Newport Rhode Island Gilded Age Mansions and Cliff Walk

Why visit Newport

Newport was one of the largest and wealthiest ports in colonial America, and its economic slowdown in the early nineteenth century had an unexpected benefit: much of its early architecture was never torn down.

Later in the 1800s, the richest families of the Gilded Age discovered Newport and built enormous summer houses they modestly called cottages. Many of these now operate as museums, giving you a rare look at how America's industrial fortunes were spent.

Bellevue Avenue and the Gilded Age mansions

Bellevue Avenue runs south from downtown toward the ocean and is lined with the grand estates that made Newport famous. Most of the houses open to the public are run by the Preservation Society of Newport County, which offers combination tickets, while a few are managed by other foundations.

The Breakers

The Breakers is the largest and most visited of the Newport mansions. Built between 1893 and 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II and designed by Richard Morris Hunt in an Italian Renaissance style, the house has 70 rooms set on a cliff-top estate above the Atlantic.

Marble House

A short drive south on Bellevue Avenue, Marble House was completed in 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt.

Rough Point

At the very end of Bellevue Avenue, Rough Point feels more personal than its neighbors. The English manor-style house was built for Frederick William Vanderbilt and later became the beloved summer home of heiress Doris Duke.

The Elms and Rosecliff

If you have time for more, The Elms is known for its formal sunken gardens and a behind-the-scenes servants' life tour that explores the kitchens, boiler rooms and rooftop. Rosecliff, with its enormous ballroom, has appeared in several films.

The Cliff Walk, Ocean Drive and the coast

Cliff Walk

The Cliff Walk is a public path of about three and a half miles that runs along the eastern shoreline from Easton's Beach (known locally as First Beach) toward the southern end of Bellevue Avenue.

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive is a roughly ten-mile scenic loop that begins near the southern end of Bellevue Avenue and follows the island's southern shore, past rocky coves, salt ponds and large shingled houses. The route was laid out in the late 1860s and is now a National Historic Landmark district.

Brenton Point State Park

Near the southwest corner of the island along Ocean Drive, Brenton Point State Park is an open, windswept headland where locals fly kites and watch the sunset over the mouth of Narragansett Bay. Bring a picnic, find a spot on the rocks and stay for the evening light.

Easton's Beach

Easton's Beach is Newport's main public beach, a long curve of sand at the start of the Cliff Walk with a carousel and simple food stands nearby. It is a good place for families and a convenient spot to cool off after the walk.

Downtown, the harbor and colonial Newport

Touro Synagogue

Touro Synagogue on Touro Street was built in 1763 and is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States. Its elegant Georgian interior and its connection to George Washington's famous 1790 letter promising that the new government would give bigotry no sanction make it one of the most meaningful historic sites in New England.

Trinity Church and Washington Square

Trinity Church, completed in the 1720s, has a tall white steeple that you will spot from much of downtown. Its interior preserves box pews and a rare wineglass pulpit.

Bowen's Wharf and Thames Street

The waterfront wharves off America's Cup Avenue and the long shopping strip of Thames Street are where Newport's energy concentrates in summer. Bowen's Wharf and Bannister's Wharf have restored warehouses filled with shops, raw bars and docks where you can board sailing cruises around the harbor.

International Tennis Hall of Fame

Back on Bellevue Avenue near downtown, the shingle-style Newport Casino of 1880 hosted the first US national tennis championships in 1881. Today it is home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, with a museum of the sport's history and grass courts that are still played on.

Fort Adams and the bay

Fort Adams State Park

Fort Adams sits on a peninsula across the harbor from downtown and is one of the largest coastal fortifications in the United States. Seasonal guided tours take you through its granite casemates and underground listening tunnels, while the surrounding state park has lawns, a small beach and wide views of the harbor and the Claiborne Pell Bridge.

Sailing museums and the America's Cup legacy

Newport hosted the America's Cup from 1930 until 1983, and the sport remains central to local life. Along the harbor you will see classic wooden yachts, sailing schools and charter boats.

Food and local flavors

Seafood is the heart of Newport dining.

Rhode Island also has a few quirky local favorites worth trying: coffee milk, made with sweet coffee syrup, is the official state drink, and frozen lemonade is a summer staple sold from carts and stands.

Where to stay

Downtown and the harbor area suit first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere, with inns and hotels close to the wharves, restaurants and nightlife. It can be lively and noisy on summer weekends, so ask for a quiet room if you are a light sleeper.

Historic Hill and the Point offer bed and breakfasts in historic houses on quiet streets just a few minutes' walk from the action, and they suit couples looking for character.

Best time to visit

Summer, from late June through August, is peak season. The weather is warm and the ocean breezes keep temperatures comfortable, but hotel rates are at their highest and the wharves and mansions are crowded.

September is many visitors' favorite month: the water is still warm, the crowds thin after Labor Day and the Newport International Boat Show fills the harbor. October brings crisp air and changing leaves.

Getting there and getting around

The closest major airport is Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport in Warwick, about forty-five minutes away by car.

By car you reach Aquidneck Island over one of three bridges: the Claiborne Pell Bridge from Jamestown, which carries a toll for most drivers, the Mount Hope Bridge from Bristol, or the Sakonnet River Bridge from Tiverton.

Once you arrive, park and walk. Downtown streets are narrow and parking is tight in summer; the large garage at the visitor center on America's Cup Avenue is the easiest option.

A suggested itinerary

First day

Start early at The Breakers to beat the crowds, then walk to the Cliff Walk and follow its easy northern section toward the Forty Steps.

Second day

Spend the morning in colonial Newport: Touro Synagogue, Trinity Church, Washington Square and the lanes of the Point.

Third day

Tour Fort Adams in the morning, then visit Rough Point or the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Finish with a sunset sail around the harbor and a final dinner on Thames Street.

Practical tips

• Buy mansion tickets online in advance during summer and holiday seasons, and check which houses are open on your dates.
• Wear sturdy shoes on the Cliff Walk; the southern section has loose rocks and steep drops with no railings.
• Book festival tickets and accommodation for July, August and boat show weekends months ahead.
• Use the visitor center garage and walk or take the bus rather than circling downtown looking for parking.
• Bring a light jacket even in summer, as evenings on the water can turn cool and breezy.
• Reserve sailing cruises and popular waterfront dinners ahead, especially for sunset times.

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