Fans of women’s golf will have all eyes on Newport, Rhode Island this summer, when the city-by-the-sea hosts the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open Championship—the largest women’s golf event in the world! The event is a major highlight of a particularly sporty summer in the city-by-the-sea, which will also include professional tennis, polo, and, of course, sailing!

The U.S. Women’s Open Championship will draw 156 of the top professional and amateur female golfers to compete at the historic Newport Country Club on June 26-July 2. The event will feature some of the biggest names in women’s golf, including 16-year-old phenom Michelle Wie, Annika Sorenstam, Meg Mallon, Karrie Webb, and defending champion Birdie Kim. The return of such a prestigious event to Newport Country Club is remarkable, as the Newport Country Club was one of the five founding members of the USGA in 1894. In 1895, the club hosted the first U.S. Amateur Championship, and a day later it hosted the first U.S. Open! Sports fans seeking a summer getaway, romantic escape, or family vacation should consider the U.S. Open in Newport. The USGA’s Catch the Spirit program makes it fun and affordable for families to attend— children under 17 are admitted free with a ticketed adult (up to 9 kids per adult!) and are then given the rare opportunity of a front row seating. No other professional sporting event in the world reserves all front row seats for kids! Complete details are available on www.2006USWomensOpen.com

The first National Lawn Tennis Championship (now known as the U.S. Open, played in Forest Hills, N.Y.) was held in 1881 at the Newport Casino, a complex of buildings completed in 1880 as a private club and playground for the wealthy summer residents of Newport. Now the site of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Newport Casino is home to a comprehensive and interactive tennis museum. Events like the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, July 10-16, continuously bring some of the sports’ biggest stars to Newport, in the only lawn court tournament played in North America. This year’s draw features some of the hottest rising stars in tennis, including Robbie Ginepri, Mardy Fish, Vince Spadea, and Greg Rusedski. The annual Hall of Fame in Induction Ceremony will be held on July 15, honoring inductees Gabriela Sabatini, Patrick Rafter, and Gianni Clerici. The Hall of Fame Tennis Championships are a great time to visit, when spectators can experience professional tennis in an intimate setting and enjoy specialty events like the Kids Clinic and annual Fashion Show. Information is available on www.TennisFame.com

Newport hosted the first International Polo match in 1886— a tradition that continues to live on every Saturday afternoon from May through September at Glen Farm. The Newport International Polo Series is a uniquely Newport event for a wonderful Saturday afternoon. A crowd of all ages gathers at Glen Farm to take in the competitive matches and enjoy true Newport style tailgating as the summer sun sets and the mist rolls in. www.NewportInternationalPolo.com

For a true Americana family sports outing, visitors should consider taking in a baseball game at historic Cardines Field. In the heart of downtown, the Newport Gulls play several games each week June and July. The team is a great opportunity to expose the littlest baseball fans to the sport, as it consists of college students trying to get some extra practice in order to make it to the big leagues! More details and a complete schedule are available on www.NewportGulls.com.

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Of course, no summer in Newport is complete without a variety of world-class sailing regattas. A longtime home for the America’s Cup, the waters of Newport Harbor annually welcome ships from around the world. This summer, Newport welcomes the 100th anniversary of the famed Newport-Bermuda race, to kick off on June 16. Prime viewing points are available along the Newport coastline. For visitors looking to experience the open water, a variety of companies offer distinctive sailing experiences, ranging from sunset sails to excursions aboard retired America’s Cup yachts. Home to the Museum of Yachting and the International Yacht Restoration School, Newport is a sailor’s dreamland!

The Annapolis to Newport Race is one of the most historic and well-known of the U.S. East Coast blue water races. Linking two seaports dating from our nation's birth, Annapolis and Newport, the race provides challenging diversity over different bodies of water, as well as convenient ports of refuge along the entire course. As a result, the race is a favorite for first-time off-shore competitors, as well as experienced blue water racers. The record time for the 58-year-old race is held by Carrera, Joseph Dockery's Farr 60 skippered by Chris Larson, which set a new course record in 2001 of 42 hours, 58 minutes, 12 seconds.

Shake-a-Leg Newport's Wall Street Corporate Challenge Cup runs Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8, 2006 from 10am until 3pm, with public viewing from Goat Island as well as the Newport Bridge. Shake-A-Leg’s 15th annual Wall Street Corporate Challenge Cup brings together business leaders for two unforgettable days of racing aboard the legendary America’s Cup 12 Meter yachts. Proceeds – each of the teams raise $30,000 for the opportunity to participate – support Shake-A-Leg-Newport’s various programs for people with spinal cord injuries and nervous system dysfunction.

Punctuating a very busy regatta season in Newport this year will be Ida Lewis Yacht Club's biennial Ida Lewis Distance Race. The race, which sets out at 3:00 p.m. on August 18, 2006, is the only offshore distance race that begins and ends in Newport. It offers two courses (The Shinnecock at 231 nm and The Montauk at 160 nm) on the coastal waters of Block Island Sound and Rhode Island Sound, challenging teams on single-hulled boats of 28 feet or longer with multiple turning marks, tide and current negotiations and varying weather conditions.

"In its second running, the event is on its way to being a classic on the East Coast," said Race Co-Chairman and Ida Lewis member Dirk Johnson. "It fills a void in the racing schedule between major races scheduled for Newport and Long Island, and it's really an interesting, fun course." In its inaugural year, the Ida Lewis Distance Race attracted an impressive array of grand prix boats such as Titan 12, Blue Yankee, Harrier, Numbers, Rima and Running Tide. Other newer boats on the East Coast, such as Stark Raving Mad and Bella Mente, are expected to enter the 2006 event as well.

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Classes are for PHRF (spinnaker and non-spinnaker) and IRC. The race is one of the qualifying events for the New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF) and Northern Ocean Racing Trophy (IRC), both of which are administered annually by the Stamford (Conn.) Yacht Club and include the Newport to Bermuda Race, the Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race (Ft. Lauderdale to Jamaica) and the Hemingway Ocean Race (Miami to Baltimore).

All social activities surrounding the event will be held at Ida Lewis Yacht Club, the lighthouse on Lime Rock where its infamous female namesake--a lighthouse keeper there from the mid-1800s to early 1900s--saved at least as many lives as there are stars on the club’s burgee.

To request a Notice of Race or to enter, contact Ida Lewis Yacht Club at 401-846-1969, or go to http://www.ildistancerace.org. More details about the Newport-Bermuda Race are available on www.BermudaRace.com and a complete schedule of sailing events in Newport this summer is available on www.SailNewport.org

Visitors can top off these fantastic special events with unparalleled experiences like guided tours through the opulent Newport’s mansions, refreshing sailing excursions on scenic Newport Harbor, and relaxing afternoons window-shopping in Newport’s historic downtown. Whether opting to spend their vacation days kite-flying or wine-tasting, unwinding to their favorite musicians or catching some sun from the deck of a sailboat, vacationers are sure to enjoy summer in the city-by-the-sea!

For information about Summer Getaway Packages including overnight accommodations, admission to various attractions, and shopping and dining discounts visit www.GoNewport.com and to start planning a Newport trip today!

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