Newport Mansions Open for Season: New Tours, Special Exhibits Planned

In addition, special exhibits will be on display at Rosecliff (1902), Hunter House (c.1748), and the Isaac Bell House (1883).

Five houses are now open for daily tours: The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff and Chateau-sur-Mer (1852). Kingscote (1841) and Green Animals Topiary Garden (c.1860) will open for the season on May 10. Hunter House, Isaac Bell House, Chepstow (1861), and The Breakers Stable and Carriage House (1895) will open on June 28. All houses will remain open through Columbus Day, October 13, except The Breakers Stable which will close on September 1.

From October 14 through November 21, The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff and Chateau-sur-Mer will remain open daily. Christmas at the Newport Mansions will begin on November 22 with The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House decorated for the holidays and open daily for tours.

Tours and Exhibits

New this summer will be a revised audio tour at Marble House, which will shed new light on the "self-made myth" of Alva Vanderbilt and share more personal stories about the Vanderbilt family.

In addition, Mandarin translations of the audio tours at The Breakers and The Elms will debut. Chinese-speaking visitors are the fastest growing segment of foreign visitors to the Newport Mansions.
Audio tours at The Breakers, The Elms, Rosecliff and Marble House are currently offered in English, French, Spanish and German.

The annual costume exhibition at Rosecliff includes a series of vignettes depicting "life at home" from 1890 to 1950. Dressing Down: Private Life and the Dressing Gown features a variety of dressing gowns and other personal apparel that gave women--and men--a reprieve from the elaborate and often constricting formal clothing of the period.

Visitors to Hunter House will experience an innovative new look at the Preservation Society's first and oldest property. Point to Point: Hunter House and the Constellations of Communities will present the house and its collections through a wide range of perspectives, from wealthy merchants, to enslaved Africans, French troops, and others whose daily lives shaped the world in Newport's Point neighborhood.

At the Isaac Bell House, an exhibition presented in partnership with the Newport Historical Society will examine an early photographic portfolio commissioned by architect Charles McKim.

Reinventing the Colonial: The Charles Follen McKim Photographs will show off a series of 29 black and white photographs of buildings, architectural details, furniture and landscapes taken in and around Newport in 1874, which helped to shape McKim's later work, including the Bell House.

Special Events

The 22nd annual Newport Symposium, April 27-30, brings internationally acclaimed scholars, curators and collectors together to examine the fascination with the Far East that pervaded the visual arts in America and Western Europe from the 18th to the early 20th centuries.

Gardeners looking for great Mother's Day gifts and plants for their own gardens can take advantage of the annual Plant Sale at Green Animals Topiary Garden on Saturday, May 10.

On Sunday, May 11, Nancy Whipple Grinnell, curator of the Newport Art Museum, will be the guest lecturer at a Mother's Day Brunch at Rosecliff, commemorating the centennial of this national holiday.

The 19th annual Newport Flower Show, Journey: Grand Vistas, will take place at Rosecliff from June 27-29. Floral designs, horticulture exhibits, garden displays and more will recall a bygone time of luxurious travel, when the trip was as splendid as the destination The exciting Opening Night Party on June 27 will feature a cocktail buffet, live music, a seaside supper and other entertaining surprises.

The Green Animals Children's Party on Monday, July 14 invites children and adults alike to frolic in the whimsical and historic topiary garden overlooking Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth, with music, rides, food and fun.

On Thursday, July 17, nationally acclaimed designer Angela Moore will partner with the Preservation Society to present the Angela Moore Fashion Show & Champagne Brunch at Rosecliff. It will feature Moore's latest collection and limited edition Newport Forever jewelry, as well as other well-known designers including Manuel Canovas, Just Madras, Dizzy Lizzie and Jack Rogers, and menswear from J. McLaughlin.

The Preservation Society's annual Golf Outing will take place on Monday, August 18 at Newport National Golf Club. The event includes tee prizes for all golfers, lunch and refreshments on the course, cocktails and a light supper after golf, awards and live and silent auctions.

The Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival returns for its 9th year to Marble House, Rosecliff and The Elms, from September 21-23. The weekend features a two-day Grand Tasting at Marble House with hundreds of wines, cooking demonstrations from national and regional chefs, a gala celebration at Rosecliff, a collectible wine dinner at The Elms, plus seminars, auctions, and more.

Christmas at the Newport Mansions will take place from November 22 to January 4, 2015, with The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House decorated for the holidays.

Visit www.NewportMansions.org or call (401) 847-1000 for details about the operating schedule, event information, tour packages and ticket prices. Tickets can be purchased online, at all of the houses, and at the Newport Visitors Center. Schedule is subject to change.