New this season · Newport Harbor
Your table awaits, on the water, in Newport Harbor.
A whole houseboat to yourselves, moored out in the harbor and yours for two, three or four unhurried hours. Bring your people and the good bottle; we'll provide a setting you won't forget.
The idea
Anchored in the middle of the view.
A harbor tour is a lovely thing — and over before the ice melts in your glass. This is the unhurried version: the same water, the same skyline, and all afternoon to enjoy it.
The whole boat, and nobody else on it
Your houseboat sits on her mooring out in the harbor, and everything good about this follows from that. Nobody walks past your table. There's water on all sides and room to move — up in the sun, down in the shade when you've had enough of it, off the back for a swim, and a real table below when it's time to eat.
Please read this part
Your boat stays on her mooring for the whole visit — she doesn't cruise the harbor. If seeing Fort Adams and the bridge up close is what you're after, a harbor tour will do that beautifully, and we're glad to recommend one. This is the sit-still kind of afternoon.
Room to spread out
A whole new way to enjoy Newport Harbor.
Your booking is the entire boat — every part of her, for as long as you've booked. Move around it however the afternoon goes.
Up in the sun
The best seat in Newport Harbor. Open sky, the whole skyline in front of you, and chairs to lose an hour in.
In the shade
A covered spot for when the sun's had its turn. Where everyone drifts in the late afternoon with a glass in hand.
In the water
A ladder straight into clean open water, and floats to lie on. Out on a mooring rather than beside a pier, the swimming is the real thing.
Inside
A large table with six stools, indoors and enclosed. Where dinner happens, and where you stay dry if a shower blows through.
Getting out to us
A short ride across the harbor.
We're moored out in the harbor, so there's a boat ride at each end. It takes minutes, it costs $5 each way, and it's the best possible way to start an evening.
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Pick up your provisions
Collect whatever you're eating on your way through town. We'll send you a list of places that pack a cooler ready to go.
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Meet the water taxi
We'll send the pickup point and time with your confirmation. Taxis run continuously all season — the fare is $5 each way, paid to the driver. Oldport takes cash only, so bring a little.
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Step aboard
The taxi brings you right alongside and hands your coolers up. Ice, glassware and cold drinks are waiting.
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Head back whenever
Call for a taxi when you're ready — we'll give you the number. They run late into the evening through the summer.
Food & drink
We don't cook. You bring exactly what you want.
No galley menu to work around and no set-price catering you didn't choose. Because we're moored out in the harbor, nothing gets delivered to the boat — which turns out to be the best thing about the food here. Everyone picks up what they want on the way, it comes out cold in a cooler, and it's ready the moment you sit down.
What travels beautifully
- A raw bar platter on ice
- Oysters
- Cheese & charcuterie
- Lobster rolls
- Sushi
- A proper picnic
- Someone's birthday cake
Bring your own bottles too. We keep it cold; we don't sell it. Everything is served as it arrives — there's no cooking on board, which is exactly why the food that suits this best is the food that's already perfect cold.
Choose your seating
Pick your hour, then stay as long as you like.
Choose a start time and a length — two, three or four hours. Each booking is private and yours alone.
The Midday Table
from 12:00
Bright water, warm decks, the best swimming of the day. Our most available start — often bookable the same week.
Golden Hour
from 3:00
The harbor quiets and the light goes long across the water. A slow, late lunch that turns into dinner.
Select dates
The Sunset Table
from 5:00
Newport goes gold, then pink, then lit — and you're out in the middle of it. Add $100; book well ahead.
Limited dates
Simple, transparent pricing
Two hours, or the better part of an afternoon.
The entire houseboat is yours either way, and the rate is the same every day of the week — no weekend surcharge.
| Guests | 2 hours | 3 hours | 4 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – 2 guests | $350 | $440 | $525 |
| 3 – 4 guests | $400 | $500 | $600 |
| 5 – 6 guests | $450 | $560 | $675 |
| 7 – 8 guests | $550 | $690 | $825 |
Three hours is what most groups choose — long enough to swim, eat, and watch the light change without anyone checking the time. Book the length you want and leave whenever you're ready; there's no charge for going home early.
