Operating Schedule
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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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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.
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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.
On the 50th anniversary of the opening of Monumenta in Newport, The Preservation Society of Newport County will host a symposium at Rosecliff celebrating this pioneering modern sculpture exhibition that shaped the way the world interacts with outdoor contemporary art. CLICK HERE to register
Fifty years ago, 54 monumental outdoor sculptures by 40 artists were installed across Newport’s landscape as part of an art exhibition aptly titled Monumenta.
This was among the first large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibitions in the world and it had a decades-long impact. The artists who contributed works to Monumenta included Willem de Kooning, Robert Indiana, Louise Nevelson, Jules Olitski, Henry Moore, Barnett Newman, Richard Fleischner, David Smith, Christo, Claes Oldenburg, Barbara Hepworth and Alexander Calder.
Thirty of the sculptures were on the grounds of Chateau-sur-Mer and The Elms. The only Monumenta work still in its original site is Fleischner’s “Sod Maze” at Chateau-sur-Mer.
Spearheaded by Newport residents William “Bill” and Gael Crimmins and further championed by Preservation Society of Newport County co-founder and President Katherine Warren, Monumenta was directed by acclaimed art historian Sam Hunter and a team of his graduate students from Princeton University including Hugh M. Davies, Nancy Rosen and Sally Yard.
Please join original Monumenta organizers Hugh Davies and Nancy Rosen along with author Jonathan Lippincott and Art&Newport founder Dodie Kazanjian as they discuss the lasting impact of this historic exhibition. The discussion will be moderated by Ronald J. Onorato, Emeritus Professor of Art and Architectural History at the University of Rhode Island.
Dr. Hugh M. Davies
Hugh M. Davies is recognized internationally as a scholar in the field of contemporary and modern art. Davies served from 1983 to 2016 as director of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and was named Director Emeritus by the museum’s trustees in 2016. While directing artistic and administrative activities of MCASD, Davies curated or co-curated numerous exhibitions including Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface (2011-2012); Robert Irwin: Primaries and Secondaries (2007); Francis Bacon: The Papal Portraits of 1953 (1999); and William Kentridge: Weighing … and Wanting (1998). Davies was one of six co-curators who organized the Biennial 2000 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and in 1976 he served as Director of the U.S. Exhibition at the 37th Venice Biennale. From 1975 to 1983 he was the founding director of the University Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly the University Gallery) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and from 1984 through 2016 he was a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, a Trustee from 1994-2001 and President from 1997-1998. Davies served as a member of the Francis Bacon Authentication Committee, which published the artist’s Catalogue Raisonne in 2016. His doctoral dissertation on Francis Bacon was later expanded and published by Garland Press, and he has subsequently published extensively on Bacon’s work. Davies received his A.B., summa cum laude, (1970), M.F.A. (1972), and Ph.D. (1976) from the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University
Nancy Rosen
Nancy Rosen has an academic background in Art History and Museum Studies (Goucher College, B.A., Brown University, M.A.) including study and research in Florence and Rome. Early in her career, she co-organized three influential exhibitions that explored and expanded on the accepted boundaries of art and context: Documenta VI, the international exhibition in Kassel, Germany; Projects in Nature, which featured works of 11 artists created over the course of a year on a rural site in New Jersey; and Monumenta. These early projects afforded Rosen the opportunity to focus on major examples of 20th-century sculpture and to shepherd younger and more experimental artists as they created new, site-focused works. She has published and lectured on topics relating to art in the public realm and participated in numerous panel discussions exploring this territory. Rosen also collaborated on several films with her husband, the documentary filmmaker Michael Blackwood: Masters of Modern Sculpture; 14 Americans, Directions of the 1970s; Artpark People; and Christo’s Running Fence. In 1980 she founded her own office, Nancy Rosen Incorporated, to focus on planning, implementing, and managing public art initiatives and fine art collections. Clients include individual collectors, foundations, academic and not-for-profit institutions, public agencies, professional firms and corporations. Rosen has had a long relationship with Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies. She is presently curating a program of site-specific installations the London MIthraeum-Bloomberg Space, as well as several Art + Architecture initiatives for new capital projects in Washington and Baltimore for Johns Hopkins University.
