Operating Schedule
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Visitor Info
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Tours, Groups, Exclusive Experiences
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History of Newport and the Mansions
Founded in 1639, Newport was an important port city, a center of the slave trade, a fashionable resort and the summer home of the Gilded Age rich.
What was the Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age was a period of unprecedented change in America. Fortunes were spent on luxuries such as the lavish "summer cottages" of Newport.
Deep Dive into the Show
Learn about the people, places and events depicted in Julian Fellowes' popular historical drama series.
Current Members
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Become a Member
We invite you to become a member of the Preservation Society today. In addition to joining an active community of preservation supporters and advocates, members are offered unlimited access to all open houses.
About Us
Our mission is to protect, preserve, and present the best of Newport County's architectural heritage. Learn more about us and our work.
Wind Farm Federal Appeal: FAQs
The Preservation Society of Newport County is appealing federal agency approval of two massive wind farms off the Rhode Island coast.
Personal Photography on the Grounds
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Commercial Filming or Photography
Museum Rentals & Weddings
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Third in a series of lectures in conjunction with the exhibition “Gilded Age Newport in Color”
Conventional narratives of Black politics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries tend to focus on two ideological choices: (1) Republican vs. Democrat, with African Americans siding with the party of Lincoln; and (2) (Booker T.) Washingtonian vs. DuBoisian, with African Americans preferring one of the two. Yet in Newport, there is evidence of a more idiosyncratic, localized and broader set of political strategies promoted by local Black leaders.
Bard College Professor Dr. Myra Armstead will set forth the menu of options pursued by Black Newporters who gave their own meaning to what collectively may be called independent politics.
For more information, email ProgramRSVP@NewportMansions.org.
Dr. Myra Armstead
Dr. Myra Armstead is the Lyford Paterson Edwards and Helen Gray Edwards Professor of Historical Studies at Bard College and Senior Adviser to the President of Bard. She specializes in U.S. social and cultural history with emphasis on urban and African American history. Dr. Armstead holds a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She has written several books including Memory and Enslavement: Schuyler House, Old Saratoga, and the Saratoga Patent in History, Historical Practice, and the Historical Imagination (2023); Freedom's Gardener: James F. Brown, Horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America (2012); Mighty Change, Tall Within: Black Identity in the Hudson Valley (2003); and ‘Lord, Please Don't Take Me in August’: African Americans in Newport and Saratoga Springs (1999).
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
For the first time in the 129-year history of The Breakers, the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts is open for public tours.
Wild Imagination will explore the changing place of animals in the Gilded Age, a period that transformed how we view and treat the animal world, through more than 100 animal-themed artworks in a range of media. Closed Nov. 22-Dec. 8
A great Newport tradition! See the great mansions of the Gilded Age dressed in their festive holiday finery. It’s the most spectacular time of the year at these awe-inspiring historic houses.
This outdoor spectacle of holiday lights will dazzle and delight you! The 13-acre landscape of The Breakers turns into a wonderland of color and light. Includes tour of the lavishly decorated rooms inside the house. Open on select evenings through the season. Includes The Breakers interior tour during the same visit.
Members attending Sparkling Lights on this evening will be able to take advantage of special giveaways and activities!
Learn how the magic of holiday decorating comes together at Newport's largest and most popular mansion. Tours also offered on December 12 & 19.
SOLD OUT
See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age. The Elms is closed Oct. 1-Dec. 6.
Want something new for your front door this holiday season? The Preservation Society's Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop returns with plenty of unique ideas.
Join us for this annual tradition of celebrating the holidays with our members.
This program will guide you through designing a holiday floral arrangement that goes beyond poinsettias!
This elegant gala is set in Newport's grandest mansion dressed in its holiday finest.
Founded in 1993, the Newport Symposium has been an annual convening of fine and decorative arts experts and enthusiasts from across the country and the world. Attendees listen to stimulating lectures, experience behind-the-scenes study opportunities and gather to network and discuss the future of our history.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, guests and volunteers for another successful Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival. See you next year for the 20th annual festival, September 19-21, 2025, at Rosecliff. Become a Preservation Society member and receive early access to purchase 2025 tickets before they become available to the general public.
Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.
Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.
Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Explore the 11 properties under the stewardship of the Preservation Society and open as historic house museums.
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