We liked it better than The Breakers. Trip to Newport with my husband. Bought the duo ticket for The Breakers and a second mansion. Visited Rosecliff as the second and were so disappointed that we upgraded our tickets for a third mansion and went to The Elms. Great choice! It’s a beautiful house which has been carefully restored with period appropriate furnishings including some of the originals. The Newport Mansions app audio tour is very informative and entertaining. The grounds are wonderful with amazing trees. Take the time to walk all around to back of the estate. Be sure to check out the chaise-percee adapted for the flush toilets!

The Elms is a wonderful house but I think the grounds are the crowning glory here. The 14-acre property with its gardens, its folly and all of the fountains and statues is fantastic. It's hard to believe that this property almost became a shopping center but it seems that only an economic downturn that forced the developer to sell the property to the Preservation Society kept it standing. We would have lost so much! At 31,401 square feet, it is the 19th largest historic house in the United States and the 3rd largest of Newport's "cottages" behind The Breakers and Ochre Court (now the main administration building for Salve Regina University).

It's hard to picture the actual use of all these Newport mansions when you are touring them, but it must have been an incredible sight to see a party at one of them. The Elms, like all the others, is decorated to the hilt and it's a bit overwhelming to see all the art and furnishings and take it all in. It's easy to book your tickets ahead of time and you can bundle all the mansions together on one ticket.

Though it's been 2-3 decades since our last visit here; it didn't take long to rekindle memories of the impact we felt the first time we experienced this level of artistry and craftmanship. It's maybe not as intensely opulent as The Breakers; but it is still a magnificent "cottage". One may debate the issues surrounding the accumulation and/or ostentatious presentation of wealth; but there is no disputing the result of letting skilled artists/ workers have the resources to achieve their best work. One change we really appreciated from our last visit, was the availability of a self-guided audio tour; allowing one to immerse in each area, for as long as desired. If one has mobility issues, as we do, it's nice not having to keep pace with a guided group; and being able to rest as needed. We also enjoyed strolling the grounds, and talking with one of the grounds keepers; learning about the efforts needed to maintain the beautiful landscaping. This location is one more example of the deep well of architectural splendor concentrated in the Newport area.

This was the third of three mansions we visited (The Breakers and Marblehouse being the others.) We really enjoyed the house, but were mansioned out. I'd recommend not going to more than 1 mansion a day, if you have the time to split them up into multiple days.