Jonathan D. Lippincott
Jonathan D. Lippincott began his publishing career in 1994 at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where he rose to design manager. His family's business, Lippincott Sculpture, fabricated for the sculptors many of the works featured in Monumenta. He now works independently as an art director, designer and packager on a range of illustrated books about fine art, architecture, landscape and design. He is the author of two books, the monograph Robert Murray: Sculpture and Large Scale: Fabricating Sculpture in the 1960s and 1970s. He has written about art for The Paris Review Daily, On-Verge and Tether: A Journal of Art, Literature, and Culture. He has curated shows including Chromatic Space, the 80th-anniversary exhibition for American Abstract Artists, at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center in New York City, and Celestial and Terrestrial at the New Arts Program in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
Dodie Kazanjian
Born and raised in Newport, Dodie Kazanjian has covered and written about artists and the art world for Vogue since 1989. She is the founding director of Gallery Met, the non-profit contemporary art space at the Metropolitan Opera, and also of Art&Newport. Her books include Icons: The Absolutes of Style, Dodie Goes Shopping and Alex: The Life of Alexander Liberman, co-authored with her husband, Calvin Tomkins. From 1981 to 1983, she was Deputy Press Secretary to First Lady Nancy Reagan at the White House. She left to join the National Endowment for the Arts, where she started a quarterly magazine called ArtsReview. At the same time, she served as Washington Editor of House & Garden. She lives in New York City.
Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Lightening (1970) Sheet metal, painted red, 144 x 180 x 96 inches Lent by Perls Galleries, New York Location: Bleak House Point Photo courtesy of Nancy Rosen
Christo (1935-2020) Ocean Front Project for Covering the Cove at King's Beach, Newport (1974) White cardboard, fabric, charcoal, colored pencil and pencil, 28 x 22 inches Lent by the artist Location: King’s Beach Photo courtesy of William "Bill" and Gael Crimmins
David Smith (1906-1965) Wagon II (1964) Steel, 84 x 110 x 45 inches Lent by the Estate of the artist,courtesy of Knoedler Contemporary Art, Lawrence Rubin, New York Location: The Elms Photo courtesy of Nancy Rosen
David Smith (1906-1965) Zig V, (1961) Painted steel, 110 x 84 x 28 inches Lent by the Estate of the artist,courtesy of Knoedler Contemporary Art, Lawrence Rubin, New York Location: The Elms Photo courtesy of Nancy Rosen
Isaac Witkin (1936-2006) Alnasco (1974 ) Steel, 120 x 111 x 132 inches Lent by the Marlborough Gallery, New York Location: Bleak House Point Photo courtesy of Nancy Rosen
Peter Gourfain (b. 1934) Untitled (1973) Sails and wood, 100 feet wide Courtesy of the Bykert Gallery, New York Location: Chateau-sur-Mer Photo courtesy of Nancy Rosen
Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) Clam Digger (1972) Bronze, 57½ inches high Lent by Fourcade, Droll Inc., New York Location: Chateau-sur-Mer Photo courtesy of Nancy Rosen
Installing Windtotem by David Smith at The Elms. Photo courtesy of William "Bill" and Gael Crimmins
Installation of Chinese Casandra by Jules Olitski at Chateau-sur-Mer Photo courtesy of William "Bill" and Gael Crimmins
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.
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.
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 dates.
Three days of fun and educational seminars, tastings, dinners and the fan-favorite Sunday Brunch await you at Rosecliff! Seminar schedule and tickets now available!
