Operating Schedule
See which of the mansions are open and when. Search by date or month, or view the full year’s schedule.
Visitor Info
View our FAQs, map & parking, guidelines and more.
Tours, Groups, Exclusive Experiences
Explore our various tour types to find what’s best for you and your group.
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.
“Inside the Newport Mansions” Gilded Age Conversations
Noted historians and authors share their insights into all aspects of Gilded Age America in this monthly series of interviews with the Preservation Society.
Current Members
Current members can see a full list of benefits and any information regarding Members Events.
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
Rent our museums for commercial photography & videography, TV production, and wedding photography.
Commercial Filming or Photography
Museum Rentals & Weddings
Host your wedding, rehearsal dinner, corporate event, or other celebration at our historic museums.
Panelists from the Hudson River Museum, Lyndhurst Mansion, and the City of Troy will share what makes their properties special, along with the characteristics of their sites and landscapes at the turn of the 20th century. They will discuss how HBO’s “The Gilded Age” has impacted period houses and properties and driven an interest in their history. Our panelists will also share what filming for the series means for their sites, and how it has helped bring the past to life.
Laura Vookles is Chair of the Curatorial Department at the Hudson River Museum, where she has worked in various capacities since 1985. Vookles has completed numerous successful furnishing, conservation, and interpretation projects for Glenview, the museum’s 1877 Hudson River home on the National Register of Historic Places. She was a critical team member of a $2.1 million restoration project completed in 1999, which furnished the Parlor and reopened it as a period room for the first time, as well as uncovering and restoring a magnificent painted glass laylight over the grand staircase. She has curated and written for numerous Hudson River Museum publications, including “The Color of the Moon: Lunar Paintings in American Art” (Fordham University Press/Hudson River Museum, 2019); “The Panoramic River: The Hudson and The Thames” (Hudson River Museum, 2013); and “Dutch New York: the Roots of Hudson Valley Culture” (Fordham University Press/Hudson River Museum, 2009). She holds a Master’s in Art History from Boston University and a BA in Art History from the University of Virginia.
Emma Gencarelli is the Film, Photography & Collections Coordinator at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, N.Y. She holds a BFA in Film and worked in post-production on television programs and films for several years. In her current position, she combines her film experience with her MA in Historic Preservation and Museum Studies from the University of Delaware, integrating curatorial, collections, and research work side by side with the management and logistics for Lyndhurst’s film and television productions.
Kathryn Sheehan is a native of Troy, N.Y., and has been historian for Rensselaer County and Troy since 2006. Sheehan has worked at the Hart Cluett Museum since 1986, arriving as an intern from the Public History Department at the University at Albany (SUNY). She has lectured on topics including Uncle Sam, the Underground Railroad, Woman Suffrage and most recently “The Gilded Age” in Troy, N.Y. She has appeared on numerous local and national television programs, including The History Channel, PBS, and C-Span. Sheehan is currently finishing her research for a book to be published in 2023, titled, “Architecture Worth Saving in Rensselaer County, 50 Years Later.”
Event thumbnail photo credit: Glenview Historic Home, used for filming HBO’s The Gilded Age. Photo Credit: Steve Paneccasio, Hudson River Museum.
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.
This series of programs, listed below, offers glimpses into the work that happens behind the scenes at the Newport Mansions, including curatorial, conservation, preservation, historical research and interpretation.
Learn how several of the historic Newport Mansions embrace modern technology with the use of geothermal climate-control systems, an environmentally sustainable solution.
SOLD OUT
This isn’t about baseball! We'll examine the complex lives of Edward J. Berwind’s butlers as labor activism took root during the Gilded Age.
Get an exclusive close-up look at two of the costumes worn in the 1974 film adaptation of "The Great Gatsby," guided by our textile conservator and one of our research fellows. This program will also be offered on Thursday, March 13, and Thursday, April 10.
Learn about ongoing preservation work throughout our properties with Director of Museum Affairs and Chief Curator Leslie Jones. Live at Rosecliff and via Zoom.
Treat yourself to a memorable day of cultural enrichment and architectural wonders in the heart of Boston. The itinerary invites members to explore the city’s hidden gems and iconic landmarks while connecting with fellow enthusiasts.
Enjoy a rare behind-the-scenes look at our conservation studio and the important work that happens there.This program will also be offered Thursday, March 27.
Beginning February 15. 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.
WinterFest is a weeklong celebration of the season, where families can gather to listen to a winter-themed story and create a take-home craft.
This illuminating tour examines select artworks of the ‘idealized’ portrayal and real-life expectations of Gilded Age women throughout The Elms. This program will also be offered on Friday, March 7.
Follow the history and conservation research on the Ladies Reception Room with Conservation Research Fellow Laura Bergemann. This program will also be offered on Wednesday, April 9.
Learn about the ongoing research into and conservation of the furniture on the third floor of The Breakers, which opened to the public for the first time last year.This program will also be offered on Friday, April 18.
The guided tour of Marble House will illuminate the French influences that architect Richard Morris Hunt incorporated throughout the mansion. This program will also be offered on Friday, April 25.
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.
Themed “A Floral Fair,” the 29th annual Show will combine the elegance of a Gilded Age fête with the good cheer of a summer county fair.
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.
Partners in Preservation
