Columbus Day weekend is usually a week we try to go back to KC and visit the family. Since we’d just spent a week together in July/August, and the kids are booked to come here for Thanksgiving we thought we’d do something different this year. Last year we took a couple of trips to Rhode Island and knew we’d be back, so it seemed like a great time to visit the rest of the Newport mansions and  Waterfire in Providence. As luck would have it, that weekend was one of final weekends of Waterfire for the year. We made hotel reservations in Providence, because Newport was pretty booked, and because Waterfire would be a late activity.

Our journey began in Newport. Earlier in the week I went online and found that a yearly membership cost just a touch more than a multi-house pass, but gave us  admission to all the houses any time in the year. With our membership in hand we chose our first house of the day to be The Elms. This spectacular house had all the adornments you would expect from these socialite palaces. A marble staircase, royal dining room, ball room,  conservatory, and sumptuous bedrooms made this house appropriate for any gathering of New York’s wealthiest and elite citizens. What sets The Elms apart from many of the others is the expansive lawn and gardens at the rear of the house. You know I love gardens, so this house shot right up to one of my favorites. This is a time when words hardly do justice.

After The Elms we visited two other houses that weren’t quite as grand, but interesting nonetheless. Kingscote has the distinction of being the oldest of the mansions in Newport. At the time it was built it had beautiful views of the ocean from both the front and back of the house. Sadly, it has no views now as it lies pretty much in the center of the island and many houses obscure the views. This house was made for living rather than entertaining. The rooms are much smaller than those at The Elms and entertaining appears to have been more of an intimate occasion than a lavish party. One unique aspect of this house was that the dining room shown was not part of the original house, though it is located in the center of the building. To add the dining room, the house was cut down the middle and pulled a part. The dining room, and upstairs bedrooms were then built between the two halves.

Our third house of the day was even smaller. It’s called the Isaac Bell House and is probably the smallest of the Bellevue Avenue mansions to tour. The house is not furnished because the primary reason to visit is to view the architecture. The guide told us fascinating stories about almost every room. Seeing these houses isn’t so much a case of class envy for me, though I have been accused of wanting a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. I see these houses more as works of art and architecture. I really see no difference on these, and other priceless works of art. Both are created solely for the aesthetic enjoyment of the owner and do not serve as practical purposes. To ask, why do you need this much space or ornamentation is to ask the painter why he paints the subject so beautifully.

That was enough of the houses, but our day was only partway over. We drove to Providence to see Waterfire. Our last time in Providence we learned about Waterfire as we glided through the rivers of Providence. It is an art installation consisting of fire and music on the river. During the summer and early fall, bonfires are lit on the river on designated evenings. Crowds gather at the basin and along the banks to witness the extraordinary event.  We got our seats early to enjoy the spectacle. The new age style music was specially composed for the work, and began as the sun began to set. A few costumed street performers in the shape of a tree and two gargoyles worked their way through the crowd to pose on a platform in the center. A group carrying torches made their way down to the basin and began lighting torches on boats that had just arrived. They in turn circled the basin and began lighting the bonfires. Because it was fall, only the basin was lit tonight. In the summer the fires stretch down the river. It was fascinating to watch. We stayed for a little over an hour enjoying the flames and the music before heading to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

We headed back to Newport early the next morning for breakfast and a walk along the Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is like the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, but is lined with mega mansions. Salve Regina University has purchased some of the mansions as part of their campus, and lie along part of the walk. The views are beautiful, and we met other sightseers and cruise ship tour groups along the way.

Our first house to tour was called Chepstow. The Breakers, The Elms and Rosecliff were all elaborate palaces that looked fantastic for large parties, but if I were to live in a mansion in Newport, I’d choose Chepstow. Chepstow is one of the smaller homes, and requires a guide rather than the headset self-guided tours. Our guide simply loved the house and made us love it too. The woman who lived here for many years entertained celebrities from film, art, business, and politics. She was a little eccentric and liked to do decoupage. There was evidence of her handiwork all throughout the home. Two of the rooms downstairs opened up, to make one large room. A small stage area lie at the end of one room for theatrical productions. This my kind of house!

Our second house of the day was probably the most different of all the homes we’d seen. The Chateau sur Mer stands in the middle of a huge lawn looking strikingly  like the Bates Motel. The architecture is French revival and much of the inside is dark. This would be a great haunted house if it weren’t filled with so many precious antiques. I thought it was an extraordinary house, but Janet wasn’t too thrilled. I think it was her least favorite of the day.

Our last house of the day was The Marble House. As in the tradition of The Breakers and The Elms, this was a stately mansion fit for large parties. The interesting story of this house was that shortly after it was built, the couple were divorced and the wife took possession. It was a case of winner take all, and this was only a very small part of what she maintained in the agreement. Marble house was impressive, the dining room alone is bigger than any house we’ve lived in. My favorite room was the Gothic Room, which was pretty much a museum of Gothic furniture and artifacts from Europe built right into the mansion. The Tea Room in the rear of the home was a beautiful addition, and I could imagine many people gathered for parties on the lawn, and getting refreshments in the Tea Room. It was a great house with which to end our tours.

Our trip was nearly over, as is this post. If you’re exhausted reading this, you’ll know how our feet felt after two days of touring these marvelous mansions. There was one more admission left on our membership that I thought would be a waste if we didn’t see it. The Green Animals Topiary Gardens was on the way out of town and took about twenty more minutes of our time. The dahlias were especially beautiful in this multi-faceted garden. Our feet could only take so much, though so we looked at the beautifully crafted bushes and said our goodbyes. Thanks for sticking with us through an amazing two day adventure. New England has a lot to see, and I’m glad you’re along for the ride.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller