To Do in RI: Newport Mansions ready for the holidays – tickets on sale

As the holidays approach, tickets are now on sale for two seasonal celebrations that have become traditions at the Newport Mansions. 

On October 25, Halloween Trick or Treat at The Breakers returns, with admission in two sessions, at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to come in costume; there will be treats and prizes for everyone, and children younger than 2 are admitted free.

Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center food pantry to help our neighbors in need. See www.newportmansions.org/events/halloween-trick-or-treat-at-the-breakers-2024.

And beginning November 22, Holidays at the Newport Mansions and Sparkling Lights at The Breakers bring a cheerful glow back to The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms and – for the first time in 25 years – Chateau-sur-Mer, which will be open with a fully decorated first floor for the first two weeks of the holiday season. (The Elms will open for the holiday season beginning December 7).

Holidays at The Newport Mansions will feature nearly 30 Christmas trees decorated to complement the décor and theme of rooms in The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms and Chateau-sur-Mer, with hundreds of poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral arrangements adding color, warmth and life. The 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers – made up of 150 poinsettia plants – provides a perfect holiday photo opportunity. A mailbox for letters to Santa Claus will be in The Breakers Welcome Center, and the gift stores in The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms and Chateau-sur-Mer will be open and stocked for holiday shopping.

For the fifth straight year, “Sparkling Lights at The Breakers” will dazzle visitors with a half-mile stroll through an outdoor path of glittering lights and colorful displays as holiday music fills the evening air. The 13-acre landscape of this Gilded Age landmark will be decorated with illuminated features, including a new 60-foot lighted tunnel and a display that suggests water fountains.

Visitors will be able to warm up at one of the fire pits and enjoy holiday treats and adult beverages for purchase on the back terrace and at The Breakers Welcome Center. S’mores kits will be available for purchase at both locations. 

Admission to Sparkling Lights at The Breakers requires a special ticket with a specific date and entry time, and it includes interior access to The Breakers during the same visit. Tour times are 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The gates close at 6:30 p.m. and the house and grounds close at 8 p.m. Visitors are welcome to stay on the property for as long as they wish until closing. All dates for Sparkling Lights are below. Visit www.newportmansions.org/events/sparkling-lights-at-the-breakers-2024 to learn more.

The Preservation Society of Newport County thanks its Partners in Preservation, BankNewport and Bartlett Tree Experts, for their support of Sparkling Lights at The Breakers.

All Newport Mansions properties are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and will close at 2 p.m. on December 24. Visit www.newportmansions.org/events/holidays-at-the-newport-mansions-2024to learn more.

Complete List of Sparkling Lights Dates:

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.