Operating Schedule
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Tours, Groups, Exclusive Experiences
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Accessibility
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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.
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Premium Memberships
We invite you to join these exclusive levels of membership for patrons interested in enhanced access and benefits at the Preservation Society.
Current Members
As a member, you can enjoy unlimited general admission to our properties and do not need tickets. Simply bring your membership card for admission.
Membership FAQs
Membership gives you free, unlimited access to regular guided and audio tours at all Newport Mansions properties.
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.
Group Tour Information
Bring your adult or student group to tour the Newport Mansions at a discounted rate.
Group Visit Request Form
Please complete the request form and submit. Completing this form serves as a group visit request and is not a confirmed reservation.
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.
This panel discussion will cover the enduring legacy of minimalism and monumental sculpture from 1974 until now, with insights from artists Richard Fleischner and Uri Aran and co-curator Dr. Catherine Moran. Moderating and joining them in conversation will be Natalie Bell, Chief Curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center.
Natalie Bell, Chief Curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center
Natalie Bell is Chief Curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, where she has organized recent solo exhibitions of Every Ocean Hughes, American Artist, Steina, Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Raymond Boisjoly, Matthew Angelo Harrison, Leslie Thornton, Sung Tieu, and Sreshta Rit Premnath, among others, and co-curated the group exhibition Symboints: Contemporary Artists and the Biosphere. From 2013-19, she worked at the New Museum, New York, where she curated and co-curated over a dozen solo exhibitions and several major group exhibitions.
Richard Fleischner, Artist
“Richard Fleischner’s experience of built form was established in the densely populated, highly determined environment of the Bronx, New York, where he spent his childhood. It was a place in which the unyielding planes of handball or basketball courts defined open, public space, where enclosures circumscribed by chain-link fences and brick walls became the stage for his imagination and first encounters with his own perspective on the world.” “Through the body’s proportions, he has mediated countless disparate contexts ranging in size from a football field to the palm of his hand, in scope from the public to the deeply personal, and in substance from his early land installations to freestanding sculptures, reliefs, photographs, and gouaches.” "Negotiating the world from his [...] perspective led to what he has identified as his sustained, greatest singular concern as an artist, 'the definition of boundary of inside/outside,' an inquiry that embraces sculpture and architecture and works to establish a place for the artist and the viewer to occupy." [1] [1] Quotes from Jennifer R. Gross, “A Recalibrated Approach,” in Richard Fleischner. Witness Mark, February 12-April 16, 2020, catalogue for an exhibition at the Helwaser Gallery, New York, 2020, p.8-10
Dr. Catherine Moran, Co-Curator of the "Full Circle" exhibition and Manager of Academic Partnerships and Research Fellows Program for The Preservation Society of Newport County
Dr. Catherine Moran, PhD, is an art and cultural historian whose research explores the intersection between material culture, architecture and identity as an expression of the human experience. Dr. Moran has more than 10 years of experience as a lecturer of art and design history at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and is the former Gallery Director for Bernard and S. Dean Levy, New York. She is engaged with local cultural, historic preservation and arts-based non-profit organizations and has lectured at several local universities, professional conferences and cultural institutions. Her master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation focused on American architect Richard Morris Hunt, and she was excited to work in support of the Preservation Society's 2025 exhibition dedicated to his work.
Uri Aran, Artist
Uri Aran's (American, b. 1977, Jerusalem) practice encompasses a wide range of media and subject matter, including film, sculpture, drawing, painting and assemblage. Throughout his practice, Aran constructs a language of indeterminate signifiers in an ongoing pursuit of graphic and linguistic systems, and the pushing of these systems to the point of disintegration. "The discord of meaning in language is something I’m interested in," he has explained. "I don’t know if it’s because English is not my mother tongue; I see a delay of meaning. I see things as mediated — almost everything is quoted." His work has been exhibited extensively, with recent solo exhibitions in London, New York, Dublin, Tokyo, Cologne, Milan and Zurich, among others. Aran additionally has participated in the Whitney Biennial (2014), Liverpool Biennial (2014), Venice Biennale (2013), and numerous group exhibitions. In 2026, Aran's work will be the subject of a solo exhibition at Madre Museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Naples, Italy. Uri Aran received an MFA from Columbia University, New York in 2007, and additionally studied at Cooper Union, New York and completed a Bachelor of Design at Bezalel Academy Jerusalem, Jerusalem in 2004. His work is held in the permanent collections of American University, Washington, DC; The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; ICA Miami, Miami, FL; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Fundació Es Baluard Museu d’Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; KADIST, Paris, France and San Francisco, CA; and RISD Museum, Providence, RI; The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, among others.
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time. Tour times may vary. See the event webpage for details.
For the first time in the 130-year history of The Breakers, the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts is open for public tours. Tour times may vary. See the event webpage for details.
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. Tour times may vary. See the event webpage for details.
Fans of HBO’s "The Gilded Age" will love this guide-led tour of locations in four of the Newport Mansions where Julian Fellowes' historical drama series was filmed. Offered Tuesdays and Fridays only.
