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 has appealed 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.
Newporters played a vital role in the American Revolution (1775-1783). They served in combat, financed the war effort and helped to forge the revolutionary ideals of the new nation. As later generations of Newporters faced the tensions of a changing society and their own struggles for freedom and equality, they also shaped — and reshaped — public memory of the country’s founding.
This exhibition explores how diverse Newporters experienced the tumult of the Revolution and how later artists, writers and activists from Newport defined our understanding of the war in innovative, often radical ways that met the challenges of their times. In this anniversary year marking 250 years of American independence from Britain, the exhibition revisits the commemorative fervor inspired by the previous anniversaries of the 1876 Centennial and 1976 Bicentennial. These celebrations inspired and provoked Newporters. While some romanticized the past, others turned America’s war for independence into a rallying cry for political and social revolutions from the struggle for Black civil rights in the aftermath of the Civil War to the modern Civil Rights Movement and American Indian Movement. They strove to realize our founding principles of liberty and equality for all, bringing us closer to fulfilling the promise of America.
Created for this Semiquincentennial, contemporary artworks by Dawn Spears (Narragansett and Choctaw), Veronica Mays and Michelle Erickson reflect on the enduring importance of Newport’s Revolution to our own times.
This exhibition is the collaborative effort of a team of scholars, artists, descendants, culture bearers and community members. We thank all participants who generously lent their voices.
Sea Captains Carousing in Suriname John Greenwood (English, born colonial North America, 1727-1792), ca. 1755-58 Collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum
Mrs. Metcalf Bowler (Anne Fairchild) John Singleton Copley (American, 1738-1815), ca. 1758-59 Colby College Museum of Art – Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ellerton M. Jetté
Cat Boats, Newport Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935), 1901 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Joseph E. Temple Fund
Spinning Wheel Armchair Attributed to William B. Savage (American, active ca. 1880-90), ca. 1886 Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Gift in memory of Nathalie Lorillard Bailey Morris by Elizabeth Morris Smith
“In the Jewish Synagogue at Newport” Written by Emma Lazarus (American, 1849-1887) in Touro Synagogue Record Book (1853-1907), 1867 Congregation Jeshuat Israel, Newport, RI
Tall Oak Weeden (Pequot and Wampanoag) at National Day of Mourning, Plymouth, MA Photograph by Ed Nute, ca. 1973 Courtesy of SmokeSygnals
Portrait of an African Privateer Unidentified maker, late 18th century; amended ca. 1974 Christian McBurney Family Collection
Martin Luther King Jr. Militia Marching on West Main Road, Portsmouth, RI Unidentified photographer, 1974 Collection of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society
First Rhode Island Regiment Quilt Veronica Mays (American, b. 1962), 2019 Collection of the NAACP, Newport County Branch
Equality Mug Michelle Erickson (American, b. 1960), 2022 Collection of the artist
Ezra Stiles (1727-1795) Samuel King (American, 1749-1819), 1771 Yale University Art Gallery, Bequest of Dr. Charles Jenkins Foote, B.A. 1883, M.D. 1890
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.
Join Jeffrey Curtis, the Preservation Society's Director of Gardens & Landscapes, to learn about the many species of trees on the grounds of Chepstow.
SOLD OUT
Calling all intermediate and above watercolorists! Join Bill Lane, award-winning local watercolor artist, for an intermediate-level daylong workshop on plein air painting at Marble House.
Coinciding with the U.S. semiquincentennial, this guide-led tour of Arnold Burying Ground will focus on the final resting place of Governor Benedict Arnold’s family and take a close look at the colonial gravestones.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Liaquat Ahamed will speak on his new book exploring the world-changing financial collapse of 1873.
"Pearls of Newport" is the perfect theme for the 30th anniversary Newport Flower Show, celebrating the city's coastal identity and maritime history.
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.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of dinner and dancing to celebrate Summer in Newport.
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.
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
PAPER Professional, 100% cotton watercolor paper. I use Arches and Saunders 300# mostly Rough but sometimes Cold Press. 140# is fine but always use a good sheet of 100% cotton watercolor paper – no junk! You’ll never learn to paint watercolors on cheap paper, trust me! And painting outside has enough challenges without fighting your paper too!! Watercolor “blocks” are fine too, and they give you a rigid surface to use on an easel. MY PALETTE
BRUSHES
MISCELLANEOUS
FOR PLEIN AIR PAINTING
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