Beneath The Breakers Tour

Beneath The Breakers Tour

You’ll see and learn about the new domestic technology that transformed daily life, including:

• The development of electricity and how it changed the Gilded Age.
• The emergence of the modern elevator.
• The revolutionary infrastructure that heated and cooled the great house.
• The modern plumbing and laundry facilities that affected attitudes about hygiene and cleanliness.

And you’ll hear about the house engineer whose detailed daily journals have helped us understand how it all worked.

Based on research by Preservation Society staff and period documents, this tour shares with guests how the house changed with the times as domestic technology evolved through the Gilded Age and into the 20th century.

This is an underground experience in a historic structure. You will pass through some enclosed spaces. Comfortable, flat shoes are recommended.

What You Need to Know

The Breakers, 44 Ochre Point Ave, Newport, RI 02840

This Tour is Open Daily at 10:00 AM

• Each tour is limited to 12 guests. Advance ticket purchase recommended. Purchase tickets at any of our open houses or online.
• Online reservations cannot be made for same-day tours.
• Ticket holders should meet in the gravel driveway just inside the entrance gate five minutes before the start of the tour. 
• Recommended for guests 10 years and older. 
• Duration of the tour is approximately one hour.
• This is a specialty tour that does not include the main part of The Breakers.

Tickets: 

$25 Adults, $20 Member Adults, $10 Youth (6-12)

• This is an underground tour, walking on concrete. 
• There are 30 stairs. 
• The tour is not accessible for people with mobility devices.

Please Note:

• February 27 - January 1, 2027, offered at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM