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.
Time Traveling Tuesdays will take place from July 7 through August 18 from 10:30-11:30am. In honor of America 250, the program will take place each week at Hunter House, the Preservation Society’s Colonial property. Children will learn a little bit about Colonial history and connect their crafts to that time period. They will also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport! After receiving four stamps they will earn a prize.
Thursdays in the Garden will take place from July 9 to August 20 from 10:30-11:30am at Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth. Children will enjoy the outdoor space and gardens and learn more about nature and being creative with the outdoors. They can also earn a Green Animal stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport!
As a part of post-program activities, children and their families are invited to play with the Newport Mansions branded cornhole set that was made in partnership with Riverzedge Arts in Woonsocket. Celebrating over 20 years, Riverzedge Arts’ mission is to use innovative and work-based learning strategies to teach art, design and critical thinking to the youth of northern Rhode Island.
Tickets from $5 to $10
Calling all spies! We have received a secret code and need your help! Learn how spies shared secrets in the 1770s and solve your own mystery – it might even lead to a prize. Kids can also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions passport.
Children learn about the life cycle of a plant and how they can help it through that cycle by gardening. They will also learn about the necessary tools and process of gardening as a whole and take home their own mini garden. Additionally, kids can earn the Green Animals stamp in the Newport Mansions Passport!
Electricity did not exist during the colonial period. Learn how people at this time used light in different ways: from candles to lanterns! Try your hand at making a light inspired craft to take home. Kids will also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport.
Learn the importance of pollinators, from birds to bees to beetles! We will search for pollinators in the garden before creating a pollinator inspired craft and create your own “bug-sona.” If you were a pollinator, who would you be? Kids can earn the Green Animals stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport.
Colonial kids didn’t need TVs or video games to have fun – they made their own toys! Learn how to make some fun colonial kids’ games and toys and pretend to live in the 1700s, screen free! Kids will also earn a stamp in their Newport Mansions Passport.
Come experience music for the whole family with Historic Music of Newport at Green Animals Topiary Garden. The classic book Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel is set to music by composer John Liberatore and performed by musicians from the Gilded Age Orchestra of Newport.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Philadelphia Museum of Art Curator Alexandra Kirtley delves into Philadelphia’s role in American artistic and design identity from the early 18th century through the Revolutionary period into the industrialized 19th century, culminating in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition at the dawn of the Gilded Age.
Preservation Society Fellows present their contributions to this year's research. Conservation Fellow, 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.
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.
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.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of dinner and dancing to celebrate Summer in Newport.
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.
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
FAQ
