Plan a Visit / Tours /

Self-guided audio tours

Our audio tours bring you a new and unique perspective on the lives of the people who lived and worked in the grand mansions of the Gilded Age in Newport.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Gilded Age.

Explore The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff, Chateau-sur-Mer and Kingscote at your own pace with the free Newport Mansions mobile app. The audio tours offer the personal stories of the men and women who lived in each house and the household staff who cared for them.

Download the Newport mansions app in advance and bring your earbuds. Most audio tours are available in several languages.

Printed tour scripts are available at most mansions and the staff appreciates your questions.

The Breakers Audio Tour

Based on personal diaries, letters, records and oral histories, The Breakers audio tour offers first-person accounts of life in the house from members of the family, servants and their children. You’ll also learn fascinating facts about The Breakers and how it was built, and see details of the rooms that you might otherwise not notice!

Available Languages Printed tour scripts available in these and other languages. Audio in App 中文 (Mandarin Chinese), English, Français (French), Deutsche (German), Español (Spanish) Transcripts in App עִברִית (Hebrew), Italiano (Italian), 日本語 (Japanese), 한국어 (Korean), Norsk (Norwegian), русский язык (Russian) Learn more about The Breakers Audio Tour

Marble House Audio Tour

Hear Alva Vanderbilt talk about the architectural masterpiece she helped to design, which she described as “like a fourth child to me.” Learn how she used it to cement her place in society, to arrange her daughter’s marriage to British aristocracy, and later as a rallying point for women’s right to vote.

Available Languages Printed tour scripts available in these and other languages. Audio in App 中文 (Mandarin Chinese), English, Français (French), Deutsche (German), Español (Spanish) Transcripts in App Italiano (Italian), 한국어 (Korean) Learn more about Marble House Audio Tour

The Elms Audio Tour

Hear fascinating first-person accounts of life in a house modeled after an 18th-century chateau, built for entertaining and as a showcase for art, but with every modern convenience available at the turn of the 20th century. The Elms tour also provides new information about recent restoration projects in the house and about servant life.

Rosecliff Audio Tour

As you explore this elegant Gilded Age mansion, you’ll hear stories about its owner, Tessie Oelrichs, who was so eager to throw her first party at Rosecliff that she did not wait until the house was finished! You’ll learn how Rosecliff was perfectly designed for entertaining – and how the famous Ballroom, the largest in Newport, was once used as a roller skating rink.

Available Languages Printed tour scripts available in these and other languages. Audio in App English Transcripts in App 中文 (Mandarin Chinese), Français (French), Español (Spanish) Learn more about Rosecliff Audio Tour

Chateau-sur-Mer Audio Tour

Chateau-sur-Mer is a truly unique house. Considered Newport’s first true mansion, it tells the story of Newport in the 19th century. The audio tour is your guide to the complex design and history of this National Historic Landmark, as well as the lives, leisures and achievements of the Wetmore family members who lived there for more than 100 years.

Available Languages Printed tour scripts available in these and other languages. Audio in App English Transcripts in App English Learn more about Chateau-sur-Mer Audio Tour