My First Truly Negative Adventure

I'm just going to summarize my experience at the Newport Mansions in one word: Miserable.

It wasn't the sites themselves. I only got to tour two homes, The Breakers and Marble House, but they were both beautiful historic mansions with breathtaking architecture and views of the harbor. It was the terrible treatment I received while visiting.

Marble House

The Breakers

Both homes were owned by the Vanderbilts at some point, though I didn't learn that from the actual homes. The only way to learn any information in the houses is to take the audio tours, which I did not for several reasons. Mostly because I was treated so rudely when I first entered I didn't want to take a single thing they were offering me, then largely because people on audio tours tend to aimlessly roam and move very slowly- which when you are on a time schedule is not helpful and is actually a little frustrating. For people like me who aren't able to listen to hyper details about every single item in every single room, panels with room highlights to quickly read would have been helpful. Especially since photography is strictly prohibited inside.

So what am I so upset about? Well, to make a long story short, I was treated like a second class citizen upon my arrival at Marble House, with the woman at the welcome desk literally sneering at me and instead of welcoming me said "Can we help you?" as if my mere presence were an insult to the home. It was raining quite heavily that day and she yelled at me in front of staff and visitors about not being allowed to have a suitcase with me (meanwhile, I had already checked ahead of time and was told that leaving it at the front desk wouldn't be a problem). I was so angry and embarrassed I just walked off. Then later in the same house an employee followed me around to make sure I wasn't taking pictures or touching things. I know she was following me because while at first I thought she just wanted to get past me in the narrow hallway, she turned beet red and said that she wasn't actually trying to get by when I had stepped aside for her to do so. I left the main building, took some shots of the bay and the Chinese Tea Room, and quickly left Marble House, before I could lose my cool and cuss a few of those snooty people out.

Chinese Tea Room behind Marble House overlooking the bay

The Breakers was only slightly better in treatment, with me being questioned the moment I walked in, but luckily another employee saw the look on my face as I prepared to be yelled at again by a staff member and helped me with my luggage. By this time I was irritated and didn't want the audio tour simply because I was only walking through at that point because I had paid to do so. There were at least three times as many people in The Breakers, which made quiet observations impossible and general maneuvering extremely slow and difficult. There were screaming kids, bored teenagers, large summer camp groups, ugh! Just too much going on all at once.

What bothers me most about this experience is that, as someone who works in this field and had a genuine love for old homes and the like (which my loyal readers know by now- I always seem to find at least one old historic building to tour every place I go), I KNOW this isn't standard service. I sent a very professional letter stating what happened (with more details than I've shared here) and in 2 business days still have not received a reply. Imagine that! When I receive member or visitor emails at my job (or the one immediately prior) they get responses no LATER than the next business day. I suppose terrible treatment of people who pay to see their properties is normal business for this preservation society.

Quite a shame. Two and a half years, and none of my experiences have been THIS tragic. I would not recommend this trip for anyone- not as long as they continue to operate in this manner.

**UPDATE**
I just recieved an email from the Visitor Experience Manager. She essentially said that rules are rules (ie, suitcases are not allowed in the homes), but she's sorry I was treated rudely and is refunding my admission. Even though it seems like a half assed apology on the treament portion of things, I am glad I finally got a response. I still stand firm on my position that I will not return to the mansions, and do not recommend them for others. I would have gladly left my suitcases outside on the lawn or street or wherever if that's what it would have taken to take a tour, but there is absolutely no reason to be yelled or sneered at by employees. Period.