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.
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.
Operating schedule is subject to change
The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial pre-eminence in the Gilded Age.
William Vanderbilt built Marble House as a 39th birthday present for his wife, Alva. It was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent Gilded Age mansions.
The Elms was modeled after an 18th-century French chateau but featured the latest technology of the Gilded Age. It houses an outstanding collection of paintings, statuary and tapestries, and its landscape features formal gardens, terraces, pavilions and fountains.
Rosecliff was built for Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs, who used it to host many fabulous Gilded Age entertainments. Architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles.
Chateau-sur-Mer epitomizes High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport until the appearance of the Gilded Age Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s.
Chepstow is highly evocative of the taste and collections of a descendant of one of America's founding families, placed in the context of a contemporary Newport summer home.
Home to more than 80 topiary animals and other figures for more than a century, Green Animals also blazes with colorful flowers from May until October. The 7-acre property overlooks Narragansett Bay.
Hunter House (c. 1748) is one of the finest examples of Colonial architecture in Newport. The house was owned by wealthy merchants who furnished it with decorative arts produced by expert craftsmen. Such a luxurious lifestyle depended on the labor of enslaved people of African descent. Recent research by the Preservation Society has identified at least 13 enslaved individuals who lived and worked at Hunter House. Today's Hunter House honors their perseverance and incalculable contributions to Newport’s past.
Isaac Bell House is one of the best surviving examples of shingle-style architecture in the country. Its architects and designers drew from a mix of international and American influences to create a unique Gilded Age style.
Kingscote is a landmark of the Gothic Revival style in American architecture. Its appearance in Newport marked the beginning of the “cottage boom” that would distinguish the town as a veritable laboratory for the design of picturesque houses throughout the 19th century.
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
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. *Sept. 1-Oct. 6, 10:30 & 3:30. Nov. 23-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.
For the first time in the 129-year history of The Breakers, the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts will be open for public tours. *TIme changes to 1:30 pm Oct. 15-Jan. 1
Marvel at the sight of 26 life-sized elephant sculptures on the oceanside back lawn of The Breakers and learn about the importance of helping these magnificent animals survive.
This summer’s Traveling Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Garden provide families and children a fun and creative way to connect with The Preservation Society of Newport County’s multiple properties by engaging with cultural heritage and nature.
Updated July 24, 2024. Schedule is subject to change.
Please note: Advance reservations are required for all guide-led tours.
House & grounds close one hour after last tour admission.
The Breakers Children’s Cottage will be open to tour daily July 1 – August 17, 10 am – 4 pm.
*On July 24, The Breakers will close at 3 pm for a special event. There will be no Breakers Third Floor Tour that day.
Beneath The Breakers Tour – Guide-led tour daily at 10:30 am.
The Breakers Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour – Guide-led tour daily at 3:30 pm.
*The Elms will be closed August 13 & 14 for a special event. There will be no Servant Life Tours that day.
*The Elms will close at 3 pm on August 25. There will be no 2 pm or 3:30 pm Servant Life Tours that day.
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm.
July 10 – 26* Rosecliff open daily 10 am – 3 pm for first-floor viewing only. Free admission, tickets not required. *Rosecliff will close at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 19. *Rosecliff will be closed on July 25.
July 27 – August 11 Rosecliff open Saturdays & Sundays 10 am – 3 pm for first-floor viewing only. Free admission, tickets not required.
August 12 – 29: Rosecliff closed for exhibition installation.
Starting August 30 (paid admission required) Open daily 10 am – 3 pm with new exhibition, “Wild Imagination.”
Special timed ticket required. House & grounds close one hour after last tour admission.
Closes one hour after last tour admission.
Grounds close one hour after last tour admission.
Beneath The Breakers Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am.
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm
House & grounds close one hour after last tour admission
*Rosecliff will be closed to tours September 19 – 23; open to Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival ticket holders only
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 2:30 pm.
The Elms will be closed October 7 – November 22.
*The Breakers will be closed October 9.
Closed until November 23.
The Breakers Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour – Guide-led tour daily at 1:30 pm.
*The Breakers will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 22.
*Rosecliff will be closed November 22 – December 8 for “The Newport Nutcracker.”
All houses closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
All houses close at 2 p.m. on December 24.
*The Breakers will close at 3 pm on Monday, December 23.
Sparkling Lights at The Breakers is an outdoor holiday light display & includes visit to the mansion interior. Special, timed ticket required. Timed admissions every half-hour from 4 pm to 6 pm. House & grounds will close at 8 pm. Here are the dates for Sparkling Lights:
Friday, November 22 Saturday, November 23 Sunday, November 24
Friday, November 29 Saturday, November 30 Sunday, December 1
Thursday, December 5 Friday, December 6 Saturday, December 7 Sunday, December 8
Thursday, December 12 Friday, December 13 Sunday, December 15
Thursday, December 19 Friday, December 20 Saturday, December 21 Sunday, December 22 Monday, December 23 Thursday, December 26 Friday, December 27 Saturday, December 28 Sunday, December 29
Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.
With the Duo and Trio tickets, you can tour multiple mansions and gardens at a discounted price. These tickets can be used on different days and they do not expire.
See tour options, frequently asked questions, information on our policies and everything else you need to know.
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
