Thames Street runs along Newport's working harbor, and despite being firmly on the tourist circuit it retains genuine vitality. The street is lined with restaurants, bars, galleries, chandleries, and the occasional working boatyard — this is still an active sailing harbor, and the mix of racing yachts, charter vessels, and lobster boats at the docks gives it a character that the mansion district lacks.
Bannister's Wharf and Bowen's Wharf, the two main pier complexes off Thames Street, are worth walking even without a specific destination. The views across the harbor to the Naval War College and Goat Island are good, and the waterfront restaurants have outdoor seating in summer that makes a long lunch watching the boats a very reasonable way to spend an afternoon. Thames Street is also the center of Newport's nightlife, which in summer is energetic and runs late.