Magnificent Newport - Take 1

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you had a great weekend.  If you recall, I mentioned that I was spending the weekend at a bachelorette party for one of my nearest and dearest in Boston.  It was so much fun -  I still haven't recovered. I'm happy to report that I didn't have to set up a GoFundMe account for bail money, so you're off the hook.  

Speaking of having a fabulous time, I was invited to join a small group of bloggers for a tour in Newport.  Anyone who has been reading my blog for some time knows that Newport is one of my favorite places in the whole world.  You can read my past posts here, here, here and here.  

Our first stop was The Breakers.  
It is the largest and most opulent of the "summer cottages" in Newport.

Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents.
It's a jaw dropper.  

The Breakers was built by my boyfriend, Anderson Cooper's great-great-great grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1893.  By the way, my old homestead was built two years later.  Another thing I have in common with my boyfriend.

That's where the similarities end.  The Breakers holds over 65,000 square feet of indoor space.  It sits overlooking the water and thirteen acres of manicured grounds.  Two out of three floors are available for public viewing. 

As we entered the house, we were offered two audio tours.  I had taken the regular tour before so I opted for the children's tour so that I could report back to all of you with young children.

The tour is narrated in the voice of the house.  It tells you all about the family members and staff in colorful detail.  The speaker describes what a typical summer day was like for a lucky child of the Vanderbilt's.  The listener is introduced to the Chef and Butler, who say a few words.  

I highly recommend the children's audio tour.  It is so well done and enables the listener to get a feeling for what it would be like to live in this gorgeous home in its heyday.   

First stop is the parlor which is where guests were greeted.

The narrator describes how fun it is to slide down the grand staircase on a silver tray.

Note to self:  
next time pack tray in purse.

By the time I finished the tour I had a sore neck.  The ceilings throughout the house are beyond magnificent.

The acorn symbol was adopted by the Vanderbilt family in lieu of a family crest.  You can find the acorns everywhere throughout the house from the adorned ceilings to... 

... the floors.  This photo is from the billiards room.  Chalk up your cue stick - we'll be there before you know it!

The marble and the gilded wood that is displayed throughout the house will take your breath away.

Are you ready to be challenged?

I can just picture myself in a gorgeous gown snuggled in a chair reading Jane Austen.

I don't mind telling you that I felt a touch of motion sickness when I walked into this bedroom.

I'll take this one.  
Sista can sleep in the last one.

I can almost hear a cook like Mrs. Patmore instructing Daisy to crack some eggs!

I wonder who is in charge of polishing all that copper.

On to the butler's pantry...

How would you like to wake up to this view every morning?

As if that was not enough beauty, the gift shop offers lovely gift items.

This pic was taken with the queen of blue and white, Tina, from The Enchanted Home in mind, and all my other friends that adore blue and white!

Oh, there he is!  
I knew he was around here somewhere!

In closing, I highly recommend a visit to magical Newport.  If I haven't convinced you entirely, stay tuned for Part 2 that includes another summer cottage, Marble House, a fabulous restaurant, a vital resource for the sailor in your life, and a school that's concentration is yacht restoration.

Have you ever visited Newport?

Until next time...