The Preservation Society of Newport County is getting into the Spirit of 2026 with an insightful exhibition, theatrical performances bringing Newport’s Revolutionary history to life, programs for children and a series of lectures by leading voices in the field of American history and arts.
To mark the U.S. Semiquincentennial, "Revolution Reimagined: Evolving Stories from Newport’s Past" explores Newport’s vital role in the American Revolution through the lens of myth and memory. Exhibition is included with admission to Rosecliff.
The play “Loyalty or Liberty” highlights the difficult choices faced by many during the American Revolution and explores themes of freedom, honor, duty and love in times of uncertainty. Offered Tuesdays & Saturdays.
Looking for fun, family-friendly activities this summer? Join us at the Newport Mansions for summer family programming for ages 5-7 (younger and older siblings welcome)!
Learn about our latest exhibition, “Revolution Reimagined: Evolving Stories from Newport’s Past,” with a guided tour led by one of the primary collaborators on the exhibition. Offered on select Wednesdays & Saturdays.
Stop by and get creative—all ages and ability levels welcome. Learn a little piece of history and try your hand at being creative. Offered on select Saturdays at various houses; see event webpage for details. Special Guest July 25!
Preservation Society Research Fellows present their contributions to this year's research. Isabella Hogan will discuss her work on her research of Ogden Codman Jr. and A.H. Davenport & Co. Allison Donoghue will share insights into her work researching treasures from the robust collection of fine and decorative arts at the Preservation Society of Newport County. Théo Lourenço will share selections of “hidden gems” from the Old World acquired by Gilded Age collectors.
Quilts are used to keep us warm, but they are also used to tell stories. Learn about the ways quilts have told stories and make your own quilt square! Kids can also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport.
Author Rick Atkinson and F. Anderson Morse, Executive Director of the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati, explore the American Semiquincentennial in discussing the causes, consequences and characters of the war that gave birth to our nation.
SOLD OUT
Have you noticed that the Green Animals Topiary Garden feels magical? Explore the garden and help us find fairy friends who help keep the garden’s magic alive! After the scavenger hunt, design your own fairy home so the fairies can take a vacation at your home. Kids can earn the Green Animals stamp in the Newport Mansions Passport!
Join a direct descendant of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment to learn about the clothing of the colonial period. Jason Roomes will bring examples of colonial dress and share how the clothing was worn, giving children a chance to try replica clothing. Kids will also make their own tricorn hats to take home.
Preservation Society Fellows present their contributions to this year's research. Curatorial Research Fellow Mya Rose Bailey will discuss their research for the exhibition "Revolution Reimagined: Evolving Stories from Newport’s Past." Chepstow Archives Fellow Grace Acton will discuss treasures of the Chepstow and Morris Family papers and how an archivist transforms historical materials into resources for the digital age. Kingscote Archives Fellow Megan O’Connell will detail the work of processing an archival collection and how this work influences future interpretations of Kingscote.
Move and groove in the garden! Join us for an hour of movement and dance with an instructor from Newport Contemporary Ballet. Please wear active clothes and shoes or socks you don’t mind sacrificing to grass stains!
Join us for an unforgettable evening of dinner and dancing to celebrate Summer in Newport.
This free performance by Rhode Island's premier symphonic orchestra will feature favorites from theater, film and classical music. REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
In honor of the United States Semiquincentennial, discover the beautiful furniture of 18th-century Rhode Island with John A. Hays, a former Deputy Chairman of Christie's.
You don’t need to have a green thumb to enjoy our “Traveling Through Thyme” program! Come learn about colonial gardening with us and design your own miniature garden - colonial-style. Kids will also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport.
Join us for a wing-derful day at the Green Animals Topiary Garden to learn all about our favorite garden friends, butterflies! Spend time learning about the butterfly life cycle and take home your very own butterfly friend. Kids can also earn the Green Animals stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport.
The drummer was an important role for the Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. Learn how soldiers in the 1770s kept themselves on beat while they were working and learn how to make your own drum with us! Kids can also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport!
Nature is the inspiration for a lot of art and gardens are filled with so many textures. Join us for a sensory walk exploring the garden. Take inspiration from the natural world and create a fun textured work of art out of natural materials. Kids can also earn the Green Animals stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport!
Grab your clubs for an unforgettable day on the greens at the Preservation Society’s Annual Golf Outing at Newport National Golf Club, a challenging links-style course with views of the Atlantic Ocean and Sakonnet Passage.
All Preservation Society members are invited to enjoy an evening of live music, food and good company!
Curator of Collections, Dr. Nicole Williams, provides an in-depth look at the inspiration behind our current exhibition.
Three days of fun and educational seminars, tastings, dinners and the fan-favorite Sunday Brunch await you at Rosecliff! Tickets available in early August 2026
This November, the Newport Symposium explores the theme “What Makes It American” with a series of lectures and tours examining the origins and legacy of art, architecture, landscape and design in the United States. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, presenters will discuss the history of our national—and Newport—identity through visual culture.
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
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