(Editor’s Note — Originally published in July 2007 in AAA Horizons magazine, the AAA magazine for Southern New England; the following article is republished here, with relevant Web sites and phone numbers added.)

It may not be as well known as Newport, but Bristol, R.I., has lots to offer visitors.

The makers of The Great Gatsby—in Newport to film the 1974 movie at Rosecliff and Marble House—were in need of a mansion with an antebellum Southern feel.

As local legend has it, the movie’s stars, Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, found the perfect solution while stalled in traffic in Bristol, Rhode Island: Linden Place (401/253-0390; www.lindenplace.org), the 1810 federal mansion built for slave-trader General George DeWolfe.

It provided a perfect backdrop for scenes involving main character Daisy Buchanan’s southern house.

The tale is one of many that will charm visitors as they tour this storied port of call.

“Three mansions. Three centuries. Three special places,” said James W. Farley, president of The Mount Hope Trust, which administers the 1745 Mount Hope Farm (401/254–1745; http://mounthopefarm.com).

The 18th-century farm, 19th-century Linden Place and 20th-century Blithewold Mansion span the centuries of history for Bristolians and visitors alike. At Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum (401/253-2707; www.blithewold.org), visitors travel back to the turn of the 20th century, when Pennsylvania coalmining magnate and Brown University alumnus Augustus Van Wickle and his wife, Bessie, staked their claim on 70 acres of fertile land sweeping down to Narragansett Bay.

Coggeshall Farm Museum (401/253-9062; www.coggeshallfarm.org), abutting Colt State Park’s southern border, invites visitors to see how the other side lived. Set on 40 acres on Poppasquash Point, the living historical farm gives insight into a tenant farmer’s life.

Outside the small Cape [Cod-style house] that dates back to Colonial times, 10 sheep, a pair of oxen, a donkey named “Josie” and a horse named “Blaze” graze in one of the coastal farm’s verdant pastures with nary a care in the world. A king rooster prances about like a handsome movie star, hops onto a tree stump and crows as if to say he is lord of the manor.

“It’s lovely to have it. It gives a more realistic picture of how people lived,” said Patty Frye, a member of the board of directors for the organization and a volunteer.
Within five minutes of Coggeshall Farm, to the north of Colt State Park, is another of Bristol’s nine museums—the third-oldest Audubon Society in the United States. [The Audobon Society] is Rhode Island’s largest private land-owner.

“We wouldn’t be Audubon if we didn’t have a bird exhibit. We’re known as the ‘bird organization,’” said Karen Swanberg, senior director of education.

But the Audubon Society of Rhode Island ((401/245-7500; www.asri.org) is much more. The Environmental Education Center re-creates six main local habitats inside and features a trail and quarter-mile boardwalk for visitors to explore 28 acres of diverse natural habitat outdoors.

Another gem is Herreshoff Marine Museum/America’s Cup Hall of Fame (401/253-5000; www.herreshoff.org).

“In Defense of the Nation: One Shipyard’s Story” recounts how the Herreshoff family became a legendary manufacturer of U.S. Navy torpedo boats, power yachts and sailboats, including those that won and defended the America’s Cup.

Visitors can appreciate the detail and workmanship invested in each vessel.

“‘Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion’ is an expression that refers to the condition of the boats when they left the manufacturing company,” said Jonathan Goff, who heads programs and exhibits. “They had their linens and their china. The screw heads lined up. There were no drips in the varnish. These boats reflected the ultimate craftsmanship.”

For online directions, use AAA’s TripTik Travel Planner at www.AAA.com/directions. For AAA-rated hotels, visit www.AAA.com/hotels.

For more information on Bristol, visit www.eastbayritourism.com.