Get your Holiday(s) on! – Newport Mansions adding more sparkle

Newport Mansions Add More Sparkle to Holidays – Chinese Tea House Offers Seasonal Brunch

Returning for its third year, “Sparkling Lights at The Breakers” will be bigger and brighter than ever when it opens November 19.

For the first time, visitors to “Sparkling Lights at The Breakers” can stroll in a complete loop around the property, enjoying a half-mile-long path glittering with hundreds of thousands of holiday lights while music fills the air. Highlights include a dazzling 50-foot-long tunnel of light and illuminated snowmen and reindeer. Guests will also want to stop by the Van“deer”bilt selfie station, or pause to watch the tree of lights change colors above the illuminated façade of the mansion.

Also new this year, five fire pits will light the way and help visitors stay warm. The back terrace will have warming stations and adult beverages will be available for sale. Holiday sweets and treats will be available for purchase, including s’mores kits to cook over the fire pit. The Breakers Welcome Center also will have snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.

“Sparkling Lights at The Breakers” is now in its third year, and this season it will be more spectacular than ever,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO and Executive Director of The Preservation Society of Newport County, which owns The Breakers and 10 other historic properties. “It’s a great way to share holiday cheer with family and friends.”

“Sparkling Lights at The Breakers” will be open Thursdays through Sundays, 4:30-6:30 p.m., from November 19-December 23, and every evening from December 26-January 1, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Tickets are for a specific date and time and include admission to the interior tour of The Breakers. There will be no “Sparkling Lights at The Breakers” on November 24, December 17, December 24 or December 25.

“Sparkling Lights” is sponsored by BankNewport, Bartlett Tree Experts, National Trust Insurance Services and OptoGlo Solar Signs.

Holidays at the Newport Mansions returns to The Breakers, Marble House and The Elms, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, from November 19 through January 1. Beautiful seasonal decorations, including themed Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands and fresh floral arrangements, add a festive holiday décor to these spectacular Gilded Age houses.  

Once again, the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers – made up of 150 individual poinsettia plants – will provide a wonderful holiday photo opportunity. New this year, the Music Room of The Breakers – prominently showcased in Season 1 of Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” series on HBO – will feature a vignette of mannequins dressed in elegant Gilded Age fashions.

All properties are closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and will close at 2 p.m. on December 24. Visit www.newportmansions.org/events/holidays-at-the-newport-mansions to learn more. 

Holiday Brunch Offered at Chinese Tea House

Located on the back lawn of Marble House and perched above the historic Cliff Walk, the Chinese Tea House provides an unmatched setting for a three-course holiday brunch by Stoneacre Brasserie. The menu includes a tea tower, an entree selection and assorted desserts. Complimentary tea service is included. Specialty cocktails and wines are available for purchase. 

This Holiday Brunch is available Thanksgiving weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 25, 26 and 27; Saturday and Sunday, December 16 and 17; and Christmas Week – Monday through Saturday, December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. The hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the cost is $55 per adult and $35 per child (age 2-12). Make reservations at  https://resy.com/cities/nwp/stoneacre-tea-house?date=2022-10-31&seats=2 .

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.