The Breakers is one of America’s most iconic Gilded Age mansions, standing proudly on the cliffs of Newport, Rhode Island. Built in 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the grand seaside estate captures the wealth, ambition, and artistry of America’s industrial age.

The mansion itself is a 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palace, designed by the legendary architect Richard Morris Hunt and inspired by the great villas of Genoa and Turin. Inside, visitors encounter a breathtaking display of marble, mosaics, gilded ceilings, and hand-carved woodwork, all imported from Europe.

Today, The Breakers is preserved and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport County as a history museum, offering a vivid window into the extravagant lifestyles of America’s elite at the turn of the 20th century.

Visitors can tour the lavish state rooms, wander through the clifftop gardens, and explore exhibits that tell the story of the Vanderbilt family, their household staff, and the changing tides of Newport society. Audio and digital tours bring these stories to life, blending elegance with insight into the era’s social contrasts.

More than just a mansion, The Breakers History Museum stands as a symbol of a transformative period in U.S. history — where opulence met innovation, and the American dream was carved in stone and marble by the sea.

Daily: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The Breakers gardens stay open year-round (except Thanksgiving and Christmas), 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM