Operating Schedule
See which of the mansions are open and when. Search by date or month, or view the full year’s schedule.
Guest Information
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Tours, Groups, Exclusive Experiences
Explore our various tour types to find what’s best for you and your group.
Accessibility
See specific information about access at each house and property.
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.
Become a Member
We invite you to become a member of the Preservation Society today.
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.
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.
With David Baron, award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author
America’s Gilded Age, remembered for its ostentatious displays of wealth and fashion, was an era awash in excitement about the planet Mars. Beginning in the 1890s, an aristocratic Bostonian — the astronomer Percival Lowell — electrified the nation with writings and lectures that depicted Earth’s neighboring world as home to an advanced, peaceful and tragically dying civilization. Lowell offered “proof” in the form of photographs that revealed (or so he said) a planetwide irrigation network on the desiccated globe, and the Martians thus invaded American culture. You could read about them in The New York Times and see them portrayed on the Broadway stage. Pastors sermonized about the wise aliens, while inventors devised schemes to communicate with them so we might learn answers to life’s most existential questions.
Although Lowell’s theory eventually fell into disrepute and the frenzy abated, it left a permanent mark. The Mars craze inspired a new and enduring literary genre — science fiction — and laid the groundwork for the Space Age, setting our civilization on a course to explore and perhaps someday inhabit the mysterious world next door.
A reception will begin at 5 pm. David Baron’s book “The Martians” will be available for purchase before the lecture and the author will be available for a book signing.
David Baron
David Baron worked for many years as science correspondent for WBUR and NPR, and as science editor for the GBH radio program "The World." His first book, "The Beast in the Garden," won the Colorado Book Award, and his second, "American Eclipse," received the American Institute of Physics Book Prize. While writing his latest book, "The Martians," he served as the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
"Mars People as They May Look," The Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque), Nov. 2, 1907. Courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa.
"There is Life on the Planet Mars," The New York Times, Dec. 9, 1906. Courtesy of University of Colorado Boulder Libraries.
"Is Mars Inhabited?", Cosmopolitan Magazine, March 1908. Courtesy of Boston Public Library.
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.
This series of programs, listed below, offers glimpses into the work that happens behind the scenes at the Newport Mansions, including curatorial, conservation, preservation, historical research and interpretation.
“Full Circle” revisits Newport's groundbreaking 1974 outdoor sculpture exhibition "Monumenta" through the work of Richard Fleischner, one of the last living participating artists, and his contemporaries.
Learn about our latest exhibition spotlighting Richard Fleischner’s work with a guided tour led by one of the primary collaborators on the exhibition. Offered on select dates.
SOLD OUT
Stop by Rosecliff 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 dates; see event webpage for details.
Archival Research Fellow Megan O’Connell provides an inside look at how archival materials breathe life into Kingscote and offer a richer understanding of the lives of its occupants. Program offered March 5 & March 27
Grace Acton, Archival Research Fellow, provides a unique tour of Chepstow through the eyes of an archivist. Program offered March 6 & March 26
Richard Fleischner, Uri Aran, Dr. Catherine Moran and moderator Natalie Bell will explore the enduring legacy of minimalism and monumental sculpture from 1974 to the present showcased in our current exhibition.
Join Allison Donoghue, Decorative Arts Research Fellow, to learn how professionals research and analyze decorative arts. Program offered February 27 & March 12
This is an exclusive opportunity to tour our off-site Collections Care Facility and meet some of our collections care team, including our new Textile Conservator, Katy O'Donnell.
Join us for a captivating lecture with Geoffrey Kelly, the former FBI agent who investigated the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, the largest property theft in U.S. history.
Peek behind the curtain of the Preservation Society’s summer 2026 "Revolution Reimagined" exhibition with Curatorial Research Fellow Mya Rose Bailey. Program offered March 20 & April 2
Bid for your chance to attend elegant legacy soirées, cloistered gatherings, and bespoke escapes on our historic estates. Enjoy privileged access while supporting our efforts to preserve American history.
"Pearls of Newport" is the perfect theme for the 30th anniversary Newport Flower Show, celebrating the city's coastal identity and maritime history.
Three days of fun and educational seminars, tastings, dinners and the fan-favorite Sunday Brunch await you at Rosecliff! Tickets available in early July 2026
Founded in 1993, the Newport Symposium has been an annual convening of fine and decorative arts experts and enthusiasts from across the country and the world. Attendees listen to stimulating lectures, experience behind-the-scenes study opportunities and gather together to network and discuss the future of our history.
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
