4.3(13 reviews)
Newport Cliff Walk: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
90 minutes – 120 minutes
Commentary: Audio · en
Newport, USA
About this activity
Savor the secrets and scandals that linger along Newport’s captivating coastline on this self-guided walking tour. Experience the magic of GPS-playback while immersing yourself in the history of Newport's former Gilded Age residents.
Highlights
- Find out how the city's turbulent past has shaped its present
- Hear from producer Richard Seaward, a Londoner living in in Aix en Provence
- Do it all in 75 minutes or linger at stops along the way
- Get unlimited use before your booking date and after it
- Use the virtual tour option at home
Full description
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?
• 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.
Included / Excluded
- Lifetime access to this tour in English
- VoiceMap app for Android and iOS
- Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
- Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
- Smartphone and headphones
- Transportation
- Food and drink
Meeting point
Start Location
40 Steps, 220 Narragansett Ave, Newport
Important information
Know before you book
- The audio guide uses a mobile app.
- You'll need to download the app and then use the voucher code provided to download the tour.
- You'll need to use your own mobile phone and headphones.
- The tour is only available in English.
Know before you go
- You'll need to download the app and then use the voucher code provided to download the tour
- The download should only take a few minutes to complete. If it takes longer, please cancel the download, go to Account, select Purchased and download the tour from there
- Please remember to bring your own headphones and use your own mobile device
- Please follow the download instructions included to download the tour.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity starts
Up to 24 hours before the beginning of the activity: full refund Less than 24 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund
Reviews
4.3(13 reviews)
Ebony
Apr 20255.0
The guide was very patient and very knowledgeable about the temples and Palace. After the tour he stayed with us until our Grab came.
Edwin
Jan 20255.0
todo maravilloso
Zacharie
Jan 20245.0
The guide was amazing 😍 She always wanted to optimise our experience !
Additional information
Not wheelchair accessible