Every booking is private and includes the whole houseboat for the hours you book — The Lilypad or The Waterlily, depending on the date. Eight guests is our comfortable maximum. Rates don't include food, beverages, or the water taxi to and from the boat — those are yours to choose.
Make it more
A few things worth adding.
All optional, none of it food — we just make the setting better.
- The Tablescape Linens, real stemware and flatware, low florals, hurricane candles, chilled buckets. Set before you arrive — the one thing you can't bring out in a cooler.+$85
- Sunset seating The 5:00 start, when the harbor does its best work.+$100
- First mate on board An extra pair of hands — helping you aboard, keeping the ice topped up, clearing and tidying after.+$150
Good to know
Questions people ask.
Does the boat actually go anywhere?
No — and we want to be completely clear before you book. Your boat stays on her mooring in Newport Harbor for the whole visit. You're out on the water with the skyline around you and the breeze off the deck, but there's no tour past the mansions. If that's the day you're picturing, a harbor cruise is the right call and we'll gladly point you to one — we'd rather send you to the right boat than have you wishing you'd booked differently.
How do we book?
Give us a call on 1 (401) 474-6061. We'd rather talk it through than have you tick boxes on a form — there are a few things worth going over before you come out, and it takes about three minutes. Tell us your date, how many of you there are and which seating you'd like, and we'll hold the boat.
How do we get to the boat?
By water taxi — a short ride across the harbor that drops you right alongside. We'll send the pickup point, the number to call and everything else you need with your confirmation. Taxis run continuously through the season and late into the evening in summer, so you can head back whenever you're ready. The fare is $5 each way, paid directly to the driver — Oldport takes cash only, so bring a little.
Can we have food delivered to the boat?
No, and this is the one thing worth planning around. Since we're moored out in the harbor, everything you're eating travels with you on the water taxi. Pick it up on your way through town and bring it out cold in a cooler — we'll send you a list of places that pack orders to go. Honestly, it's the better way to eat out here anyway: it's all ready the moment you sit down.
What if it rains?
Most of the time we go ahead. The cabin is fully enclosed with indoor seating and a table, and the bow is covered — a passing shower just makes it cosier. If the forecast is genuinely miserable, or the harbor is too rough for a comfortable ride across, we'll reach out the day before and move you to another date at no charge.
Can we swim?
Yes, and it's one of the best parts of being on a mooring rather than beside a pier — open, clean water straight off the swim ladder. There are floats aboard. Bring a towel and a suit; there's a shower in the bathroom for afterwards.
Do you provide food or alcohol?
Neither — everything is bring-your-own, which is exactly why you can eat and drink whatever you actually like. We provide the coolers, the ice, and somewhere proper to set it all down. If you'd like the table properly dressed — linens, real stemware, candles, florals — add The Tablescape when you book.
How many people fit?
Eight is our comfortable maximum, and honestly eight is the number this works best at — everyone can sit at one table and hear each other. Larger groups are welcome to ask; we'll tell you honestly whether it will be pleasant.
Is it steady? Will anyone feel seasick?
We're on a mooring in a protected harbor, so there's a gentle sway rather than the motion of being under way. Glasses stay on the table and plates stay put — it's a very easy place to sit through a long dinner.
Kids? Dogs?
Both welcome. Well-behaved dogs are fine on the water taxi and aboard — just let us know when you book, and keep them leashed for the ride out.
What's your cancellation policy?
Cancel or reschedule at no charge up to 72 hours before your seating. Inside 72 hours we'll do our best to move you to another date. Cancellations we make for weather or sea conditions are always rescheduled or refunded in full.
Can we still stay the night?
Yes — both houseboats are available as overnight stays, each sleeping up to four. A favourite combination: eight of you for the midday table, and four stay aboard for the night once everyone else has ridden home. Mention it when you book and we'll put the two together for you.
Reserve the boat
Call for reservations.
Tell us your date, the seating you'd like and how many of you there are. We'll talk it through and hold the boat for you.
1 (401) 474-6061The good seatings go early — sunset especially. If we don't pick up, leave a message and we'll call you straight back.
Send us the details and we'll call you back — useful if you're planning late or from another time zone. The form is just below.
Newport Harbor Table · Newport Harbor, Rhode Island