Newport Black History Walking Tour: Colonial-Era Sites

Walk Colonial Newport's Black history through the sites where enslaved and free African Americans shaped the nation

This walking tour of Newport's Historic Hill traces Black history across Colonial-era landmarks marked with Rhode Island Slave History Medallion (RISHM) markers. A live English-speaking guide leads you through Trinity Church, Vernon House and Colony House, connecting the contributions, resistance and struggles of early Black Americans to the broader story of the nation. The tour runs about 75 minutes and covers sites on foot in the heart of Newport's oldest neighborhood.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Newport's Black history sites

• Visit Trinity Church
• See Vernon House exterior
• See Colony House exterior

The experience

Trinity Church, founded in 1698 on Queen Anne Square, anchors the tour as the oldest Episcopal parish in Rhode Island and a National Historic Landmark. Built in 1725–26, it stands as a physical record of the colonial period your guide contextualizes through the lens of Black history. Vernon House follows: the only house in Newport built, improved and maintained with profits from the slave trade, financed by over 40 African slave-trading voyages the Vernon brothers orchestrated. Colony House, the fourth-oldest house in the United States, was constructed by both free and enslaved workers and remains a national landmark. All three sites are toured from the exterior, which keeps the group moving through the neighborhood rather than waiting in queues.

Your guide introduces the early Black Americans whose lives and labor shaped these buildings and this city, moving beyond the surface of the architecture to the acts of resistance and the struggles for freedom that connected Newport to the nation's larger reckoning with slavery. The RISHM markers designate sites of particular significance to this history, and your guide's training in reading them means you are not simply walking past plaques. You are learning what they document and why it matters. The 75-minute pace allows time to stand at each location and absorb the stories without rushing through the neighborhood.

What’s included

• Live English-speaking guide trained in Rhode Island Slave History Medallion markers.
• access to three Colonial-era National Historic Landmarks on Newport's Historic Hill.
• stories of early Black Americans, their contributions and their resistance during the colonial period.

Before you book

Days and timesSaturdayDeparts at 10:00Last departure this season: 31 Oct

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (under 13)

GroupUp to 25

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Newport Black History Walking Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to understand Newport's role in American slavery and the lives of the Black Americans who built and inhabited the city's most iconic colonial structures. The exterior-only format and 75-minute pace work well for walkers who prefer to move through the neighborhood rather than spend extended time inside buildings, and for anyone traveling with infants or small children in a stroller.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 13).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Trinity Church and why does it matter to Newport's Black history?

Trinity Church, founded in 1698 and built in 1725–26 on Queen Anne Square, is the oldest Episcopal parish in Rhode Island and a National Historic Landmark. Your guide connects the church to the broader colonial context in which enslaved and free Black Americans lived and worshipped in Newport.

What will I learn about Vernon House on this tour?

Vernon House is the only house in Newport built, improved and maintained entirely with profits from the slave trade. The Vernon brothers financed over 40 African slave-trading voyages, and the tour explains how this wealth shaped the building and the family's place in colonial society.

How long does the walking tour take?

The tour runs approximately 75 minutes and covers the three main sites on foot through Historic Hill, moving at a pace that allows time to absorb the stories at each location without rushing.

Will I go inside the historic buildings?

The tour visits Trinity Church, Vernon House and Colony House from the exterior only, so you view the architecture and landmarks from outside while your guide provides the historical context and stories connected to each site.

Do I need to arrange my own transportation to the tour?

Public transportation options are available near the tour sites in Newport's Historic Hill neighborhood. Your guide will meet you at the starting point and lead the walking route from there.