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Ocean Drive And Mansions TourExplore > United States > Rhode Island > Ocean Drive And Mansions Tour
OverviewGreat value tour in Newport! This Tour Includes: - Round trip transportation from the cruise ship pier - Narrated tour of the famous 10 mile ocean drive - Stop at The Breakers mansion and another of your choice! - Mansion Options: Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff, Isaac Bell House or Chateau-sur-Mer If you wanted to you could probably just go online and find virtual tours of extravagant mansions. Maybe you could put on some "ocean noises" music to really set the mood. Hopefully you find this image unfulfilling and allow us to take you to the real thing! Your day will start with an introduction of Newport by the way of the famous 10 mile ocean drive. From the oldest surviving synagogue in North America to the first public library in the USA, you will soon learn that Newport is more than glitz, glamor and big mansions. In the end, stunning scenery trumps everything else and it was no mistake that the architects tried matching the company they keep. Your guide will drop you off at the Breakers mansion for a chance to explore the grounds at your own pace. Considered the grandest of all the mansions, The Breakers was built by the Vanderbilt family who made their fortune in steamships and eventually the New York Central Railroad. With 70 rooms and 5 floors you can only imagine the hide and seek potential in this house. Famous designers from all over the Northeast helped design the mansion and no stone was left unturned. While in the gardens keep an eye out for the rare Copper Beech and Weeping Beech trees. Following The Breakers you will visit one mansion of your choice. Please see the Special Instructions Marble House: Built between 1888 and 1892 for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, Marble House was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. Mr. Vanderbilt gave the house to his wife as a 39th birthday present. She had a Chinese Tea House built on the seaside cliffs, where she hosted rallies for women's right to vote. The Elms: The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. In 1898, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d'Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris. The elaborate Classical Revival gardens on the grounds include terraces displaying marble and bronze sculpture, a park of fine specimen trees, and a lavish lower garden featuring marble pavilions, fountains, a sunken garden, carriage house, and garage. Rosecliff: Commissioned by Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs in 1899, architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. After the house was completed in 1902, at a reported cost of $2.5 million, Mrs. Oelrichs hosted fabulous entertainments here, including a fairy tale dinner and a party featuring famed magician Harry Houdini. Isaac Bell House: The Isaac Bell House was remarkably innovative when it appeared in 1883. It is a combination of Old English and European architecture with colonial American and exotic details, such as a Japanese-inspired open floor plan and bamboo-style porch columns Chateau-sur-Mer: Chateau-sur-Mer is a landmark of High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport from its completion in 1852 until the appearance of the Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s. It was the scene of memorable entertainments, from the "Fete Champetre", an elaborate country picnic for over two thousand guests held in 1857, to the debutante ball for Miss Edith Wetmore in 1889. - Please wear comfortable shoes as the tour involves lots of walking within the mansions. - Mansion entrance fees are included. - Following your sightseeing drive of approximately 1.5 hours you will be given 2 mansion vouchers. These will be used as your entrance tickets. Your first stop will be The Breakers mansion. After exploring the grounds at your own pace you can then hop on a trolley that picks up in front of the gates every 20 minutes. The mansions are all along the same street and the trolley stops at each mansion along the way. Your guide can answer any questions you have in regards to the order of the mansions. You will have one additional voucher to use at a mansion of your choice. Your return to the original meeting location will be done via trolley using your trolley pass provided on the day of the tour. - This tour takes a maximum of 24 passengers. Days offered: 7 days a week Departures:
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