Connecticut & Rhode Island

Connecticut and Rhode Island, the two smallest states in New England, are often overlooked by travelers on the way between New York and Boston — unjustly so. Here you will find some of America's most magnificent mansions, lively university towns, and maritime history that is unmatched even in New England. Both states are excellent stops on a larger New England road trip.

Newport — The Mansions of the Gilded Age

Newport in Rhode Island was the summer playground of America's wealthiest families in the late 19th century — Vanderbilts, Astors, Belmonts. Their "summer cottages" (in truth, palaces) on Bellevue Avenue are among the most impressive historic buildings in the USA today. The Breakers ($35), the 70-room Renaissance palazzo of the Vanderbilts, is the most splendid — the golden ceilings, the 14-meter-high dining room, and the view over the Atlantic leave one speechless. Other highlights: Marble House (modeled after the Petit Trianon in Versailles) and The Elms (a French-style château). The Cliff Walk (5.6 km) leads along a spectacular coastal path at the backs of the mansions — palaces on one side, rugged Atlantic coast on the other. Free and unforgettable.

Mystic Seaport

Mystic in Connecticut is one of New England's best-preserved port towns. The Mystic Seaport Museum ($33) is the largest maritime museum in the USA: a reconstructed 19th-century seafaring village with the Charles W. Morgan (the last surviving wooden whaler, 1841), a shipyard, a forge, and dozens of historic buildings. The Mystic Pizza (yes, the 1988 film with Julia Roberts was inspired here) really exists — a pizzeria on Main Street that thrives on film fame (pizza from $14, average, but the nostalgia factor counts).

Providence

Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, has transformed from a rundown industrial town into one of the most creative small cities in the USA. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD, pronounced "Ris-dee") is one of the best art schools in the world — the affiliated RISD Museum ($20, free on Sundays) showcases an impressive collection from Monet to ancient art. Federal Hill is Providence's Little Italy — less touristy than Boston's North End and with better restaurants. In summer and fall, the WaterFire events take place: Over 80 fires are lit on the river, accompanied by music — a mystical atmosphere that attracts tens of thousands (free).

Yale & New Haven

New Haven in Connecticut is home to Yale University — one of the world's most prestigious universities (founded in 1701). The Gothic Yale Campus is like a piece of Oxford in New England — stroll through the courtyard facilities, visit the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (free, an architectural gem with a Gutenberg Bible) and the Yale University Art Gallery (free, Van Gogh, Monet, Hopper). And then: pizza. New Haven claims to make the best pizza in America — Frank Pepe's (since 1925) and Sally's Apizza have been vying for the title for a century. The coal-fired, thin, slightly charred crust with fresh clams (White Clam Pizza, $18) is indeed sensational.