Day 1—Newport, Rhode Island. This is where the wealthy industrialists of New York City would head for the summer when things got too hot in the city (around the turn of the 20th Century). Their “summer cottages” were elaborate mansions, both inside and out, exemplifying the “gilded age” that Mark Twain coined.
While there are many mansions to tour, we selected the 70-room “Breakers,” summer home of the Vanderbilts (Cornelius Vanderbilt II), and were treated to a very well-done self-guided audio tour of a beautifully-preserved 1895 estate. The tour had just enough detail to let you know what had gone on in that particular room or what the inspiration for the room had been without overwhelming you with too much information. You can walk the Cliff Walk to enjoy more of the coastline, but once again, the rain nixed that plan.