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In Retrospect · Newport

The Flower Showthat Wasn’t.

I planned the whole trip around it ten months out. Then I let a few online reviews talk me out of a ticket.

June 18-21, 2026 Newport

Hydrangeas by the seaPhoto: Josefin / Unsplash

Okay guys, I’m going to be real with you. I had a huge fail when it came to planning for Newport.

The entire reason I chose to visit Newport during this particular weekend was the Newport Flower Show. I bought my plane tickets 10 months in advance. I rented my Airbnb nine months in advance. I even set an alarm to remind myself when tickets would become available to non-members of the Preservation Society of Newport County.

And after all that planning, I didn’t even get a ticket.

What happened?!

Well, first of all, I actually had the opportunity to buy tickets in April. And I didn’t.

While browsing Google Maps, I came across several very negative reviews of the Newport Flower Show. They completely boggled my mind and made me reconsider whether I wanted to go at all. I thought to myself, Yikes. Maybe I’ll buy tickets later.

You can probably guess what happened next.

Later rolled around, I went back to buy my ticket, and the Flower Show was completely sold out. Just like that, all that planning I had done nearly a year earlier went right out the window.

Looking back, I should have just bought the ticket. I had wanted to attend the Flower Show long before I ever read those reviews, and I should have given myself the chance to experience it and decide for myself whether it was worth it.

Oh well. Lesson learned!

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