As you get to know South County, Rhode Island, during your vacation, you may begin exploring some surrounding communities. For instance, the state capital, Providence, and its plethora of museums, is nearby, and you can get to historic Newport in about 20 minutes by car.
Newport is a popular destination because of its busy harbors, beautiful scenery, and the abundance of Gilded Age mansions lining Bellevue Avenue. The Gilded Age, which lasted between 1870 and 1910, saw names like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Ford, and Morgan rise to prominence in the United States, generating significant wealth and living lavishly.
Many of those families built vacation homes in Newport, and it became a bit of a competition to see who could construct the largest and most spectacular dwelling. These beautiful homes remain to this day, and the trolley tours exploring them are an attraction in their own right.
Is heading over Narragansett Bay into Newport for a trolley tour worth your time? Keep reading to learn what these tours entail before making your decision.
What is a Newport Trolley Tour?
Much like it sounds, a Newport trolley tour involves getting on a trolley and having it drive you around Newport. There’s more to it, though, as these trolleys are historic-looking, appearing similar to the streetcars you’d expect to see roaming around Newport during the Gilded Age.
These trolleys are also luxurious, with comfortable seats and plenty of room to stretch out. Some are open-air, too, ensuring you can enjoy Newport’s beautiful weather while exploring the community.
The tour you select will take you to multiple mansions, and some even allow you to go inside and take a walking tour. It all comes down to what you want from your time in Newport.
Trolley Tour Options
A few companies deliver Newport mansion tours, each with slightly different offerings.
For instance, Viking Tours has a basic expedition visiting 150 points of interest in the city. It explores Ten-Mile Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue, showing you some of the most impressive mansions you’ve seen in your life. The tour takes about 90 minutes and costs $25 for adults.
Another option through this operator is the Grand Mansion Tour. This excursion includes the same 90-minute drive as the first tour but finishes by permitting you to enter The Marble House or The Breakers, depending on your preferences. The tour takes three hours and costs $43 or $45, depending on the mansion you visit.
There’s also a Vanderbilt Tour through Viking Tours that explores the family’s various properties and allows you to enter both The Breakers and The Marble House. This option is four hours long and will cost you $58.
A second operator worth considering is Newport Travel Trolley Tours. This company has multiple options, depending on your desired experience.
First, there’s a luxury enclosed trolley tour. This excursion takes between 70 and 90 minutes, visiting multiple locations around Newport. You’ll see some mansions from the road, but you won’t get overly close to them. This option is $26.75, and your kids must be at least five years old to join.
Next, you can opt for a 160-180 minute tour with entrance to The Breakers. This outing includes the same Newport tour as the first option but ends with a guided tour of the mansion itself. This outing costs $46.25 for adults and $23 for kids.
You can take either Newport Travel Trolley Tours trip in a vintage open-air trolley, too, providing a unique experience and allowing you to see Newport like it was in the past.
It’s also worth noting that all of these tours are narrated, so you’ll learn a lot about Newport’s history through your travels.
Making the Trek to Newport
You’ll find so much to do in South County that heading over a couple of bridges into Newport might seem unnecessary. However, for an up-close view of some of the country’s most impressive mansions, nothing beats it.
Determining whether a trip to Newport is worth the time is a personal decision. However, it’s a relatively easy drive if you’re interested in exploring some American history in a location close to your vacation rental.