The Breakers - Newport, Rhode Island

Address:424 Bellevue Ave.
Newport, Rhode Island

If you travel a lot, you've most likely stayed at a summer cottage or bungalow at some point. America's wealthy class is no different in that respect. The Breakers of Newport is a cottage built by one of the 19th century's most wealthy industrialists, steamship magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. In 1893, Vanderbilt decided to build himself a new summer cottage to replace the original wooden one that had burnt down the previous year. Here the similarity between his summer cottage and that of most people's ends.

The 70 room cottage Vanderbilt commissioned is an elaborate mansion featuring close to 65,000 sq ft. of living space on a 13 acre estate. It cost him $7 million which was a lot more money at the turn of the 19th century than it is today. (With inflation, $7 million then is closer to $150 million today!) The inside was paneled with rare stone and wood imported from different countries from around the globe. The property eventually became too expensive to manage and was sold by the Vanderbilts to the local preservation society with the provision that Vanderbilt family members be allowed to continue living on the third floor which is closed to the public to this day. Today the site is the most visited site in Rhode Island. Tours of the house and of the gardens with their magnificent and rare flora are offered year-round. So if you're curious to see how the wealthy spend their leisure time, don't miss this magnificent architectural specimen!

The Breakers is located at 44 Ochre Point Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. To get there, take Bellevue Avenue 1.1 miles from the Bellevue/Memorial Blvd. intersection. Make a left onto Ruggles Avenue and then another left onto Ochre Point Avenue. Have fun exploring this incredible "cottage" of the rich and famous!