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
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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.
The Frick Collection is undergoing its first major renewal in 90 years. This lecture reviews the painstaking process behind the scenes and previews what will be unveiled shortly.
Improved infrastructure and accessibility, along with new spaces for exhibitions, conservation and education, will give The Frick the resources it needs to serve its mission for years to come. Yet the heart of the project is a refurbishment of the original 1914 Carrère and Hastings house and the 1935 John Russell Pope addition. Silk damasks have been rewoven in Lyon and passementerie sewn in Paris. Rooms have been conserved and returned to their former glory. Stone sculpture and fountains have been restored.
When visitors return to the mansion, the rooms will be familiar but with a new glow. And for the first time, the intimate family rooms on the second floor will be open to the public. Learn what it takes to give a venerable institution a thorough renewal.
Ian Wardropper
Ian Wardropper has served as the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director of The Frick Collection since the fall of 2011. After completing his Ph.D. at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, he was Curator and later Head of the Department of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture and Ancient Art at The Art Institute of Chicago for 19 years, until returning to New York in 2001 as Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Chairman of the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wardropper has organized more than 20 exhibitions in his specialties of European sculpture, earlier decorative arts and 20th-century design and decorative arts. He has taught art history at six universities and published numerous books, catalogues and articles. His most recent publications include European Sculpture, 1400-1900, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bernini: Sculpting in Clay, Limoges Enamels at The Frick Collection, and Riccio’s Oil Lamp, and the forthcoming publications The Fricks Collect, An American Family and the Evolution of Taste and A Design for Continuity and Change: The Frick Collection.
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
For the first time in the 129-year history of The Breakers, the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts is open for public tours.
Wild Imagination will explore the changing place of animals in the Gilded Age, a period that transformed how we view and treat the animal world, through more than 100 animal-themed artworks in a range of media. Closed Nov. 22-Dec. 8
A great Newport tradition! See the great mansions of the Gilded Age dressed in their festive holiday finery. It’s the most spectacular time of the year at these awe-inspiring historic houses.
This outdoor spectacle of holiday lights will dazzle and delight you! The 13-acre landscape of The Breakers turns into a wonderland of color and light. Includes tour of the lavishly decorated rooms inside the house. Open on select evenings through the season. Includes access to The Breakers interior during the same visit.
Learn how the magic of holiday decorating comes together at Newport's largest and most popular mansion. Tours also offered on December 12 & 19.
SOLD OUT
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. The Elms is closed Oct. 1-Dec. 6.
Want something new for your front door this holiday season? The Preservation Society's Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop returns with plenty of unique ideas.
Join us for this annual tradition of celebrating the holidays with our members.
This program will guide you through designing a holiday floral arrangement that goes beyond poinsettias!
This elegant gala is set in Newport's grandest mansion dressed in its holiday finest.
Young Patron-level members will enjoy an evening at Sparkling Lights at The Breakers, followed by a festive gathering downtown.
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 to network and discuss the future of our history.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, guests and volunteers for another successful Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival. See you next year for the 20th annual festival, September 19-21, 2025, at Rosecliff. Become a Preservation Society member and receive early access to purchase 2025 tickets before they become available to the general public.
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
