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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is probably the most famous book of “The Gilded Age”, a term usually referring to the exorbitant flaunting of wealth seen by America’s industrialists at the turn of the century. Nothing is more “real life Gilded Age” than the Newport Mansions. In fact, Edith Wharton, author of my favorite Gilded Age novel The Age of Innocence, even owned a mansion here in Newport. Several of these mansions were set to be torn down, but thanks to The Preservation Society of Newport County, these incredible homes are open to the public and many are available for tours.
Most of the “summer cottages” as they were called by their owners line Bellevue Avenue in downtown Newport and overlook the water. Here’s a practical guide for visiting the mansions along with some fun facts about the history of these massive homes.
FAQ on the Newport Mansions
Which mansions offer tours?
The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House and Rosecliff offer self-guided audio tours year round.
The Breakers and The Elms also offer special guided tours in addition to the self-guided tour. As Rough Point is not part of the Newport Preservation Society they also offer their own guided tours of the house and the grounds.
Be sure to check the operating schedule as some houses’ hours vary seasonally.
Where can I park at the Newport Mansions?
Most of the mansions have designated parking spaces for as long as you are visiting those mansions. Street parking is incredibly difficult to come by (and we weren’t even there during peak season!) but if you can find a spot you may want to leave your vehicle there and use the RIPTA trolleys to get around or walk between sites. This is especially true if you want to visit other activities like the Cliff Walk since they are in the same general area.
Do I need to make reservations to go on a tour?
For most tours the answer is no. Just show up at the gate and you can purchase tickets when you arrive. The exceptions to that are any specialty tours including the Beneath the Breakers tour at The Breakers and the Servant Life tour at The Elms. Any other special events such as the Wine and Food Festival will obviously require advance ticket purchases as well.
Rough Point
- Square Footage: 39,000
- Number of Rooms: 103
- Year Built: 1892
- Owners: Built for Frederick Vanderbilt, last owner was Doris Duke
Rough Point is one of the mansions that is not part of the Preservation Society of Newport County. After Doris Duke’s death, the house was turned into a museum. They offer a 60 minute tour with admission to the house, or you can pay for the cheaper grounds pass where you can check out the view of the ocean and wander through the gardens but not the house itself. They also offer shorter garden tours, but we did not find much in the gardens worth noting. The views from the cliff overlooking the water are beautiful though.
Pro Tip: If you walk the Cliff Walk from north to south, this is the southernmost house and gives you a chance for a bathroom break after the long 2 mile stretch of cliff. You will have to pay for the grounds pass (~$5) in order to use the restroom though!
Marble House
- Number of Rooms: 50
- Year Built: 1892
- Cost: $11 million (equivalent to $300+ million today)
- Famous Owners: Built for William Vanderbilt
William K. Vanderbilt’s Marble House was built in 1892 and gifted to his wife as a 39th birthday present. Approximately $6 million -$7 million of the total cost of the house was in imported marble alone. A unique feature of this mansion is the Chinese tea house built out back behind Marble House. Even if you don’t make it to the house it is visible from the Cliff Walk path below. It was at this tea house that Mrs. Vanderbilt hosted women’s suffrage rallies. Today, the tea house has been turned into a cafe if you’d like to grab something to eat during your tour. The tea house cafe is only open seasonally so be sure to check its operating hours if you’re planning a visit!
Rosecliff
- Year Built: 1902
- Cost: $2.5 million
- Famous Owners: Theresa Fair Oelrichs, silver heiress
Rosecliff is named for the thousands of roses grown in the gardens by the land’s first owner, George Bancroft. The Oelrichs purchased the property and commissioned the current structure to be built. The mansion was home to some of the most lavish parties in Newport, including a performance by Harry Houdini. The 1974 version of The Great Gatsby was filmed here in addition to several other movies. While we didn’t get a chance to peak inside, I can imagine this home being just as opulent as The Breakers. Rosecliff is one of the mansions open for tours year round so it is a good pick to visit no matter the season.
Read: Day Trip to Newport: Must See Attractions (and What to Leave Out)
Chateau-sur-Mer
- Square Footage: 37,000
- Year Built: 1852
- Famous Owners: William Shepard Wetmore (Old China Trade merchant)
The Chateau-Sur-Mer, or Castle by the Sea, was one of the earliest mansions to be constructed in Newport. This Italian style was actually one of my personal favorites and was much less imposing than some of the other homes. The Chateau was also one of the few homes that was intended to be a year-round residence. William Shepard Wetmore’s son George inherited the house upon his father’s death and lived here for many years. He was a popular politician and even was elected Governor of Rhode Island.
The Elms
- Square Footage:
- Year Built: 1901
- Cost: $1.4 million
- Famous Owners: Mr. Edward Julius Berwind (coal baron)
The Elms was truly a summer home, with this magnificant, expensive space being used only 8-12 weeks a year. Servants would be sent a month in advance to get the house ready for its inhabitants and then the house would be closed up at the end of the summer. It makes you wonder what the typical homes of these families looked like if this was their “summer cottage”.
Our favorite parts about this house were that each room was almost themed and was full of incredible artwork like the giant mural in the dining room pictured above. There was a second mural of the same size on the opposite wall. The grounds were also spectacular as well. I was glad we chose here for our second interior tour, although it makes me curious how the ones we saw compare to the other mansions in the area.
One of the unique things about The Elms is that they offer the Servant Life Tour, which gives you a look into the life of the many servants of the house. This is one of the few tours you will have to make an advance reservation for.
The Breakers
- Square Footage: 125,339 square feet
- Number of rooms: 70
- Year Built: 1895
- Famous Owners: Cornelius Vanderbilt II (New York Railroad Baron)
The Breakers is the most visited attraction in Rhode Island and the largest of the Newport Mansions. This was the first of interior mansion tours we did, and we were absolutely blown away by how shockingly ostentatious this house was. Everything was covered in gold and the ceilings looked like they’d be at home in the Sistine Chapel.
Most of the tours offered throughout the houses are self-guided audio tours, this means that the staff provides headphones and a small smart-phone like device that guides you from room to room in a particular order. There are even additional options if you want more information on different parts of the house or the people who live there. All in all, it takes a little over an hour to walk through the whole thing and the audio provides a lot of interesting facts about the house.
Isaac Bell House
- Year Built: 1883
- Famous Owners: Isaac Bell (cotton broker)
You’ll be forgiven if you look at this house and think it doesn’t quite match the others. The Isaac Bell House was designed as a prime example of “shingle style” architecture rather than modeled after the European styles of many of the other homes. The firm commissioned to design the house, McKim, Mead and White, also designed Boston Public Library and Penn Station, and several of the other Newport Mansions.
At one point the home existed as a nursing home and an apartment complex, which means a lot of the original furnishings were long gone. Still, the house is considered an architectural national landmark for its open floor plan and distinctly American style will influences from around the world.
Other Mansions In Newport
Besides these 7 mansions, there are several others you can visit including:
- Kingscote
- Chepstow
- Hunter House
- Green Animals Topiary Garden
Newport Mansions Map
Here’s a map of all the Newport mansions available to visit.
2 comments
[…] 20th century mansions, the former homes of famous families like the Vanderbilts. These ornate, larger-than-life residences are unreal to look at, and you can tour almost all of them! The most popular locations are The […]
I need to save time to visit these amazing mansions next time we drive to Mass! Rosecliff looks incredible. It’s interesting to see how the other half (or 1%!) lived. Pinning for future reference.