Newport County Days Are Here Again

Residents of Newport County are invited to enjoy free admission to open Preservation Society properties on Saturday, September 10, and Sunday, September 11.

This offer includes residents of Jamestown, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton. Free admission is also extended to personnel stationed at Naval Station Newport and their immediate family and students of Salve Regina University. Proof of residence or Naval Station or student ID is required.

The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, Isaac Bell House and Green Animals Topiary Garden will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rosecliff will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Houses and grounds close one hour after last tour admission. 

This offer does not include Hunter House, The Elms Servant Life Tour or the Inside “The Gilded Age” Tour.

Julian Fellowes, the creator of HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” chose the Newport Mansions as inspiration and settings for the popular series. The Breakers Music Room, shown as the Russells’ ballroom, is just one of the real Gilded Age spaces that add magnificence to this historical drama. Hear the fascinating stories of people who lived and worked in this grand mansion in person when you visit The Breakers. Listen to the new Marble House Children’s Tour, which offers a whimsical perspective with the help of various characters, including Apollo the Sun God bragging about his curly hair. At Green Animals Topiary Garden, you can picnic with a lion, unicorn or bear while enjoying more than 80 topiaries in the shape of animals and geometric designs. 

At Rosecliff, be sure to visit the second floor, where the exhibition “Anything You Want: A Closer Look at Treasures from Newport’s Gilded Age” offers guests the chance to closely examine 100 fine and decorative arts objects from the Preservation Society’s collection.

At Isaac Bell House, the exhibition “Pictus Porrectus: Reconsidering the Full Length Portrait” features a colorful and thought-provoking array of contemporary art curated by Alison Gingeras and Dodie Kazanjian.

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.