Discover New England’s representative in Ireland, Tony Lane, hosted Irish trade and media at the Discover New England Summit 2025. This region’s annual international tourism conference aims to connect local tourism representatives from right across the six states of New England with international buyers and media.
Newport
Newport dates back to 1639 and was a key port city in the North American British Colonies during the 1700s. By the mid-1800s, the port-driven commerce had waned. The spot became popular as a fashionable summer resort with the leaders of finance and industry from New York due to its mild oceanic climate. The First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy married John F. Kennedy in Newport. To this day, it remains popular with the rich and famous, with Jay Leno, Nicolas Cage, and Judge Judy all having properties here.
The Gilded Age – Newport Mansions
The Gilded Age, c. 1870-1910, was a period of unprecedented change in America. The expansion of industry and transportation – and the lack of an income tax – gave rise to a new wealthy class of people with names like Vanderbilt, Morgan, Ford, Carnegie and Rockefeller. Massive fortunes were made very quickly and spent on lavish lifestyles.
Many of the wealthy New Yorkers built colossal buildings to host and entertain during the summer. Some of these stunning structures have been preserved.
Newport Mansions is the Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island’s largest cultural organization, protects, preserves and presents the best of Newport County’s architectural heritage. It has 11 historic properties and landscapes, seven of which are National Historic Landmarks that illustrate the architectural evolution from the Colonial era through to America’s Gilded Age.
You may recognise some of the properties from the screen. Scenes from HBO’s Emmy award-winning historical drama ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 1 and Season 2 were filmed at numerous locations around Newport, including at The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff, Chateau-sur-Mer, Hunter House and Kingscote.
Rosecliff – Newport Mansions
This year’s Discover New England Summit is being held in Newport and the Closing Gala was held in the Rosecliff Mansion. Rosecliff was built for silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs in 1899. Interestingly, her father, James Graham Fair, was an Irish immigrant who made an enormous fortune from Nevada’s Comstock silver lode, one of the richest silver finds in history.
She used it to host many fabulous Gilded Age entertainments. Architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. Thousands of roses were grown at Rosecliff and the gardens along the Cliff Walk were famous.
Scenes from several films have also been shot at Rosecliff, including “The Great Gatsby,” “True Lies,” “Amistad” and “27 Dresses.”
The setting was spectacular and matched with an equally exquisite food offering. The best of Newport was showcased by way of a dozen local food producers, each with their own food stall, offering guests delicious, locally-made dishes and sharing their stories and journeys.
The Breakers – Newport Mansion
The Breakers is a national historic landmark and is described as “the grandest of Newport’s summer ‘cottages’ and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial preeminence in the Gilded Age.” I’m not sure how anyone could classify this as a cottage; it is an immense, palatial mansion.
It was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, one of the richest men in America in his time. The Breakers served as his summer getaway, and it reflects a classic Italian palazzo design, overlooking the sea. It was built in the early 1890s with a breathtaking central Great Hall rising 50 feet to the ceiling. The beautiful grounds cover an impressive 13-acres.
The Breakers has entertained presidents, royalty and guests from across the world for more than 125 years and today is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. It is the flagship of the Newport Mansions and a world-famous iconic image of the City-by-the-Sea.
Visiting the Newport Mansions
A number of the properties are open for visitors, though it is recommended to plan ahead and book tickets. There are various guided tours and prices vary depending on the property. Check it out here.
There are also bundle tickets if you wish to see more than one of the splendid properties (visitors do not have to see all the properties in a single day with multi-property tickets).
