Operating Schedule
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Visitor Info
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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.
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
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Commercial Filming or Photography
Museum Rentals & Weddings
Host your wedding, rehearsal dinner, corporate event, or other celebration at our historic museums.
Centuries of Italian influence descended on Newport during the Gilded Age. Buildings, interiors, landscapes and art collections spread across the island, resulting in a multi-disciplinary tribute to Italian design. While Chateau-sur-Mer began as an Italianate villa, its exterior renovations to reflect French themes also occurred while its interiors received Florentine treatments by the acclaimed artist Luigi Frullini. Richard Morris Hunt brought the palazzos of Renaissance Genoa to The Breakers with his colossal 1892 design for the Vanderbilts. Edward Berwind joined the trend of his peers and purchased dozens of Venetian masterpieces to line the walls and halls of The Elms.
The 2024 Newport Symposium will host speakers who will address the ideas of Gilded Age Newport reviving historical Italian principles. Sarah Cartwright, Chief Curator and Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections at The Ringling, and Catherine Hess, former Chief Curator of European Art at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Garden, will discuss the legacy of these precedents. Designer Remy Renzullo will then explore how ideas of the past continue to influence our homes of today, both old and new.
Stay tuned as we release more speaker details!
8:30 am: Check in at Rosecliff and continental breakfast. 9 am – 12 pm: Morning lightning-round sessions at Rosecliff (approximately 30 minutes each). 12 pm – 1 pm: Boxed lunch. 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm: House tours of The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer and The Elms (previous signup required; more information to come). 6 pm: Reception at Rosecliff (separate ticket; proceeds go to scholarship fund).
Video recordings will be made available for in-person and virtual attendees.
See below for scholarship information.
Chateau-sur-Mer Dining Room with wood carvings by Luigi Frullini (Florentine, 1839-1897)
Chateau-sur-er wood carvings (detail) by Luigi Frullini (Florentine, 1839-1897)
The Breakers Great Hall, designed 1892 by Richard Morris Hunt
Ceiling of The Breakers Great Hall
The Breakers Upper Loggia, designed 1892 by Richard Morris Hunt
Bust of Roman Emperor Caracalla in The Elms Dining Room, late 19th century, unknown Italian artist
The Elms Dining Room with 18th-century Venetian paintings of the life of Scipio Africanus
Students Scholarships are available to assist undergraduate and graduate students interested in attending the Symposium. Scholarships are for $500.
To apply: Provide a letter of interest (1 page maximum) stating your professional or academic status and the reasons why attendance at the Symposium would benefit your work. Please include two academic or professional letters of recommendation.
Arts & Humanities Professionals To apply: Submit a letter of interest indicating your professional interests, affiliations and how the Symposium would benefit your work. Please provide your student or staff email address.
Please click here to submit the online Scholarship Application by February 3, 2025.
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 access to The Breakers interior during the same visit.
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.
Young Patron-level members will enjoy an evening at Sparkling Lights at The Breakers, followed by a festive gathering downtown.
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
