The Breakers
The Breakers is the Vanderbilts' 1895 mansion at 44 Ochre Point Avenue in Newport, and Newport Classical holds its concerts in the Great Hall, where music was played in the Gilded Age. Parking is free in the lot across the street, the free Route 67 trolley stops at the gate from late May to the end of October, and doors open 30 minutes before a concert. The hall is air conditioned and can feel chilly, so bring a layer.
Before you go
- Indoor or outdoor
- Indoor: concerts in the Great Hall; gardens and back lawn outside
- Official site
- newportmansions.org
- Next festival here
- Newport Classical Music Festival, Jul 1 to 18, 2027
Worth knowing before you go
- The lot is across Ochre Point Avenue, and the walk from the accessible stalls to the front door is 484 feet.
- Arrive after the concert starts and you wait outside until a break between pieces.
- Only sealed water is allowed inside the house; no other food or drink, and no suitcases or oversized bags.
- Cameras and recording equipment are prohibited at concerts, and phones stay off throughout.
- The back and south terraces are closed for restoration until November 2026; the gardens and back lawn stay open.
Festivals here
Venue basics: Free parking across the street · Free Route 67 trolley to the gate · Concerts in the ground-floor Great Hall.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want chamber music in a Gilded Age hall with free parking at the gate.
- You are coming without a car and can use the free summer trolley.
- You need step-free access to the concert space and drop-off at the door.
Think twice if
- Long walks are a problem: it is 484 feet from the accessible stalls to the front door.
- You are planning to camp on site: we don't yet have confirmed information about camping here.
- You want to bring food, drink or a camera inside: only sealed water is allowed and cameras are prohibited at concerts.
Getting there and parking
The Breakers is at 44 Ochre Point Avenue in Newport, on grounds overlooking the Cliff Walk and Easton's Bay. Newport Classical concerts take place in the Great Hall, where musical performances were also staged in the Gilded Age.
Parking is free in the lot across the street from the entrance gates, with four accessible stalls and secure bike parking at the back of the lot. The Preservation Society provides no transport between its houses and asks anyone moving on to another mansion to move their car, because every space is needed.
RIPTA's Route 67 trolley stops at The Breakers, starting from the Gateway Transportation Center at 23 America's Cup Avenue, and runs as a free hop-on, hop-off service from May 22 to October 31, 2026. Museum visits need a reserved date and time slot, and for concerts doors open 30 minutes before the start, with time needed to find parking.
Accessibility
Three ramps give access to the first floor, the narrowest 32 inches wide, and a staff-operated elevator (50 by 47 inches, 30-inch door) links the first and second floors. There are accessible stalls in the basement and Welcome Center restrooms, limited bench seating along the tour route, and service dogs are welcome. For a concert in the ground-floor Great Hall the route is fully wheelchair accessible, with disability-placard spaces on Shepard Avenue, drop-off at the main entrance and accessible restrooms just inside it.
Distances are long: 300 feet from the parking lot to the Welcome Center, another 335 feet to the main entrance, and 484 feet from the accessible stalls to the front door. The house tour runs 1,321 feet with 40 stairs between the first and second floors and some tight second-floor doorways, and the Beneath the Breakers and Third Floor tours are not accessible.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (newportmansions.org).
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at The Breakers. The venue's own pages are the place to check: newportmansions.org.
Food, water and what you can bring
The Welcome Center across from the house holds ticket sales, a café and restrooms, and a ticket or membership is needed to enter the grounds, store or café. Inside the mansion only water in a sealable container may be consumed; no other food, gum or drinks.
There are no lockers, so purses, camera bags and knapsacks come in with you, but suitcases, duffels and oversized bags are not allowed. Non-flash personal photography is fine inside the house (not on the Third Floor tour), with no selfie sticks, tripods or drones, but at Newport Classical concerts cameras and recording equipment are prohibited.
Sound and sensory
Concerts are chamber and classical performances in the Great Hall, with all electronic devices switched off for the whole performance. The hall is air conditioned to protect the collection, the temperature cannot be adjusted and it can get chilly, so dress for it; audience attire runs from casual by day to smart casual or Newport chic in the evening.
Self-guided audio tours of the house run on the free Newport Mansions app and need your own earbuds. Strollers stay outside in the stroller parking by the entrance, and children under 16 must be with an adult.
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Quick answers
Is parking free at The Breakers?
Yes. The lot is across the street from the entrance gates, with four accessible stalls 484 feet from the main entrance and bike parking at the back.
Can I get to The Breakers by public transport?
Yes. RIPTA's Route 67 trolley stops at The Breakers from the Gateway Transportation Center at 23 America's Cup Avenue, free and hop-on, hop-off from May 22 to October 31, 2026.
Is The Breakers wheelchair accessible?
Partly. Ramps lead to the first floor, where concerts are held, and a staff-operated elevator reaches the second floor, but distances are long and the upper tours are stairs only, so the house as a whole is only partially accessible. For a concert in the Great Hall the route is fully wheelchair accessible, with placard spaces on Shepard Avenue and drop-off at the main entrance.
Can I bring food or drink into The Breakers?
No. Only water in a sealable container is allowed inside; the café is in the Welcome Center across from the house.
What should I wear to a concert at The Breakers?
Something with a layer. The hall is air conditioned, the temperature cannot be adjusted and it can get chilly; daytime concerts are casual and evening audiences tend to smart casual.
Can I camp at The Breakers?
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at The Breakers. The venue's own pages at newportmansions.org are the place to check.
Which festival is held at The Breakers?
The Newport Classical Music Festival, whose concerts take place in the Great Hall. Newport Classical was founded in 1969 and was formerly the Newport Music Festival.
A little history
Cornelius Vanderbilt II commissioned Richard Morris Hunt in 1893 to rebuild a burned-down property, and the house went up between 1893 and 1895 with marble from Italy and Africa and rare woods and mosaics from around the world. It is the grandest of Newport's summer cottages, a National Historic Landmark and the flagship of the Newport Mansions.
Newport Classical, founded in 1969 as the Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport and formerly the Newport Music Festival, presents its Music Festival concerts here in the Great Hall, one of its indoor venues alongside The Elms and the Newport Art Museum.