Thursday, January 2, 2014

New Year's Day at the Newport Manisons!

Hello!

So yesterday I spent a lovely day with my sister Lauren at the Newport Mansions in Newport, Rhode Island.

View of Newport Bridge from Jamestown

I absolutely love visiting these incredible estates, especially at this time of the year because they are decorated for Christmas! If you do not know about the mansions they were built by wealthy families like the Vanderbilts and Astors during the Guilded Age. The were called "Summer Cottages" and were only occupied during the summer season, which was about six to eight weeks!

The Breakers was the first mansion that we visited and it was built in 1893 by Cornelius Vanderbilt and it is the largest mansion that the Preservation Society of Newport County owns. It has 70 rooms in all and looks out into the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

Here are some pictures of The Breakers and the other mansions (Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures inside the mansions except for the beautiful decorations):



In front of The Breakers





Grand Staircase
Christmas Tree <3

The View
Me in back of The Breakers

The next mansion we visited, which is my favorite one, was Marble House (1892), which was owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt's younger brother William K. Vanderbilt and his wife Alva Vanderbilt. I love this house not only because of its beauty (this house cost $11 million dollars in its time to build!) but also because of the history surrounding it. From Alva Vanderbilt and her daughter Consuelo's difficult relationship to the Women Suffrage rallies that Alva Vanderbilt would hold, this estate is just filled with history!



Marble Houses Christmas Tree <3


The last mansion my sister and I visited was The Elms, which is famous for its sunken garden, was the summer estate of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind and was completed in 1901.This house is absolutely gorgeous! It's very open compared to the other mansions that I visited which is why this is my second favorite mansion in Newport.

 

The Elm's Christmas Tree <3
The Elm's Sunken Garden

I had such an incredible day with my sister, and after visiting the mansions we spent some time in Downtown Newport shopping and then we went to my favorite restaurant Brick Alley Pub on Thames Street. If you have never visited Newport, I encourage you to do so. Whether you visit in the summer, which is a large tourist spot, or in the calm winter, Newport is beautiful all year round with many wonderful things to do and see.

Lastly, since this is technically a fashion and beauty blog I should probably explain my outfit :)

Coat: Asos
Scarf: American Eagle
Bag: H&M
Leggings: Wetseal
Boots: I got them forever ago so I don't remember where they are from, either delia's or alloy, but I am not sure.. 

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you have a wonderful and safe New Year! Also you can learn more about these incredible mansions on the Preservation Society of Newport County's website.

~Nicolina xx

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