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.
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.
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.
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. Guide-led tours only, advance reservations required
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. Guide-led tours only, advance reservations required
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
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.* May 11-May 31, tour will be offered daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm. June 1-Aug. 31, 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm. Sept. 1-Oct. 14, 10:30 & 3:30. Oct. 15-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.
This exhibition explores a largely unknown but important chapter in American history: the experience of a thriving African heritage community in Newport.
Updated April 2, 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
Beneath The Breakers Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 2:30 pm
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm
Grounds close one hour after last tour admission
The Breakers Children’s Cottage will be open to tour daily July 1 – August 17, 10 am – 4 pm
The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm
*Rosecliff will be closed to tours June 19 – June 24; open to Newport Flower Show ticket holders only
July 1 – July 9: Rosecliff closed for exhibition deinstallation.
July 10 – 26* Rosecliff open daily 10 am – 3 pm for first-floor viewing only. Free admission. *Rosecliff will close at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 19
July 27 – August 18 Rosecliff open Saturdays & Sundays 10 am – 3 pm for first-floor viewing only. Free admission.
August 19 – 29: Rosecliff closed for exhibition installation.
Starting August 30 Open daily 10 am – 3 pm with new exhibition, “Wild Imagination.”
Closes one hour after last tour admission
*Rosecliff will be closed to tours September 19 – 23; open to Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival ticket holders only
*The Breakers will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 22
*Rosecliff will be closed November 22 – December 8 for “The Newport Nutcracker”
All houses closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
All houses close at 2 p.m. on December 24
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
