The Adorable Newport Cottage & Garden You'll Want To Go See This Summer

You know how some people (still) get a big kick out of referring to the Newport Mansions as summer cottages.

Well, there's an actual summer cottage on Bellevue that’s beyond cute, that you've probably motored right past without giving it a second look.

And who could blame you?

I mean, once we approach that postal code, most of us tend to get all starry-eyed and gaga over the sights and stories of the opulence of the Gilded Age.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but... 

Photo Courtesy Of The @PattyJDotCom Instagram

The Flower Cottage, also known as The Flower Bungalow, dates back to 1870 and is a must see on your next walking tour of the Bellevue Avenue Historic District.

Or another reason to embark on one this season.

(Side bar, judging from the traffic en route to Newport and Narragansett yesterday, getting out and being somewhere adjacent to the ocean are — no surprise — at the tippity top of most people’s agendas right now.)

Back in the day, 1870-ish thru the early 1900's, a florist named John M. Hodgson who became super famous for designing incredible arrangements for the glitterati of that era (kind of the Flowers By Semia or John Orton of his day apparently) used the Cottage as his storefront.

There's definitely a film treatment in there somewhere with a big name (Bradley Cooper or maybe Joaquin Phoenix who could wind up being Generation Z’s Danial Day Lewis ) playing J.M. Hodgson of course, but that’s another story for another time.

A Few Instagrams Of The Flower Bungalow

Anywho, by 1921, the Cottage was converted to a private residence. The good news is that over these many years, it's been well maintained and updated, enviably so.

I know this because it was available for summer rental a few years back and I found myself scrolling (and gawking at) online pictures of the 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath interior and back patio.

So, so nice. And even if you don’t have an extra 20 - 25K + lying around to cover a rental fee, you can still enjoy the delightful exterior on your next NPT stroll.

Photo Credits: Top photo by PattyJ.com; additional photos from Instagram

 **This post has been updated from one that has appeared previously on the site.