I started the day by driving from Melrose, Massachusetts, through the crazy Boston traffic, to Newport, Rhode Island. Tip: the areas around Boston have an insane amount of traffic so make sure you include plenty of time to navigate it.
I arrived at the Museum of Newport History to go on the "Road to Independence" walking tour with the Newport Historical Society. It took longer than I predicted to reach Newport, so I didn't have time to explore the parking options. As a result, I parked in a lot on Thames Street next to the Museum of Newport History for $6 an hour (yikes!). After the tour was over, I moved my car and found a free parking spot on Spring Street.
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| The White Horse Tavern was established in 1673 and is the oldest tavern in America |
I love a good walking tour. They are a fantastic way to learn about the city you are visiting. However, this particular walking tour was not great (by not great I mean mind numbingly boring). I don't know if it was solely the guide, the script, or a combination of the two. Hopefully their other guides and/or tours are awesome, but this one was not.
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| Oldest business in Newport |
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| The Tree of Liberty |
After the tour, I had an incredibly tasty lunch at The White Horse Tavern, and then I visited Chatea-sur-Mer. Chatea-sur-Mer (aka Castle on the Sea) was one of the first mansions built in Newport. It had a water view until The Breakers was built and obstructed it.
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| Front of Chatea-sur-Mer |
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| Back of Chatea-sur-Mer |
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| Study |
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| Hidden door in the bookcase |
I went on a guided tour of the charming house and it was lovely. Our tour guide was informative, knowledgeable, and delightful. It was lightly raining when the tour was over so I chose not to explore the grounds.
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| Dining Room |
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| Butler's pantry |
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| Original Richard Morris Hunt wallpaper |
Next, I explored The Breakers. This was the third time I visited this mansion and I am blown away by its beauty and extravagance every time. It is absolutely gorgeous with incredibly ornate gold and platinum leafing galore. Viewing the dining room alone is worth the price of admission (check out the video below!).
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| Front of The Breakers |
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| Side of The Breakers |
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| Back of The Breakers |
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| Cliff walk |
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| Entry |
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| Dining Room |
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| Billiard Room |
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| Mosaic tile floor. It took 10 months to create the mosaics for the Billiard Room (the entire house took 24 months to build). |
Visitors tour this mansion via an audio guide. The guide has options to listen to more details about particular parts of the house that interest you. Also, the Newport Mansions now allow visitors to take photographs and videos inside the mansions!!
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| Sitting Room |
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| Platinum leaf |
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| Music Room |
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| Study |
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| Closet |
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| Bathroom with 4 facets for the tub (hot and cold salt water and hot and cold fresh water) |
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| Servants staircase |
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| Kitchen |
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| Typical menu |
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| Butler's pantry |
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| Vacuums over the years |
After touring the mansion, I went on the "Beneath the Breakers Tour". The tour was so cool! We went beneath the house and explored the boilers, learned how the house is heated and cooled, saw photographs of the house being built in two years, etc. Our guide was amazing! He took what could have been a dull topic and made it incredibly interesting. I highly recommend going on this tour during your visit.
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| The skylights in the ceiling are at ground level |
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| Awesome tour guide |
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| Coal shaft |
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| Old electrical system |
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| Finished in 2 years! |
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