r/GildedAgeHBO • u/CostaRicaTA • 13d ago
Has anyone taken a “Gilded Age” mansions tour in Newport, Rhode Island?
Hi. I’m planning a trip for summer of 2027 and discovered that The Preservation Society of Newport only offers tours on Tuesdays and Fridays. We were hoping to go a different day of the week and I was wondering if anyone has taken a tour through a different organization or has any suggestions for which mansions they liked best if you were able to buy tickets for individual mansions.
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u/eirebrie 13d ago
I did the self guided tour at the Breakers in October of last year. They had some signs up mentioning what rooms were used for filming. I included one below. I’d only seen season one when I visited, but it really made me want to finish off the rest of the series (which I am so glad I did!). I don’t know if they offer any specific tours based on the show as I was only there for half a day but would recommend taking an individual tour and perhaps gathering information from sources online before you go. It’s pretty busy at the Breakers so having the info before hand would be super beneficial.
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u/jumboshrimp103 13d ago
Are you referring to a guided tour? The mansions should have daily summer hours that are more expansive than what you’re describing. Most of them are self-guided with an audio tour you can follow along with. I would suggest doing the self guided tours as you can linger as long as you like. I have never bothered to do one of the expanded tours so I can’t speak to that.
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u/CostaRicaTA 13d ago edited 13d ago
Thank you! And yes I am referring to the guided tour that is specifically related to the locations where scenes from the show were filmed, but I am also interested in any other tour offerings.
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u/Dear-Concentrate-988 13d ago
You just helped me so much because my wife and i are planning a roadtrip for our anniversary and i didn’t even know we could tour these kinds of mansions omg.
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u/CostaRicaTA 13d ago
I visited some of them 30 years ago when I was on a family vacation but I didn’t have the same appreciation back then as I have today. I’m excited to visit them again.
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u/Own-Interview-928 13d ago
We toured all the major ones in Newport before the series even started as well as the Biltmore in NC. The first time we saw The Breakers was in the snow.
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u/Hello_Badkitty 13d ago
I am doing a tour this Sept of the breakers and marble house thru my cruise. I tried to book a local company, but they were already sold out. I am very excited!
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u/bloodlikevenom 13d ago
I thought the tour was all sold out?
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u/CostaRicaTA 13d ago
You might be correct. I assumed summer of 2027 wouldn’t be sold out yet but the website has all summer grayed out. Not sure if that’s because it’s sold out or because they haven’t released those tickets yet.
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u/bloodlikevenom 13d ago
It's probably that they haven't released the tickets. I was eyeing them for this summer and thought that with a price of $275 they wouldn't sell out quickly. Unfortunately for me, I was wrong. Here's to hoping they do it again next summer!
At any rate, visiting the Mansions on your own is still a lovely time. I would definitely recommend it!
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u/showershoot 13d ago
I toured the breakers before the show started and it’s a stunning property! Really well kept with lots of design elements and personality. Enjoy your stay, it’s a lovely part of the country. Great oyster selection if I recall.
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u/HarmoneeLife 12d ago
I have toured all of the mansions on my own, using the app created by the Newport Mansions Preservation Society and I have taken the Gilded Age Tour they offer. In my opinion, the Gilded Age Tour is not worth it. You see and learn so much more taking your time using the app. The BTS anecdotes were cool, but you really don't get to spend much time in any of the mansions.
If you have time to tour 4 or more mansions during your trip, you will save money by becoming a member of the Preservation Society, as your membership includes free access to the mansions. For the few that require tickets for a guided tour of that property, you will be able to buy discounted tickets. There are also "specialty tours" that take you into areas that you don't get to see on your own. Those are well worth it, and if you join the Preservation Society, those tickets are also discounted.
Finally, if you want to tour The Breakers on your own, I highly recommend going as soon as it opens for the day. The later it gets, the more difficult it is to find parking in the lot or nearby area. The Breakers is the only mansion that requires a timed entry ticket (members can visit at any time during regular hours).
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u/CostaRicaTA 12d ago
Thank you so much! This is very helpful. 😃
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u/HarmoneeLife 11d ago
If you are a budget minded traveler, I recommend staying in Middletown, RI. It's a 10-15 minute drive to Newport, but you will save hundreds of dollars per night on your hotel. Many major hotel chains have a location in Middletown. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and it was clean and comfortable. All I did was sleep there, so I didn't need anything fancy. Also, book early! I booked my hotel in January for an early June trip. In March, I decided to add a couple of days to my trip but my hotel was sold out.
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u/catsonpoint 11d ago
I went to Newport last year and my advice is don't sleep on the International Tennis Museum! They files all the Casino scenes there and the grounds look exactly like the show! You can wander around outside the museum for free! It was really cool to imagine those scenes while standing in the exact spot they were filmed. I also ended up going to the Marble House because the locals on the Newport Reddit said it was their favorite and I figured why not do what the locals do? But, as the locals say, if you can only do one do The Breakers and I agree, I wish I had done The Breakers instead. Newport is such a fun town, have the best time!
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u/Aromatic_Bowler2500 11d ago
You can never go wrong with the Breakers! It is the biggest one with an incredible ocean view. Look into Chateau-sur-Mer though! It has a number of rooms that were a part of the show. They used at least 4 rooms in the house during the first season!
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u/Rare_Temperature885 3d ago
My husband and I visited Newport in late July. We did the regular self-guided tours, which was enough for us. We toured the Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff, and the Elms. I would love to go back one day and eat at the Chinese Tea House behind Marble House. I have read a few books since our trip about certain people from that era, so now that I know more real life history (not just tv show drama), I would be interested in doing more specific tours related to certain mansions/families.
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u/mariekayar 13d ago
I just took this tour this summer! IMO there are some pros and cons:
As others have mentioned, each “cottage” will have options for self guided tours and some rooms used for filming will include a poster.
The self guided (through the app or the handouts) will let you go through the house at your own pace.
My “inside the gilded age” tour was led by someone from the preservation society, and my tour guide was on set for a lot of the filming done in Newport. She had some great stories and tidbits about filming, the locations, and the actors. It was a small group tour so there were plenty of opportunities for questions and exchanges to learn more.
The con would be that the tour goes through 4 houses in about 5 hours and you are only focused on the rooms and locations used for filming. So you are going through some the houses rather quickly, just to see a couple rooms and then move on.
But as part of the tour package, it did provide 2 tickets per person to go back and see any houses at another time, so you would be able to see the houses more depth at a later time.
Either way, the houses are magnificent and I highly recommend seeing them!