Known as the New England summer resort, Newport is famous for its historic mansions and its rich sailing history. On our last visit to Rhode Island, we stopped briefly in Newport for a day. We spent it at the beach, which I highly recommend if you’re visiting during the summer season! This time, we decided to skip the beach in favor of visiting some of their most famous attractions.

Our first stop of the day was at Marble House, which was completed in 1892 as a summer cottage for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt. Gifted to Alva for her 39th birthday, Marble House cost 11 million dollars to build. At 50 rooms, the mansion once required a staff of 36 to run. At the time, Marble House set the pace for Newport’s transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary, opulent Gilded Age mansions. Today, it is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Newport. You can visit Marble House on your own with self-guided tours via their app – or you can join one of their guided tours that are available Tuesdays and Fridays during the season.

After touring Marble House, we stopped by the Chinese Tea House for a tea break. Once a spot where Alva Vanderbilt held numerous fundraising tea parties, the Chinese Tea House sits atop the cliffside behind Marble House, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They offer an afternoon tea prix fixe menu, which includes a welcome beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), a tea tower scones, sweets, and tea sandwiches, as well as tea and an entree. At the time of writing, it cost $65 per person. As someone who is a huge fan of afternoon tea, this was an amazing way to finish our trip to the Marble House.

To walk off all the tea sandwiches and scones, our next stop was the Green Animals Topiary Garden. The Topiary Garden boasts a 7-acre estate filled with over 80 animal topiaries as well as seasonal flowers. It was a lot of fun walking around the garden and hunting down all the topiaries – and you can also buy a combo ticket with the Marble House.