Troy our trolley driver and expert commentator made the trip so worthwhile, with his humor,…read morepersonal stories and getting to know and tease many of us by name. Truly an expert tour provider!

My husband and I took this tour with our four teenagers, and we had a fantastic time! We were lucky…read moreto have a beautiful, clear day, which made the experience even better. Our trolley driver, Rob, was absolutely amazing. He was very knowledgeable about the mansions and shared so much interesting history along the way. He also gave us excellent recommendations for restaurants, nightlife, and parking. If you take this tour, definitely ask for Rob, he made the experience unforgettable!

I highly recommend a trolley tour through Newport. There is so much history here that you might…read moremiss if you don't take a formal tour to get the details. Our tour guide and driver was quite funny and very informative. Getting tickets online was easy and meeting at the pick up spot was also very easy. Our ticket included The Breakers-also recommend.

The tour guide, Tom was almost non-intelligible. If I heard every fifth word he said that was being…read moregenerous. On more than one occassion he rudely told everyone on the trolly/bus to be silent so he could do his work. Was the tour interesting, sure if you want to see the lives of the robber barons of the 19th and 20th century. More than a bit of a tourist trap.

Many years ago, well before the pandemic, visitors to Providence couldn't help but notice the…read morebrightly painted green line throughout downtown, dotted with colorful emblems. Dubbed the Independence Trail, this 2.5-mile path was designed by Robert Burke, owner of Pot Au Feu restaurant on Custom House Street and founder of the nonprofit Independence Trail Education Foundation. Managed, promoted, and maintained by Burke's foundation, the self-paced tour showcased 4 centuries of Providence history, architecture and culture, highlighting 133 notable sites altogether. It told the story of Rhode Island from its founding by Roger Williams through the first shot in the Revolution, and pointed to places where Lincoln spoke and Washington slept. The trail started at the State House, continued across the river to Benefit Street and South Main, crossed the Crawford Street Bridge and zigzaged throughout the Financial District. Of course, since the tour was self-guided, you could start and end your walk at any points, and take as much time as you wish. Within the Downtown Improvement District (DID) boundaries, you'd find a variety of highlights from the Arcade to the Spanish American War Memorial. You'd learn about the city's hurricane marks, the Turks Head building, Haven Bros. diner, Burnside Park, and so much more. Each destination was labeled with an emblem showing a unique location number and general phone number: (401) 441-6401 (disconnected for a while now). When you called and listen to the welcome message. Unfortunately, that project has been in disrepair for years and many of the emblems are now gone or ripped off. Too bad that a project with such a potential did not have any follow through.

The green line has faded and construction has replaced sidewalk that previously had it, but I still…read morerecommend downloading the map and walking it yourself to get a feel for all of the different locations and sites to see in Providence.

Great way to see Boston. We still walked a lot but because we did the trolly we saw so much more…read moreand all of the drivers were informative and entertaining. Each one talked about something different!

It was a great way to see the city with a short time here. The only complaint I have is that it's…read morekind of difficult to hear the narrator if you don't sit down below close to them. In addition, you hope the people around you on the tour are there for the tour and not just something to do because we had people who were on their cell phones talking or talking in general which made it difficult to hear the narrator.

We grabbed the last two seats on the Viking Newport Trolley tour and lucked out with Ray as our…read moreguide -- what a gem! Ray's storytelling made the city come alive, weaving in personal memories, local legends, and insider tidbits you'd never get from a guidebook. He clearly loves Newport and knows every corner of it, from Gilded Age mansions to hidden seaside gems. It felt like a friend showing us around his hometown rather than a scripted tour. Highly recommend -- just hope you're lucky enough to get Ray too!

It was a great tour however we started off late and by the time I left the parking spot I was…read moredrenched and hot. Jim was great however, the sound system from the microphone was so muffled. We couldn't hear anything he was saying, and that comes from all of us in the back of the trolley. It was unfortunate because he was great. Nothing bad about Jim but just bad sound system. Now I have to make a comment, I watched everyone get off the trolley after a wonderful day and I only saw two people give him a tip. Of course I gave him a tip. I can't believe people actually don't tip for a wonderful afternoon.

