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    Rough Point

    4.4 (29 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Rough Point Photos

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    Joseph K.

    Forget the other "cottages" further up the road. This is THE mansion to visit in Newport. The home itself is incredibly well maintained by the NRF, antiques and paintings that are hundreds of years old look brand new. As an added treat, you can explore the grounds and expansive gardens after your tour inside the house. I'd recommend the self guided tour, not to impune the staff though; they are all very welcoming, extremely knowledgeable about the home, and the art collection. Don't skip this one folks, you won't regret it.

    View from the outside
    Deb E.

    3.5 stars. Our tour guide was very subdued but knowledgeable. We have been to almost every mansion except this one. Also visited Doris Duke'S Shangri La which is a show stopper in comparison. Unfair to compare the two as they are completely different. This mansion was Lovely but a little lackluster compared to other mansions in town which are much showier. We were not told we could not take pics so we did. While many rooms were open for viewing unfortunately the solarium was being renovated. Doris' bedroom was my favorite - fabulous! No gift shop - just know it is a quieter mansion than the buggies in town like Marble House or the Breakers.

    Camels
    Roxanne C.

    First off, just want to say these are camels at the front! Unfortunately, we can't take pictures of Doris Duke's place inside, but it is definitely worth seeing if you've got $25 per person and tons of questions to ask or just to listen. She focused on her work as Honolulu, Waterscapes: Islamic Architecture and Art from her as Shangri La. But all in all, she's like an heiress, philanthropist, art collector, French furniture, European art, Chinese porcelains, and Flemish tapestries... on and on. About 75 mins.. there's a lot to see. Random! She also focused on her room (from JC Penny and other things) ... and she had two gifts from billionaire arms-dealer, pet camels. She would often buy them peanut butter cookies, but then they would freak out inside the when they see the winter mirrors... haha. She spent a lot of time outside with the camel. This was taken from the viewing, but I love it: "Miss Duke's stays, staff at Rough Point would pick vegetables daily for use in the cooking. Vegetables and flowers were shipped from the greenhouses at Duke Farms in New Jersey each spring to be planted, she said. A historical plant list of what was at Rough Point includes artichoke, squash, cabbage, lettuce, onions, peppers, spinach, eggplant, beans, okra and cucumbers. The list of herbs is long, too, including basil, chamomile, chives, dill, fennel, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, spearmint, tarragon, borage, and lovage."

    Kate Q.

    This was a great tour! Everyone was nice. The museum was beautiful and learning about Doris Duke was very interesting. I heard about this particular tour in a RI magazine. The topiary camels caught my eye and peeked my interest. I would definitely recommend checking out this spot. I had been to some of the other mansions as a child, but I was not familiar with this one. Doris Duke's mansion museum is definitely worth visiting.

    Stunning view from near the Cliff Walk.
    Emily D.

    This is a must-see in Newport, RI. The Society has done a fanatic job of preserving this mansion and you can truly see the beauty shining through from its glory days. The guides are super friendly and knowledgeable, but not overwhelming in any way. The view from the grounds is breathtaking and worth the inexpensive $10 admission. You can spend as much time as you want going in and out, which is greatly appreciated. This might not be a great stop for kids, but adults who appreciate art, history, architecture, and/or the Gilded Age will enjoy stopping at Rough Point.

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    8 years ago

    Great 1-tour and learned a ton about Doris Day and her philanthropic work. A good tour to start with on Bellevue Ave.

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    Review Highlights - Rough Point

    The personal stories about Doris Duke alone put a tour of Rough Point head and shoulders above the rest of the mansions in Newport.

    Mentioned in 14 reviews

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    Newport Art Museum - Exhbit room, 1st floor

    Newport Art Museum

    (23 reviews)

    A great little art musuem in Newport. Maybe a little overpriced given the size, but considering…read moreits all local it can be overlooked. Its a little wonkey in that you have to go outside through a courtyard to get to the 2nd part of the musuem, which I would imagine is a major inconvenience during colder or inclement weather. No staff or docents other than the person at the front desk. A goodbye quick time.

    I recently checked out this event at the Newport Art Museum with a few of my girlfriends and we had…read moresuch a fun night. It was the perfect excuse to get dressed up and try something new, with a twist of course... delicious cocktails. The Edgar Allan Poe experience itself was really well done. The actors were fantastic and fully committed to their roles. I loved the costumes and the dramatic personalities. It made the whole evening feel immersive without being over the top. I'm actually at the museum about once a month for meetings, so it was fun to see the space used in a completely different way. My only wish is that we had a little more time to wander and take in the current exhibits, because it's such a beautiful setting. My one real downside is parking. With the recent changes, it has become pretty difficult to find a spot that is easy to get in and out of, especially during a New England winter. Definitely something to plan ahead for. Overall, such a unique and memorable night. I would absolutely recommend grabbing your friends and checking this out if it comes back around.

    Newport Mansions - Sparkling Lights at The Breakers

    Newport Mansions

    (99 reviews)

    Stunning & majestic grandeur at 360 degrees for these historic mansions. Amazed and grateful that…read morethese have been restored for us to view this piece of lavish history. We joined the Historic society for the well worth is discount and toured 3 homes in a day, which is just the right amount. A must in the self guided audio tour via the mansions phone app. It really adds to the history of the mansion and gives great insight to the families and their world. Please explore these fabulous gems when in the area. Can't wait to see the rest!

