The Breakers

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Gallery

Overview

About The Breakers

This flagship of the Newport Mansions was constructed for Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II by architect Richard Morris Hunt, using brick faced with Indiana limestone. The Preservation Society took ownership in 1972.

Made for

• The audio tour draws on diaries, letters and oral histories to give first-person accounts from family members, servants and children.
• Self-guided and family audio tours can be downloaded for The Breakers.
• Dining options are offered at The Breakers Café.
• Visitors choose between self-guided audio tours and guide-led tours.
• Six audio tours cover the lives of people who lived and worked in Newport's Gilded Age mansions.
• Expert guides lead specialty tours including Beneath The Breakers, with other guided tours seasonal at some houses.
• Private guided tours are available for small groups with the attention of expert interpreters.

The packages

Event experiences

• Printed scripts are offered at most mansions.
• Paper scripts come in multiple languages at self-guided properties.

How it works

1. 1

   Download the App

   Visitors bring a smart device and earbuds and download the tour app ahead of the visit.

2. 2

   Group Tour Request Form

   Group requests are scheduled in order received, and replies take a few business days.

3. 3

   Membership Upgrade

   Buying a membership after tickets is possible by visiting a sales associate at several properties.

Good to know

• The mansion is partially accessible, with an elevator in service.
• Beneath The Breakers is not recommended for children under 10, and every guest including children needs a ticket.
• The Beneath tour is underground, with no outside ventilation or natural light.
• Sturdy shoes are advised for stairs and concrete walking surfaces.
• The underground tour runs about 60 minutes.
• The third-floor tour involves climbing 85 stairs and descending 95, with no public elevator.
• Sparkling Lights needs a special ticket for a set date and entry time, with the mansion interior included.
• Regular Breakers tickets are not accepted after a cutoff on days when Sparkling Lights is scheduled.
• Sparkling Lights tickets cannot be refunded or changed to another date or time.
• Tickets are delivered electronically and can be printed or shown on a mobile device at entry.
• Guests enter via the main gates on Ochre Point Avenue within 30 minutes after their scheduled time.
• A scanned ticket is canceled at entry, so re-entry on the same ticket isn't possible.
• Smoking and vaping are not allowed on any property.
• Only water is permitted inside the museums; food, gum and other beverages are not.
• Visitors may not touch objects in the museum.
• Strollers are barred from the museums, and children under 16 need an adult with them throughout.
• Tickets and memberships cannot be transferred or refunded.
• Multi-property tickets need not be used in a single day.
• Adult groups are booked for at least 20 persons who come through a tour company or organization.
• A group request form submission is a request only, not a confirmed reservation.
• Groups pay on arrival; purchase orders and later invoices are not accepted.
• Plan about 90 minutes per house, travel time between mansions included.
• Beneath The Breakers guide-led tour runs daily.
• The third-floor tour is guided and offered daily.
• Hours change by season, so guests should check the Operating Schedule.
• Sparkling Lights admission is timed in half-hour slots.