Chateau-sur-Mer
474 Bellevue Ave., Newport, Rhode Island
While Chateau-sur-Mer is not Newport’s most lavish mansion, it is one of the resort town’s most important: It was the most palatial residence in its era, setting the bar for luxury—and establishing Newport as an ultra-wealthy getaway—40 years before the Vanderbilts would arrive. Today, it’s owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County and open to the public for tours.
Resting on the famed Bellevue Avenue since 1852, Chateau-sur-Mer is an Italian-style villa designed for William Shepherd Wetmore, a China Trade merchant. The Wetmores were known for their fabulous parties, which they could throw year-round. (Unlike most Newport mansions, Chateau-sur-Mer was not a summer home.)
A decade after its completion, William Wetmore passed, leaving the property to his son, George. In the 1870s, he requested architect Richard Morris Hunt redecorate the house in the French Second Empire style. As you wander the immaculate home—its 45-foot-high Great Hall ceiling, marble hallways and herringbone flooring, and oak timbers mixing with crystal chandeliers—you’re mostly exploring furnishings from this era.
Tickets are untimed and can be bought online or in person at The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, or Green Animals.
One-, two-, and three-property tickets are valid at Chateau-sur-Mer.
A self-guided audio landscape tour is available to download—bring your headphones.
Strollers are not allowed inside, and Chateau-sur-Mer is not wheelchair-accessible.
The mansion sits at 474 Bellevue Ave., with free parking onsite. Of course, if you find yourself in the area, it’s fantastic for a stroll—Gilded Age beauties like The Breakers and the coastal Cliff Walk are just a few blocks away. You could also book a bus tour, rideshare, or taxi to get around this resort town.
Your untimed ticket is good for arrival any day you choose. That said, Chateau-sur-Mer typically opens for daily visitors only in August and September; check the website in advance to guarantee open hours. To avoid the biggest tourist rushes, visit midweek and early in the morning or roughly an hour before closing.
Chateau-sur-Mer, not just a flashy show of “summer cottage” wealth, is a more historic look at 19th-century Newport. It eschews stylistic norms, combining Egyptian obelisks, diagonal oak timbers, marble hallways, and Louis XV-style rooms with a Greek Revival entrance. It conveys a sense of independence and uniqueness the other Newport mansions do not—so don’t miss it.
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