Newport Mansions

The Breakers
Chinese tea house built behind the marble house because
When you are in your "cottage" for 8 weeks the
Interior gets too boring??????
Coastal view of the Newport mansions
Backyard of the Marble House
The backyard of the Elms
The entrance of the Marble House


We took a day trip up to Newport Rhode Island to see the mansions decked out for Christmas last weekend. It was sooo incredible. To give you a tiny background on the mansions they were used as summer "cottages" for the extremely wealthy for 8-12 weeks during the summer months. The Vanderbilts are one of the well known names that built a "cottage" in Newport. The famous Marble House belonged to them and was built as a gift for his wife. 7 million dollars was spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble imported from various countries. The total cost of the mansion in 1888 was 11 million dollars. In 1895 Mrs. Vanderbilt divorced her husband and married a man who lived down the street in the Belcourt mansion. The most expensive cottage in Newport (Marble house) became her closet.
Col and I could not even comprehend how things must have been in Newport during those summer months. It was so fascinating to go through these mansions and learn about this historical society. Plus the view is breathtaking being right on the coast of Rhode Island. It is a must see for anyone who comes to visit!