Tour Newport, R.I., in springtime

Monroe — The Monroe Free Library will host a springtime excursion to Newport, R.I., from Wednesday to Friday, May 3, 4 and 5. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Newport, R.I., as one of the “dozen distinctive destinations” in the United States, citing the “City By The Sea’s” colonial architecture and historic houses of worship, among other qualities. On the way, the tour will stop at Olde Mistick Village, 60 shops in an outdoor setting. The paths will be lined with tulips, flowering dogwood, and apple blooms, surrounding a duck pond. A choice of three restaurants will be open for lunch. While in Newport, some sites will be visited from the comfort of the motorcoach. The tour will include wine and cheese tasting, and a visit to Beechwood, one of the fabulous “cottages” of the ultra-rich in the nineteenth century. Beechwood was built in 1851 by architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux. William Backhouse Astor, Jr., purchased the mansion in 1881, and invested two million dollars in renovations. It became the social center for New York society for twenty-five years of the Gilded Age. Their son, John Jacob Astor IV, returning from his European honeymoon, booked passage on the R.M.S. Titanic. His wife, Madeleine, who was five months pregnant, survived, but her husband, Titanic’s wealthiest passenger, did not. Bringing these fascinating times to life, the Beechwood Theatre Company portrays the Astor’s family, friends, and domestic staff at the height of the Victorian Era. On the return trip, passengers will have the choice of visiting Foxwood Resort Casino or the Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Foxwoods, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, is the largest resort casino in the world, with nearly 5 million square feet of entertainment, gaming, dining and shopping experiences under one roof. Six distinctive casinos, with over 7,400 slot machines, 380 table games, the largest poker room on the East coast, High Stakes Bingo and the Ultimate Racebook are offered. More than 50 restaurants, retail shops and nightclubs line the glass-enclosed concourses. The Mashantucket Pequot Museum is a Native American museum and research center. It offers life-size walk-through dioramas, historic artifacts, art, films, and interactive media, including a 22,000 sq. ft. Pequot village and two libraries. It depicts 18,000 years of Native and natural history on the cultures of all Native peoples of the United States and Canada. The special exhibit “To Honor and Comfort: Native American Quilting Traditions” celebrates quilting within various tribal communities across the nation, including Hawaii. Tickets are $289 per person, with double occupancy, and includes motorcoach fare, two breakfasts, two dinners, the wine and cheese tasting, the guided tour of Newport and admission to Beechwood. The Pequot Museum admission is extra. Prices are based on a tour group of 40. Tickets may be purchased at the Monroe Free Library at 44 Millpond Parkway in Monroe. For more information, call 783-4411.