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 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 Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by Congress in 1882, was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. Rhode Island Chinese history scholar John Eng-Wong will discuss how laws and social practices impacted Chinese family formation and reunification during this period and beyond. Drawing from adoption archives, Chinese Exclusion era documents, memoirs, articles and interviews with descendants, he will describe how exclusion unfolded in Rhode Island and illustrate how several Chinese-descent families from Providence and Newport negotiated these impacts. Almost everyone begins in a family. These chronicles explore the complications when the road forward from birth is disrupted, or not.
Chin Too family with unidentified Chinese consular official, unknown location in Rhode Island (private collection)
John Eng-Wong
John Eng-Wong was a core member of the Brown University team led by students Angela Feng and Julieanne Fontana who mounted a storefront exhibit remembering the history of the Chinese-heritage community in Providence, R.I. Eng-Wong's interest in this topic decades ago sparked his research into the story of the Chow Mein Sandwich, which in turn blossomed into study of Chinese food's migration around the world including its manifestation in Rhode Island. Retired from a long administrative career at Brown, John remains on the university roster as a Visiting Scholar in American Studies.
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.Starting November 3, offered at 12 pm only.
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.
This exhibition examines the mind, ambition and legacy of America’s Dean of Architecture, who shaped Gilded Age America not only through the buildings he created – including The Breakers and Marble House – but also through his ideas.
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. Tuesdays and Fridays, August 15, 19, 22, 26 & 29; September 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26 & 30; and October 7, 10, 14 & 17.
SOLD OUT
Calling all intermediate or above watercolor painters! Join Bill Lane, award-winning local watercolor artist, for an intermediate level day-long workshop on plein air painting at The Elms.
David Baron, award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author, discusses the Gilded Age's fascination with Mars – a phenomenon that endures today.
Witches and vampires, angels and princesses, skeletons and superheroes, get ready! There’s big Halloween fun for the family at Newport’s biggest mansion.
Jeff Curtis, Director of Gardens & Landscapes, will provide a tour of the greenhouse and discuss how the work done there provides thousands of bedding plants and cut flowers for our historic properties.
Founded in 1993, the Newport Symposium is 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.
This musical program led by Historic Music of Newport founder Dr. Mark A. Stickney will feature historic songs associated with Newport, spanning from the Civil War era through the Gilded Age.
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.
A great Newport tradition! See the magnificent 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.
Learn how the magic of holiday decorating comes together at Newport's largest and most popular mansion. Tour will be offered on Thursdays, December 4 (sold out), December 11 (sold out) and December 18.
Looking for something new to put on your door this holiday season? The Preservation Society's Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop returns with plenty of unique ideas.
This program will guide you through designing a paper floral arrangement to fit perfectly into your home for the holidays.
This elegant gala is set in Newport's grandest mansion dressed in its holiday finest. Tickets go on sale to Preservation Society members starting Wednesday, October 8, and will be available to the general public starting Tuesday, October 14.
"Pearls of Newport" is the perfect theme for the 30th anniversary Newport Flower Show, celebrating the city's coastal identity and maritime 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
