On Newport, Rhode Island, the leading architects of the 19th and early 20th centuries built magnificent mansions for the nation's social and financial elite. These "summer cottages" provided the backdrop for a society centered on sport, fashion and parties in settings of spectacular natural beauty.

Ten of these properties have been preserved by The Preservation Society of Newport County and are open to the public. From the homes of a colonial merchant and leading China traders of the Victorian era, to the great Italian and French Renaissance palaces of the Gilded Age, these houses span over 250 years of American architectural and social history.

The most impressive of these mansions is The Breakers, this 13-acre estate received its name from the cherished view of waves crashing against rocks.

The Newport Mansions are less than 2 hours drive from Boston and well worth the journey!