5 Weekend Musts: Newport's Seafood Festival + More

5 Weekend Musts: Newport's Seafood Festival + More

Could this October have been any more beautiful? More great days are in store, so use them to their best by getting out and enjoying the bounty of Rhode Island's fall events. We've got the 5 best you can't afford to miss this weekend. 

Bowens Wharf Seafood Festival, Newport

Saturday-Sunday  Honoring the "Harvest of the Sea," the Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival offers copious amounts of seafood, continuous live music, and family fun, all beneath the Wharf's colorful tents. Neighboring restaurants and fisherman's associations serve up their most celebrated seafood dishes: lobster dinners, clam chowder, stuffed quahogs, clam cakes, shrimp, scallops, raw oysters and clams, (as well as a few dishes for landlubbers and kids). Under the music tent, live folk, Celtic, sea shanties, and blues music are just a taste of what you'll hear. Bring your dancing shoes and a big appetite. 11am-5pm, free admission. 13 Bowen's Wharf, (downtown Newport, on the waterfront), 401-849-2120. www.bowenswharf.com/

Colonial Harvest Festival, North Kingstown

Saturday  Experience the days of the eighteenth century corn husking festivals when the Updike family of Smith's Castle presided over one of the largest of the Narragansett Plantations. Savor homemade seasonal treats and enjoy live entertainment.  Rain date: October 20. 12-4pm. $6 for adults 13 yrs. and up, $3 for children 6 to 12 yrs., Free for 5 yrs. and under and Members. Smith's Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive, North Kingstown. 401-294-3521. www.smithscastle.org/

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Fort Adams Dog and Pony Show, Newport

Saturday  Everyone's welcome no matter how many legs they have at this pet and music festival that features more than 100 vendors, displays and demonstrations. Check out the owner/pet contests, and bring the kids. All pets must come with an owner and be on a non-retractable 6-foot leash. 11am-5pm. Admission $15, Pets and Kids Free, and Free Parking. Fort Adams State Park, 90 Fort Adams Drive, Newport. 401-952-0963. www.fortadamsdogandponyshow.com

2013 Johnny Cake Festival at Kenyons Grist Mill, West Kingston

Saturday-Sunday  One of RI's all-time best rites of Fall. Celebrate the autumn harvest at Kenyon's Grist Mill in the quaint village of Usquepaugh. Enjoy free samples of seasonal fare, beverages, sweets, snacks, Johnny Cakes, and more. Purchase from a variety of food, art, gifts, and products from over 125 local vendors, including area farms, artists, restaurants, and businesses. Taste wine from four local wineries, as well as local craft beer and autumn spirits. Watch a variety of demonstrations such as blacksmithing, basket weaving, bowl turning, stone carving, flax spinning, loom weaving, pottery throwing, and more.Listen to live music from sixteen bands on two stages. Take a tour of the historic grist mill, meet special guests and historians, and experience a colonial encampment. Visit with the alpacas, sheep, and goats, and enjoy the foliage along the scenic Queen's River and waterfall. Nothing better. <10am-5pm both days. Admission $3/person. Children 5 and younger free. Please bring food and clothing donations to benefit the Jonnycake Center. Per every order of johnny cakes, a portion of sales will also be donated to the RI Breast Cancer Coalition. Kenyon's Grist Mill - West Kingston, RI | Free parking is exclusively at the Washington County Fairgrounds (only minutes from the mill) with eleven free and continuous shuttle buses. Parking Address: 78 Richmond Townhouse Road (Route 112), Richmond, RI 02812. Each bus will be themed and local attractions and historians will share their unique knowledge of the state. No pets please.800-7-KENYON. www.JohnnyCakeFestival.com

Beervana Fest, Cranston

Friday  Oriented as a ‘Craft Beer Enlightenment’, the expo will celebrate its 5th anniversary by highlighting wood barrel aged beers, since the 5th anniversary is known as the wooden anniversary. More than 75 beers in the show will be barrel aged, among a collection of more than 150 world-class specialty beers from over 70 breweries. $50 in advance/$60 at the door. 6:30-10pm. 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston. beervanafest.com