    Visited the Newport Mansions for the first time during the holidays to see all the beautiful lights…read moreand decorations!!! I visited The Breakers and The Marble House (third mansion is The Elms). Each house was lit up with Christmas lights, as well as a Christmas tree in each room. Also bought tickets to see "The Sparkling Lights" outside on the lawn. The mansions are absolutely grand, elegant, and filled with history!! They all cost money to enter, but there is a free audio tour for each one (bring a headset). I loved learning about each one! Short and sweet summaries of each room as you walk through the houses, with the option to listen to extended versions (for you history lovers). Each mansion has parking close-by (although the website claims you can easily walk from one mansion to the next, they are quite far, especially in the winter). I stopped in for a simple day trip, but lots to see and eat in Newport if you have more time! Another tip would be if you're there to see the Sparkling Lights, earliest admission is 4:30 pm, make sure you're in line by 4:15 pm (it gets long FAST)!

    The Preservation Society of Newport County - outside lights at The Breakers

    The Preservation Society of Newport County

    (369 reviews)

    The Preservation Society of Newport County is a non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode…read moreIsland and its top priority is the preservation and conservation of its historic houses and their collections. This work includes restoration of roofs and windows, conservation of fragile textiles, cleaning and restoration of valuable paintings and much more. At any given time, dozens of projects are underway. A visit to the Newport Mansions is a donation to The Preservation Society of Newport County. During the holiday season, The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms welcome visitors with spectacular holiday displays so it was a great opportunity to visit. In addition to the house holiday display, there is an outdoor holiday display called Sparkling Lights at The Breakers from November 22 to December 29, 2024 on select evenings. Admission is only at 4 pm, 4:30 pm, 5 pm, 5:30 pm and 6 pm. Gates close at 6:30 pm and the house and grounds close at 8 pm. Timed admissions tickets can be purchased online at https://www.newportmansions.org/. Tickets include access to the lavishly decorated rooms inside the house during the same visit. About a week prior, I bought 2 tickets for December 20, 2024 at 6:00PM ($40.00 each) and I was really looking forward to it. However, there was a winter advisory and it was snowing on the day of. Driving conditions were unsafe. I was worried I was going to lose my money since the website indicated tickets may not be resold, non-transferrable, non-refundable, and cannot be used for a different date. I tried calling the Preservation Society of Newport County, but there were just prompts and I couldn't talk to a live person. I sent a direct message to @newport.mansions through Instagram and they responded promptly that I could receive a refund by emailing info@newportmansions.org. Gary Ruff, Associate Communications Manager, responded and instructed me with what information he needed to provide the refund. I was so appreciative. Thankfully, the snow cleared and temperature warmed up a bit so I bought 2 tickets for December 29, 2024 at 4:00PM ($40.00 each). All the decorated Christmas trees, the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree, poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral in the interior of The Breakers were beautiful and then walking through the lights and illuminated displays of the outdoor 13-acre landscape was just a cherry on the top. The Preservation Society of Newport County also partnered with Stoneacre Brasserie to offer holiday treats and adult beverages. Thank you to The Preservation Society of Newport County for everything you are doing to protect, preserve, and present an exceptional collection of house museums and landscapes.

    The family (wife, 10 y/o son, 2 y/o daughter) were visiting Newport and looking fo some activities…read moreto do. I noticed that the Newport mansions were on every to-do list, with the Breakers being the top choice of many. I looked at their website as well as other reviews and saw that this may not be the best place for younger ones. I saw that no strollers were allowed and I didn't think a tour of an old mansion is something my 10 y/o would be interested in. So I decided to take a solo trip on a nice Friday morning while the rest of the family slept in late at the hotel. The Breakers opens at 10 AM. The visitors parking lot is on the corner of Ochre Point Avenue and Victoria Avenue. There are other lots nearby but read the signs as they are for other buildings...The parking lot had adequate space when I arrived at 10:15 or so, but by the time I was leaving at about 11:45 is was pretty packed with visitors having to park in the rear overflow lot. Once you reach the front gate of the Breakers mansion, there are COVID restriction and general rule signs. As you proceed you can go to the left to buy tickets, use the bathroom or enter their cafe. Tickets are about $26 for adults and $8 for children 6-17 years old. The cafe has a bunch of premade food items, drinks, snacks, premade sandwiches... and few seats with tables. There are some more seats and table just outside of the cafe. Before you enter the mansion, there are signs showing you how to use their self tour audio app. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOING THIS...AND BRING HEADPHONES. You download the Newport Mansions app from the App Store onto your Apple or Google device, select the mansion you are visiting and begin the tour. The audio tour was excellent and follows you through the tour route of the mansion. I enjoyed listening to all the interesting facts about each room via bluetooth earbuds while my hands were free to take photos with my camera. You only thing you will need to do is to advance (click the play button) the tour to the next room before entering. There are some interesting facts about the mansion as a whole and each individual room. You can also stay around longer in each area for additional facts, essentially lengthening the tour. Without the audio tour, you will have to fread the printed information sheet. You go through the main floor, upper floor and back down into the service area where the kitchen is. You then exit through the gift shop. The gift shop has lots of interesting items, which includes typical magnets, mugs and prints, but they also have some luxury items like platters and wine stoppers as well as a small jewelry section. You finally exit out onto the side of the mansion and are able to walk back around outside to the front where you entered. Before sure to walk through the opened gate to the right of the mansion which takes you through a small garden to the back. Here you can see the Cliff Walk path and the ocean. Overall, I had a great time...It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. The entire tour took just over an hour without listening to the extra information about each room. (During the tour, there are a few instances where you have to ascend/descend steps - I did NOT see any elevators - so you may want to call ahead to check if you cannot climb steps) Again, I highly recommend downloading the app and listening to the audio tour via headphones. It allows your eyes to focus on the beauty of the mansion instead of reading. Lastly, the mansion is right off of the Cliff Walk path...so be sure to make the short ride (or walk) north to Narragansett Avenue and visit the Forty Steps.

    Rough Point - museums - Updated May 2026

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