They never showed at meeting point on the map provided to pick us up. I called that day prior to…read morethe tour and there was no answer. I had to purchase new tour tickets and Mansion entrances. After numerous phone calls spanning a week I've finally made contact with the business operator. The confusion is associated with the fact they have a "Visitor Center" at a different location but when asking around town where THE Visitor Center is, everyone local expects that to be the Newport Visitor Center on America's Cup. HNT Visitor Center is not in Newport but in Middleton.

I had never visited Newport RI and it was on my list of things to do. When I found a deal for a…read moretour with Historic Tours of Newport, I decided that was my sign. I bought the deal and planned the trip with the BF. I called ahead and made my reservation without a hitch. We arrived at the bus terminal and had to ask around for Historic Tours of Newport. We were advised that the driver was out on a tour but if we waited outside, we would see him when he got back. When he got back, it turns out it was just us and one other couple waiting for the next tour. Our driver was a very nice older gentleman who knew the area well. We were booked for the 1.5 hour tour. It was mostly conducted from the bus with one stop at about midpoint. The other tour is about 3 hours and you could visit one mansion (your choice). Since the bus just kept driving it wasn't like we could just stop in traffic to discuss certain highlights. The mini-bus was very well kept and clean but unfortunately not made for tall people. Since my BF is 6'4", it wasn't the most comfortable ride. I'm no jolly giant but legroom was tight for me too. The other issue with the bus was that it was really difficult to see everything the driver/guide was pointing out on the window opposite of the side you were on. Having never been on a bus tour before, I think I've now decided that walking tours are my preferred type. As stated, our driver was a nice older gentleman. We did manage to hear quite a few stories about him and his wife during the tour interspersed with talk about the homes we were driving by. All in all it wasn't the worst 1 1/2 hours I've ever spent but I was really glad I got discounted tickets. If you were staying in Newport, it would be a nice introduction to give you an idea of they lay of the land and some ideas of what else you might want to focus on. PS One bonus is that the tour drove right past a cheese shop that we ended up stopping at after the tour ended. Best cheese plate I've ever had at le petit gourmet.

The Preservation Society of Newport County is a non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode…read moreIsland and its top priority is the preservation and conservation of its historic houses and their collections. This work includes restoration of roofs and windows, conservation of fragile textiles, cleaning and restoration of valuable paintings and much more. At any given time, dozens of projects are underway. A visit to the Newport Mansions is a donation to The Preservation Society of Newport County. During the holiday season, The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms welcome visitors with spectacular holiday displays so it was a great opportunity to visit. In addition to the house holiday display, there is an outdoor holiday display called Sparkling Lights at The Breakers from November 22 to December 29, 2024 on select evenings. Admission is only at 4 pm, 4:30 pm, 5 pm, 5:30 pm and 6 pm. Gates close at 6:30 pm and the house and grounds close at 8 pm. Timed admissions tickets can be purchased online at https://www.newportmansions.org/. Tickets include access to the lavishly decorated rooms inside the house during the same visit. About a week prior, I bought 2 tickets for December 20, 2024 at 6:00PM ($40.00 each) and I was really looking forward to it. However, there was a winter advisory and it was snowing on the day of. Driving conditions were unsafe. I was worried I was going to lose my money since the website indicated tickets may not be resold, non-transferrable, non-refundable, and cannot be used for a different date. I tried calling the Preservation Society of Newport County, but there were just prompts and I couldn't talk to a live person. I sent a direct message to @newport.mansions through Instagram and they responded promptly that I could receive a refund by emailing info@newportmansions.org. Gary Ruff, Associate Communications Manager, responded and instructed me with what information he needed to provide the refund. I was so appreciative. Thankfully, the snow cleared and temperature warmed up a bit so I bought 2 tickets for December 29, 2024 at 4:00PM ($40.00 each). All the decorated Christmas trees, the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree, poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral in the interior of The Breakers were beautiful and then walking through the lights and illuminated displays of the outdoor 13-acre landscape was just a cherry on the top. The Preservation Society of Newport County also partnered with Stoneacre Brasserie to offer holiday treats and adult beverages. Thank you to The Preservation Society of Newport County for everything you are doing to protect, preserve, and present an exceptional collection of house museums and landscapes.

