In Newport, Rhode Island, the Gilded Age never quite ended—it simply learned how to welcome visitors. Begin where America’s wealthiest families once began their “season”: the great summer “cottages” that line Bellevue Avenue and the Cliff Walk. Here, America’s industrial titans attempted to outshine one another in architecture, art, and spectacle.
Marble House, inspired by the Petit Trianon in Versailles, France, is so named for its 500,000 cubic feet of marble. The Gold Room dazzles—ornate, shimmering, unapologetically grand—prompting phones to rise for photos while the audio guide recounts the carefully calculated guest lists that once determined one’s place in society. Standing in those rooms, it is easy to imagine the swirl of silk gowns and whispered negotiations that shaped fortunes and futures alike.
At The Breakers, a 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palace, marble columns and gilded ceilings proclaim industrial might transformed into art. Both The Elms, modeled on an 18th-century French château, and Rosecliff, with its Grand Ballroom—the largest in Newport—are fit for a royal fête. Fans of the HBO series “The Gilded Age” are sure to recognize locations filmed at these stunning properties.
Newport’s mansions depended on a small army of maids, footmen, chefs, and coachmen who kept the season humming. Visitors today can trace both perspectives: ascending marble staircases into gilded drawing rooms before slipping below stairs into kitchens, laundries, and servants’ corridors. Audio guides weave together architecture and anecdote—how dinner for 200 was choreographed, how calling cards could make or break a debutante, the extravagant favors given as mementos at masquerades, and how staff navigated the rigid etiquette service demanded.
“Guests are fascinated by the interplay between old money and new ambition,” shares Pam Blauvelt, group tours lead for Discover Newport. “They recognize those tensions from the HBO series, then realize they’re standing in the very spaces that inspired it. It’s immersive in a way television alone can’t be.” Many visitors delight in identifying rooms reminiscent of on-screen scenes, from glittering ballrooms to intimate libraries where alliances were formed. “Guests love piecing together which rooms inspired scenes from the series,” Blauvelt says. “It turns history into a living set.”
Credit: Discover Newport
PLAYING THE PART
To experience Newport beyond the marble thresholds, step onto the real grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, housed in the historic Newport Casino where the U.S. Open was first played in Today, visitors can don their crisp tennis whites and reserve time on the meticulously maintained public grass courts—among the few remaining in the United States. “It’s the ultimate Gilded Age fantasy,” Blauvelt shares. “You’re not just admiring history—you’re inhabiting it, if only for an afternoon.”
Dining, too, becomes an act of historical imagination. At Marble House’s Chinese Tea House—an ornate, jewel-box structure perched dramatically above the Cliff Walk—guests sip tea and enjoy light fare in a setting that once hosted both society gatherings and suffrage rallies led by Alva Vanderbilt. The panoramic ocean views and intricate latticework transport visitors into the layered ambitions of the era, where architecture itself conveyed power and perspective.
At The Elms, the recently renovated Carriage House has been reimagined as a refined dining venue called The Carriage House at The Elms, ideal for semi-private or private group dining experiences. Once home to horses and motorcars, it now welcomes guests to long tables and thoughtfully prepared menus.
On historic Bellevue Avenue, find La Forge Casino Restaurant, offering spacious rooms and diverse indoor/outdoor dining options that complement a day steeped in history. Whether savoring seafood after a match at the iconic International Tennis Hall of Fame or lingering over dessert (after a visit to the Audrain Automobile Museum) with newfound friends, visitors find that Newport’s Gilded Age legacy extends well beyond the mansions’ gilded ceilings.
BECOMING PART OF THE PLOT
For groups seeking full immersion, a step-on guide transforms history into theater. Reenactor Betty Czech, portraying Mrs. Caroline Astor—the undisputed arbiter of New York and Newport society—does precisely that. Gowned in silks and plumes, she greets guests not as tourists, but as prospective members of the inner circle, ready to learn the rules of calling hours, invitation lists, and the delicate calculus of who is “in” and who remains decidedly “out.” The stories are grounded in meticulous research and delivered with wit and immediacy.
These experiences can be tailored to a group’s interests. A themed afternoon tea might include a primer on proper Gilded Age etiquette—how to hold a calling card, how to address a duchess, how to survive a five-course luncheon without social misstep. A trivia salon could transform a carriage house into a spirited contest of knowledge, complete with period-inspired prizes. For student groups, interactive programs explore the contrasts between “upstairs” and “downstairs,” illuminating the indispensable roles of butlers, maids, and chefs whose labor sustained the spectacle.
In Newport, the Gilded Age is not a distant chapter. It is a living stage set where marble halls, manicured lawns, and Atlantic breezes invite every visitor to claim a role. “Travelers today want experiential experiences,” Blauvelt says. “They’re looking for something memorable and shareable—an experience that goes beyond the standard tour. When a reenactor welcomes them into the story, it becomes personal. They’re not just hearing about the season; they’re part of it.”
By Michael C. McLaughlin
Main Image: The Elms foyer; Credit: The Preservation Society of Newport County/George Gray
