TRAFFIC
NEWPORT MANSIONS DOES IT AGAIN Over One Million Tours Logged in for 2019
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EDITED BY MARGO ROBERTS
or the fourth consecutive year, The Preservation Society of Newport County has hosted more than one million tours (actually 1,006,190), drawing visitors from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The Preservation Society, back in July 2019, capped a landmark year when it recorded its 40 millionth tour of the Newport Mansions since its founding since 1945. “The popularity of the mansions is a testament not only to their beauty and grandeur but also to the hard work that goes into preserving and presenting them,” said Preservation Society CEO and Executive Director Trudy Coxe. “We are very proud that our high standards have been recognized by accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums as well as visitors from around the world.” The Preservation Society’s Newport Mansions are one of only four museum organizations in New England that regularly reach one million admissions. The Newport Mansions share this honor
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with only three others—all found in downtown Boston. The Preservation Society owns and operates seven national historic landmarks and four other historic sites. Guests can experience these properties in several ways, including prearranged private and specialty tours, as well as regularly offered audio and guide-led house tours and self-guided landscape tours. Audio tours are available in several languages in addition to English. Plan for 2020 are youth and MandarinChinese audio tours of Marble House. This year, three of the Newport Mansions are operating daily year-round: The Breakers, The Elms, and Rosecliff. Marble House is currently closed until mid-February for deep cleaning. The Preservation Society’s other properties— Chateau-sur-Mer, Chepstow, Hunter House, Isaac Bell House, Kingscote, and Green Animals Topiary Garden—operate on a seasonal schedule from early spring to late fall. It’s always a treat to take a day away and head to Newport to experience the Gilded Age and its extraordinary past. H For more information, please visit NewportMansions.org.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEWPORT MANSIONS