Explore the history and vision of Connecticut's premiere craft distillery. You'll taste Litchfield's 5-Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 6-Year Double-Barreled Bourbon, and Port Cask Finished Bourbon (a Double-Platinum Winner at the ASCOT Awards) as you learn firsthand how Litchfield transforms Connecticut-Grown grains into nationally acclaimed spirits. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
Join us for the RIEDEL Wine Glass Experience, an immersive wine tasting that demonstrates the remarkable impact glassware has on wine enjoyment. Includes a set of RIEDEL Veloce wine glasses, valued at $198. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
SOLD OUT
This seminar celebrates a historic milestone in California winemaking history: Tim Mondavi’s 50th consecutive vintage. This exclusive event centers around the highly anticipated release of the 2023 Continuum. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
This seminar will explore the Gagliardo Barolo wine style and philosophy, highlighting their Classico and three spectacular Cru wines out of the seven they produce. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
Beckstoffer Vineyards has played an integral role in the evolution of Northern California’s wine grape industry since 1970. They are dedicated solely to acquiring, farming, and preserving vineyards that produce exceptional wine grapes in Northern California’s top wine-producing areas. Wines produced from these vineyards historically on average receive scores between 90 and 100 points. Sip alongside fellow enthusiasts to uncover the vision, history, and meticulous craftsmanship that define these world-class, premium releases. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
Embark on a captivating journey along the Pacific coastline in this exclusive tasting seminar exploring the exquisite intersection of terroir, wind and fog across three world-class wine regions. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
Seeking wines no one else can get? You can't find these in restaurants or stores!! Quigley Wines is opening their cellar vault to give you a boutique wine experience like no other! Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
Three extraordinary terroirs. Five wines. More than two centuries of family winemaking tradition. Join Pablo Nyárády for an intimate masterclass exploring how a family winemaking legacy dating to 1820 finds expression across three remarkably different places: Napa Valley, the rugged Fort Ross-Seaview appellation of the Sonoma Coast, and the historic vineyards of Tokaj, Hungary. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
A tour through the world’s best Sakes from Komé Collective, paired with a signature dish from James Beard Nominated & Star Chefs "Rising Star", Chef Basil Yu from Yagi Noodles, Newport RI. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
From a career that spans living in Burgundy and selling wine in high-end auctions, to running a boutique wine shop in Manhattan, to becoming the largest female owned and run wine import company in the US, Mary Taylor has a boatload of stories to tell. Her wine label "Mary Taylor Wine" is geared to showcase wine from the perspective of ‘place.' This side-by-side tasting will be a fun and joyous learning experience. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
Guests attending this Charcuterie Artisan presentation will learn how to build the perfect charcuterie board by mastering flavor, texture, presentation, and wine pairings. Discover how to balance ingredients and create combinations that make every bite better. Please click the seminar title or image to see more information about this event.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a 3,000-year-old tradition from China that celebrates togetherness. We invite you to a family program celebrating this festival on the grounds of Marble House near the Chinese Tea House.
Mark your calendar for these fun, artistic and educational events this fall at the Newport Mansions!
Calling all intermediate and above plein air painters! Join Bill Lane, award-winning local artist, for a day-long workshop on plein air painting at The Breakers. Intermediate and above watercolor and oil artists welcome.
Evan Aten, Horticulturist Supervisor at Green Animals Topiary Garden, will bring you for a fall walk through the gardens and teach you how to prep your garden beds for winter.
In an exclusive for our members, Director of Museum Affairs & Chief Curator Leslie Jones and Chief Conservator Patty Miller will give a wide-ranging update on the state of the Preservation Society collections.
Join Preservation Society Archives Fellow Grace Acton to learn about Chepstow’s ties to America’s founding families. Thursday, October 8 & 15 only.
Get into the spirit of the season with a history-based lecture presented by critically acclaimed history podcaster ("Lore") and bestselling author Aaron Mahnke.
Witches and vampires, angels and princesses, skeletons and superheroes, get ready! There’s big Halloween fun for the family at Newport’s biggest mansion.
This November, the Newport Symposium offers a series of lectures and tours examining the origins and legacy of art, architecture, landscape and design in the United States. Registration is now open.
Jeff Curtis, Director of Gardens & Landscapes, will provide a tour of the greenhouse and discuss how the work done there provides thousands of bedding plants and cut flowers for our historic properties.
A Newport Songbook brings Newport’s musical heritage to life through 19th century performances, local composers, and songs connected to the city’s theaters, salons, and celebrated residents.
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
Saturday, November 21 Sunday, November 22
Friday, November 27 Saturday, November 28 Sunday, November 29
Thursday, December 3 Friday, December 4 Saturday, December 5 Sunday, December 6
Thursday, December 10 Friday, December 11 Saturday, December 12 Sunday, December 13
Thursday, December 17
Sunday, December 20 Monday, December 21 Tuesday, December 22 Wednesday, December 23
Saturday, December 26 Sunday, December 27
Morph Hospitality
Author, “Flavors of my World” & “Chaat” Two-time “Tournament of Champions” winner, “Chopped” judge, Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl”
CKD Productions & Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival Culinary Director
Author, “Beyond My Chef Coat” Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Great Food Truck Race,” “Today” Show, NBC “Celebrity Cooking Showdown” winner
Sparrow Restaurant, New Milford, Connecticut
Four time “Chopped” champion, Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions,” “Guy’s Grocery Games”
Sift Bake Shop, Mix, ATY Bar & Bonbons
Author, “Sift Cookbook” Best Baker in America, Food Network; Best Pastry Chef in Connecticut, Connecticut Restaurant Association; Food Network’s “Chopped Sweets” judge