The family (wife, 10 y/o son, 2 y/o daughter) were visiting Newport and looking fo some activities…read moreto do. I noticed that the Newport mansions were on every to-do list, with the Breakers being the top choice of many. I looked at their website as well as other reviews and saw that this may not be the best place for younger ones. I saw that no strollers were allowed and I didn't think a tour of an old mansion is something my 10 y/o would be interested in. So I decided to take a solo trip on a nice Friday morning while the rest of the family slept in late at the hotel. The Breakers opens at 10 AM. The visitors parking lot is on the corner of Ochre Point Avenue and Victoria Avenue. There are other lots nearby but read the signs as they are for other buildings...The parking lot had adequate space when I arrived at 10:15 or so, but by the time I was leaving at about 11:45 is was pretty packed with visitors having to park in the rear overflow lot. Once you reach the front gate of the Breakers mansion, there are COVID restriction and general rule signs. As you proceed you can go to the left to buy tickets, use the bathroom or enter their cafe. Tickets are about $26 for adults and $8 for children 6-17 years old. The cafe has a bunch of premade food items, drinks, snacks, premade sandwiches... and few seats with tables. There are some more seats and table just outside of the cafe. Before you enter the mansion, there are signs showing you how to use their self tour audio app. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOING THIS...AND BRING HEADPHONES. You download the Newport Mansions app from the App Store onto your Apple or Google device, select the mansion you are visiting and begin the tour. The audio tour was excellent and follows you through the tour route of the mansion. I enjoyed listening to all the interesting facts about each room via bluetooth earbuds while my hands were free to take photos with my camera. You only thing you will need to do is to advance (click the play button) the tour to the next room before entering. There are some interesting facts about the mansion as a whole and each individual room. You can also stay around longer in each area for additional facts, essentially lengthening the tour. Without the audio tour, you will have to fread the printed information sheet. You go through the main floor, upper floor and back down into the service area where the kitchen is. You then exit through the gift shop. The gift shop has lots of interesting items, which includes typical magnets, mugs and prints, but they also have some luxury items like platters and wine stoppers as well as a small jewelry section. You finally exit out onto the side of the mansion and are able to walk back around outside to the front where you entered. Before sure to walk through the opened gate to the right of the mansion which takes you through a small garden to the back. Here you can see the Cliff Walk path and the ocean. Overall, I had a great time...It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. The entire tour took just over an hour without listening to the extra information about each room. (During the tour, there are a few instances where you have to ascend/descend steps - I did NOT see any elevators - so you may want to call ahead to check if you cannot climb steps) Again, I highly recommend downloading the app and listening to the audio tour via headphones. It allows your eyes to focus on the beauty of the mansion instead of reading. Lastly, the mansion is right off of the Cliff Walk path...so be sure to make the short ride (or walk) north to Narragansett Avenue and visit the Forty Steps.

Recently, I took part of the Providence Ghost Tour. It was great…read more Courtney, our tour guide and owner was full of information, stories and tidbits regarding the history of Providence and some of its famous ghosts who actively still make themselves visible in the area. The tour starts and ends at Prospect Terrace Park, right by the Roger Williams statue. It is about 90 minutes long and it does take you around several sites around College Hill where you will hear stories about lovers, soldiers, poets and many other who have died and have stayed behind as ghosts. Check it out next time you have a few free hours during the evening. Tours run daily.

Did the ghost tour from Prospect Park on Tuesday night with my newly graduated kid. Was a fabulous…read moreexperience and Courtney is so knowledgeable, funny, personable, organized and prepared! You can tell how much she cares about Providence and the world of life and death :) It was a terrific experience and I felt very important following my guide in her gorgeous period dress, too. Thank you!

Loved, loved, loved this tour! What made the tour was our announcer. Max Marshall Arch provided…read morehistorical information while entertaining us with his humor! If you plan on taking this tour, try to get on his boat - he will not disappoint! Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend if you are visiting Boston.

Wow!! Hot Wheels was absolutely amazing- almost a month later, and my son is still saying Quack…read moreQuack. Hot Wheels was full of trivia, recommendations for the city of Boston, and clearly loves his job. We really appreciated he highlighted veterans and had us sign the top of the boat! My kids had so much fun, and this was worth every penny. A must do if you're in Boston!

We bought a 2 day pass for this hop on hop off tour and it was amazing! There can be a difference…read morein drivers but that's to be expected. Great way to become familiar with Boston and see the city! Thanks Willie! We loved it!

We took the 80 minute tour all around. Which is the same as the hop-on/off tour - just don't get…read moreoff! Great way to see the city quickly with young kiddos. Hugo was informative and witty!