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
View our FAQs, map & parking, guidelines and more.
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.
Operating schedule is subject to change
The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial pre-eminence in the Gilded Age.
William Vanderbilt built Marble House as a 39th birthday present for his wife, Alva. It was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent Gilded Age mansions.
The Elms was modeled after an 18th-century French chateau but featured the latest technology of the Gilded Age. It houses an outstanding collection of paintings, statuary and tapestries, and its landscape features formal gardens, terraces, pavilions and fountains.
Rosecliff was built for Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs, who used it to host many fabulous Gilded Age entertainments. Architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles.
Chateau-sur-Mer epitomizes High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport until the appearance of the Gilded Age Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s.
Chepstow is highly evocative of the taste and collections of a descendant of one of America's founding families, placed in the context of a contemporary Newport summer home.
Home to more than 80 topiary animals and other figures for more than a century, Green Animals also blazes with colorful flowers from May until October. The 7-acre property overlooks Narragansett Bay.
Hunter House (c. 1748) is one of the finest examples of Colonial architecture in Newport. The house was owned by wealthy merchants who furnished it with decorative arts produced by expert craftsmen. Such a luxurious lifestyle depended on the labor of enslaved people of African descent. Recent research by the Preservation Society has identified at least 13 enslaved individuals who lived and worked at Hunter House. Today's Hunter House honors their perseverance and incalculable contributions to Newport’s past.
Isaac Bell House is one of the best surviving examples of shingle-style architecture in the country. Its architects and designers drew from a mix of international and American influences to create a unique Gilded Age style.
Kingscote is a landmark of the Gothic Revival style in American architecture. Its appearance in Newport marked the beginning of the “cottage boom” that would distinguish the town as a veritable laboratory for the design of picturesque houses throughout the 19th century.
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
Explore China’s deep influence on Newport from the 18th century through the Gilded Age. This exhibition brings together more than 100 extraordinary objects and illuminates how many different people of Chinese heritage, including artists, merchants, immigrant entrepreneurs and women suffragists, shaped all aspects of life in Newport.
Updated September 19, 2024. Schedule is subject to change.
Please note: Advance reservations are required for all guide-led tours.
House & grounds close one hour after last tour admission.
*The Breakers will be closed October 10.
Beneath The Breakers Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am (no tour on October 10).
The Breakers Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour – Guide-led tour daily at 1:30 & 3:30 pm (no tours on October 10).
Closed until December 7.
Beneath The Breakers Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am.
The Breakers Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour – Guide-led tour daily at 1:30 pm.
Closed until November 23.
All houses closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
All houses close at 2 p.m. on December 24.
*The Breakers will close at 3 pm on Monday, December 23.
Sparkling Lights at The Breakers is an outdoor holiday light display & includes the tour of the mansion interior. Special, timed ticket required. Tickets will go on sale October 1. Timed admissions every half-hour from 4 pm to 6 pm. House & grounds will close at 8 pm. Here are the dates for Sparkling Lights:
Friday, November 22 Saturday, November 23 Sunday, November 24
Friday, November 29 Saturday, November 30 Sunday, December 1
Thursday, December 5 Friday, December 6 Saturday, December 7 Sunday, December 8
Thursday, December 12 Friday, December 13 Sunday, December 15
Thursday, December 19 Friday, December 20 Saturday, December 21 Sunday, December 22 Monday, December 23 Thursday, December 26 Friday, December 27 Saturday, December 28 Sunday, December 29
*Open November 22 – December 8.
*Closed until November 23.
*Closed until December 7.
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 2:30 pm
*Rosecliff will be closed November 22 – December 8 for “The Newport Nutcracker.”
Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.
With the Duo and Trio tickets, you can tour multiple mansions and gardens at a discounted price. These tickets can be used on different days and they do not expire.
See tour options, frequently asked questions, information on our policies and everything else you need to know.
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
