group could finish their drink. I’ll let you try to guess which one.
One more food item: coffee milk. The idea is just like chocolate milk. You buy a bottle of coffee syrup (no kidding) and mix some into a glass of milk. Coffee milk. I told you that Rhode Island had a lot of culinary treats. I didn’t tell you that they were all worth tasting.
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Newport lies along Rhode Island’s rugged and dramatic (if tiny) coastline. Very New England-ish.


The beautiful coast led ridiculously wealthy socialites to build their summer homes in Newport during the late 1800s. Spectacular mansions — and I do mean mansions — can be found on every corner. Their expansive lots add to the mansions’ grandeur. The homes vary widely in architectural style; some resemble the White House, while others seem designed by Lemony Snicket.




We toured The Breakers, which was built by the Vanderbilts in the 1890s. My jaw literally dropped as we entered the gilded main hall. This was definitely the most opulent building I’ve ever visited in the United States. No expense was spared — it cost the equivalent of $300 million to build this 65,000 square foot summer vacation home.
Sorry, but no photos were allowed inside the mansion, so I can’t show you the platinum-leafed wallpaper or baccarat crystal chandeliers. I picked up several good home decorating tips.
We stayed in a cute B&B that made us feel as spoiled as the Vanderbilts. Well, ok, not anywhere near that spoiled. But it was still a fun place to stay. We shared our breakfast conversation with some newlyweds who were taking a mini-honeymoon before flying to the Maldives. They absolutely loved the idea of the 50/50 tour — figures, since they were crazy enough to fly about 50 hours to reach their honeymoon destination.


In between stops for food and home tours, we traveled along I-95 and routes 1, 4, and 138 in the nation’s smallest state.
28. Rhode Island
The Breakers