Newport Cliff Walk: A Guide to its Gilded Age Landmarks and Legends

At the turn of the 20th century, Newport was the summer home of America’s fashionable society. Millionaires from New York and beyond competed for status by building palatial estates and throwing lavish galas within the ballrooms of their “summer cottages.” On this walking tour, you’ll see one of New England’s most breathtaking coastlines from a new perspective, as you step back into the Gilded Age. On this 90-minute stroll along the Cliff Walk, you’ll hear about all the mansions you pass by, and the families who lived within them. I’ll tell you about Cornelius “The Commodore” Vanderbilt who built the most immense fortune in America at the time, and I’ll reveal how his descendants squandered it all within a few short generations. I’ll explain how the social structure of Newport’s elite was determined by Caroline Astor, the empress of ‘The 400’ – New York society’s and, by default, Newport’s unofficial ‘who’s who’ list. Starting at 40 Steps, you’ll wind your way along the Cliff Walk, taking in mansions like the Breakers, Rosecliff, Belmont Estate and Rough Point. Along the way, I’ll point out the Chinese Tea House at Marble House and Ochre Point lookout. Home by home, you’ll discover how these estates were built, and why so many of them were merely abandoned at the end of the Gilded Age, when they weren’t donated or sold off as museums for a small fraction of the cost to build them. Some questions I’ll answer along the way include: • What was the Gilded Age and why was it given that name? • Were the millionaires of the Gilded Age as wealthy as the billionaires of today? • How many servants did it take to staff a mansion in Newport? • Why were the Vanderbilts not easily accepted into Newport’s polite society and ‘the 400’? • How did Salve Regina University, located along the Cliff Walk, get its beautiful campus here? On this tour, you’ll not only get to appreciate these magnificent homes, but also to walk along Rhode Island’s most impressive stretch of shoreline to see its most visited travel destination.

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