The Tiny Rhode Island City Where America's Richest Families Built Palaces
5 Reasons to Visit® · Rhode Island
The Tiny Rhode Island City Where America's Richest Families Built Palaces
The Vanderbilts and Astors summered here in 'cottages' the size of palaces — and you can walk right past them on a cliff above the Atlantic. Newport is the little Rhode Island city where the Gilded Age never quite ended.
Advertisement
Newport, Rhode Island, is a small city with an outsized past — the place where America's wealthiest families came to show off. During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, the Vanderbilts, Astors, and their peers built opulent seaside "summer cottages" here that were really palaces in disguise, and today those mansions, a dramatic cliffside walk, a colonial waterfront, and a world-famous sailing scene make Newport one of the most captivating destinations in New England. It packs more history, grandeur, and coastal beauty into a few square miles than cities many times its size.
Advertisement
The mansions are the main event, and they genuinely astonish. Along Bellevue Avenue stand the great Gilded Age estates — The Breakers, the Vanderbilts' 70-room Italian Renaissance palazzo overlooking the sea; Marble House, dripping in half a million cubic feet of marble; The Elms; and Rosecliff, of "Great Gatsby" fame. Preserved and open for tours, these are the American answer to European palaces, and stepping inside is a jaw-dropping window into an era of almost unimaginable wealth.
The Cliff Walk ties beauty to grandeur. Newport's famous 3.5-mile Cliff Walk is a public path that runs along the rocky Atlantic shoreline with the open ocean crashing on one side and the manicured back lawns of the mansions rising on the other — a National Recreation Trail that's free to all and offers some of the most spectacular coastal views in the Northeast. Walking it is the quintessential Newport experience, no admission required.
Gilded Age palaces, a cliff walk above the Atlantic, and the sailing capital of America.
Advertisement
Long before the Gilded Age, this was a colonial capital. Newport is one of the oldest cities in America, and its walkable downtown preserves that heritage beautifully: colonial-era streets, the bustling waterfront of Thames Street and Bowen's Wharf lined with shops and seafood restaurants, and landmarks like Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the United States. The mix of 18th-century wharves and 19th-century opulence gives Newport genuine historical depth.
And it remains the sailing capital of America. Newport's harbor, packed with yachts and sailboats, has hosted the America's Cup and countless regattas, and its maritime culture runs deep — you can sail Narragansett Bay at sunset, watch the boats from the wharf, or visit the sailing and tennis halls of fame (the International Tennis Hall of Fame occupies Newport's historic Casino). Add beaches, coastal drives along Ocean Drive, and fresh seafood, and the city delivers on every front.
Newport is honest about being an upscale, popular destination — summer brings serious crowds and premium prices, and it's more polished playground than hidden gem. But the grandeur is genuine and unmatched. Gilded Age palaces, a cliff walk above the Atlantic, deep colonial history, and world-class sailing have made Newport one of the most extraordinary small cities in America. For the visitor it offers a walk straight into the Gilded Age — a place where the mansions of the Vanderbilts still stand above the sea, and anyone can stroll right past them.
Newport, Rhode Island: FAQ
Is Newport, Rhode Island worth visiting?
Yes. Newport is famous for its opulent Gilded Age mansions — including The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, and Rosecliff — the free 3.5-mile Cliff Walk along the Atlantic, a colonial waterfront of shops and seafood on Thames Street and Bowen's Wharf, world-class sailing and the America's Cup legacy, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and historic sites like Touro Synagogue. It's one of the most captivating small cities in New England.
What are the Newport Mansions?
The Newport Mansions are the grand Gilded Age 'summer cottages' built by America's wealthiest families in the late 1800s along Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The most famous is The Breakers, the Vanderbilts' 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palace; others include Marble House, The Elms, and Rosecliff. Preserved by the Preservation Society of Newport County, many are open for tours year-round.
What is the Newport Cliff Walk?
The Cliff Walk is a free, public 3.5-mile path along Newport's rocky Atlantic shoreline, designated a National Recreation Trail. It runs with the ocean on one side and the back lawns of the Gilded Age mansions on the other, offering some of the most dramatic coastal views in the Northeast. It's one of Newport's top attractions and requires no admission.
Where is Newport, Rhode Island?
Newport is on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay in southern Rhode Island, about 45 minutes to an hour south of Providence and roughly 90 minutes from Boston. It's one of America's oldest and most historic coastal cities and a renowned sailing and summer destination.
Advertisement
