The 40 Steps

This spectacular platform is located at the end of Narragansett Ave. The stone stairs goes down to the side of the cliff on a balcony overlooking the sea.

This historical landmark were popular during Newport's Golden Age where it used to be the gathering place for servants and workers close to the mansions.

From the landmark, you can see stunning views of the ocean, the mansions and the cliff sides.

Note: It's important to highly consider warning signs around the area. Wandering off the path can be dangerous particularly during summer when thick bushes and vegetation may run to the edge of the cliff making it hard for you to see dangerous areas to step on.

The 10-Mile Drive

There are so much things to do and see at Newport, Rhode Island. If your time is limited, the "10-Mile Drive" would be the best option to do to see most of the island's historical community, the fabulous recreational public parks and shorelines.
Did you know that the "10-mile drive" ranks as one of the most popular "drives" in the country?

The Ten Mile Drive which includes Newport's Ocean drive and Fort Adams is historical. It is also known as the scenic drive due to the impressive coastal views and historical landmarks. The directions are pretty much easy to follow since the place is small and most of the roads are one-way. You can print the driving directions online.

We had fun doing it! After all the muscle strain from the Cliff walk, this drive was much more relaxing!...and way much more convenient :).

By the way, summer is always a good weather to spend your time along the coastal views if you want to stay longer in the outdoors.
Take note: Other than summer, the rest of the season at RI will be cold!...I mean...REALLY COLD!

Astor's Beechwood Mansion

It was such a great idea to add this mansion to our itinerary for a visit. It was not included on our mansion visit package tour , so we paid the fee for it alone.
The best thing on this tour is that you can take as many photos as you like inside.

The Living History Tours are done by Astor family members and friends, sharing all about the Victorian era lifestyles, all about the Astor family, and the Newport society.

In the tour, the tour guides talk to you as if you are one of the socialite guests whom they are expecting on a party and they would be telling you where to dress up and do your hairstyles :), the time of the dinner, etc...
This was funny!...the tour guide (acting as a servant) asked me; ..." Are you attending the party tonight?" Well, there was actually no party on that coming night, LOL! ALl you have to do is give her back a smart answer, hehehehe... So, I replied..."let's just see, we are not sure yet." :)).

This Beechwood Mansion was formerly the summer house of Mrs. Astor, - known to be the queen of American Society. The building is of course designed and made during the Gilded Age with white Italianate structure with yellow trim in the 18th century.

The mansion offers a lot of various tours mostly performance tours showcasing the life in the Gilded Age. Other tours are Victorian Murder Mystery (interesting), Candlelight Musical Tour, etc!
I got some few shots during the tour. Some were taken by my husband as we alternately take shots. It's always a good idea to have two cameras in hand. We got one each!

The Belcourt Castle

Location: Newport, Rhode Island

Did you know that this castle is considered to be unique among the mansions in Newport? It's because of its hunting lodge style composed of 60 rooms.
This castle is a 114-year old which has 50,000 square feet medieval style design.

Belcourt offers traditional tours (including ghost tours, too!) and is also famous for its antique collections.

We were suppose to sign up for a tour but we lacked time. It was more than an hour wait for the next tour schedule so we decided to just cancel it.

We did some photos just outside the castle, right close to the main entrance and at the front.

It might be good to try the ghost tours if you want spooky adventures! :).

The Cliff Walk

If there is one good exercise that you need to have in Newport, R.I., take the Cliff Walk. Take note that this might be strenous to some, but you can take control of it on your own. You can take slow walks to fast walks or jogs; - it's the way you like it.

The cliff used to be an undeveloped coastal shoreline in the 18th century. It was developed, redeveloped, and repaired at times in the older years.

This 3.5 mile picturesque walk overlooks the spectacular Atlantic coastline and named one of the "50 Places of a Lifetime."

Just some few things to bear in mind before you do the walk: - there are no restrooms along the trails, and no food/drink stands either. Be sure you have some fluids with you and use restrooms before you go.

RoseCliff - Newport, R.I.

Another Gilded-age mansion worth visiting is the Rosecliff. Today, it is considered one of America's most romantic settings for weddings.


Rosecliff is snow-white covered mansion with classic lines, and has the largest ballroom in Newport. Once captivating design inside the mansion is the heart-shaped staircase which provides the ideal setting for wedding occasions.

This house was completed in 1902 costing to $2.5 milion. It was then became the venues for many most lavished parties, fairy tale dinners including a party that featured the famed magician Harry Houdini.

The Elms - Newport, R.I.

Me at the back portion of The Elms

This mansion was formerly a summer residence of Mr. & Mrs. Edward Berwind from Philadelphia and New York. Berwind was famous in the coal industry where he got his wealth.

The Elms was built in the 18th century and completed in 1901 with a cost of $1.4 million. Its interior furnishings and decorations are Renaissance-inspired with accents of an 18th century French and Venetian paintings and Oriental Jades.

The Berwind couple obviously love the gardens with classical revivals that were developed between 1907 and 1914.

It also has marble and bronze sculptures, a park and with a lower garden that displays marble pavillions, fountains, a sunken garden and carriage house with garage.

The Breakers - Newport, R.I.

While the Marble House is considered to be the extravagant summer house of the Vanderbilt family because of its extravagant architectural designs, The Breakers is considered to be the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages".

The Breakers were purchased as a wooden house by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt in the 18th century. It was then renovated to a villa replacing the earlier wood-framed house that was destroyed by fire.
Richard Hunt, (also the architect of Marble House) redesigned the villa creating a 70-room Italian Renaissance style palazzo as inspired by the 16th century palaces of Geno and Turin.

Furnishings and fixtures were done by Allard and Sons of Paris, while the relief sculpture was done by Karl Bitter, an Austro-American sculptor. The family quarters' decorations were courtesy of Ogden Codman, an architect from Boston.