The Streaming Series in Newport!
HBO Max's® eponymous The Gilded Age, the smash-hit series set in the late 1800s, is being filmed largely in Newport, R.I. focusing, of course, on the unparalleled American era of the same name. Even many of the interior locations that are supposed to be old New York City, are being shot in Newport. Amazing historic architecture, combined with stunning natural beauty, have always created a sumptuous environment in and around Newport, irresistible to Hollywood, and this production is no exception.
Are you a fan of the show? A fan of history? Or just curious about the source of America’s fan-tastic wealth in the 19th and early 20th centuries? Lord Julian Fellowes, creator of the show and the acclaimed Downton Abbey series, recently said, “In Newport [today], you can still get a sense of the life they were leading here [during the Gilded Age], in these extraordinary houses—on tiny plots of land.” So different than England. He called it a “win-win” when so many wealthy American mothers wanted to marry-off their heiress daughters to British aristocracy. (Perhaps a bit of foreshadowing?)
Here’s how to get your Gilded-Age-groove on the next time you visit the smallest state with the biggest houses, many with a monumental history in Newport. These incredible residences, and natural movie locations, may astound and surprise you.
We are ready for our close-up, Lord Fellowes.
Here’s how to get your Gilded-Age-groove on the next time you visit the smallest state with the biggest houses, many with a monumental history in Newport. These incredible residences, and natural movie locations, may astound and surprise you.
We are ready for our close-up, Lord Fellowes.
One if by Land . . . Newport Jaguar Tours
The Gilded Age Locations Tour
There may be no better way to see and experience the fabulous Newport locations used in HBO Max’s The Gilded Age than cruising in understated elegance in a classic Jaguar on your own private, intimate tour. A bespoke tour from Newport Jaguar Tours (NJT) in a classic Jag, called The Gilded Age Locations Tour, provides views, access, background, and luxurious transportation simply unavailable elsewhere. In half-day or full-day tours, Newport Jaguar Tours will show you where key scenes were filmed, including difficult-to-find series’ locations, and provide anecdotes and behind-the-scenes twists that will pique your interest, and quench your thirst for cherished details.
Inside Information about The Gilded Age Series:
Newport Jaguar Tours provides delightful inside information about the magnificent period piece created by Oscar-recipient Lord Julian Fellowes, and will even show you where he and other production notables stay while they are in town, including actor Nathan Lane. You’ll hear why some of the characters in the show are fictionalized and why some were actual people living in Newport. And, for historical accuracy, NJT will spotlight the actual houses of real-life Gilded Age persons, in addition to their stand-in homes. (Many of the actual homes are even more opulent or noteworthy than those portrayed as theirs in the series.)
Your tour guide will also explain how the plot of the series is actually playing out today in Newport’s modern-day era. Yes, indeed, history does tend to repeat itself.
Newport Jaguar Tours provides delightful inside information about the magnificent period piece created by Oscar-recipient Lord Julian Fellowes, and will even show you where he and other production notables stay while they are in town, including actor Nathan Lane. You’ll hear why some of the characters in the show are fictionalized and why some were actual people living in Newport. And, for historical accuracy, NJT will spotlight the actual houses of real-life Gilded Age persons, in addition to their stand-in homes. (Many of the actual homes are even more opulent or noteworthy than those portrayed as theirs in the series.)
Your tour guide will also explain how the plot of the series is actually playing out today in Newport’s modern-day era. Yes, indeed, history does tend to repeat itself.
Two if by Sea . . . 12 Meter Yacht Charters and America’s Cup Charters
Newport is known as “The Sailing Capital of the World,” and for good reason: predictably, like clockwork, the wind picks up at 11 am almost every day. That’s why The New York Yacht Club staged The America’s Cup in Newport from the 1930s to 1983 when it lost the race for the first time. Combined with the New York City years, it is the longest winning streak in all of sport.
Take a cruise on the Bay:
Many believe that you shouldn’t visit the “City by the Sea” without viewing Newport from the water. The views are breathtaking. There are a number of charter companies that will take you on such tours, including the two above, and some of their yachts are fine vintage craft dating to the limits of the Gilded Age, both motor and sailing vessels, including quite a few former America’s Cup contenders and victorious yachts.
While cruising, on the shore you’ll likely see a number of Gilded Age mansions, including Harbour Court (the Brown Family, the current Newport Station of the New York Yacht Club); Hammersmith Farm (the Auchincloss Family and the Kennedys); Clingstone and HorseHead-Marbella (both the Wharton Family); OceanCliff, nee, Shamrock Cliff (The Hutton Family); and, of course, Castle Hill (Alexander Agassiz). All were built in or near the 1880s to 1890s. They are Gilded Age homes that may just make it into the series yet.
Many believe that you shouldn’t visit the “City by the Sea” without viewing Newport from the water. The views are breathtaking. There are a number of charter companies that will take you on such tours, including the two above, and some of their yachts are fine vintage craft dating to the limits of the Gilded Age, both motor and sailing vessels, including quite a few former America’s Cup contenders and victorious yachts.
While cruising, on the shore you’ll likely see a number of Gilded Age mansions, including Harbour Court (the Brown Family, the current Newport Station of the New York Yacht Club); Hammersmith Farm (the Auchincloss Family and the Kennedys); Clingstone and HorseHead-Marbella (both the Wharton Family); OceanCliff, nee, Shamrock Cliff (The Hutton Family); and, of course, Castle Hill (Alexander Agassiz). All were built in or near the 1880s to 1890s. They are Gilded Age homes that may just make it into the series yet.
Interior Motives . . . Newport Mansions
Newport hosted the majority of interior locations used in The Gilded Age. If you’d like to go inside many
of the Newport locations, you’ll have to check out the website above. It’s run by the Preservation Society
of Newport County, which operates 11 local properties, many have been used in The Gilded Age series. Fair warning: not all of them are open at the same time, but that’s why the website is useful. Private tours can
be arranged as well.
of the Newport locations, you’ll have to check out the website above. It’s run by the Preservation Society
of Newport County, which operates 11 local properties, many have been used in The Gilded Age series. Fair warning: not all of them are open at the same time, but that’s why the website is useful. Private tours can
be arranged as well.
Private Tours of The Gilded Age Locations:
Remember also that Newport Jaguar Tours will take you to see shooting locations that are not mansions, and some you would not recognize unless they were pointed out to you. And Newport Jaguar Tours even operates a broader Hollywood-in-Newport Tour, along with other fun-themed tours.
One final word of advice: You may want to take the driving tour first to decide which houses to visit afterward. If you haven’t seen The Gilded Age series yet, consider doing so before taking any of the tours above. They will resonate more. But if you don’t get that chance, there is still much to learn and love when visiting fabulous Newport, Rhode Island! Okay, here it comes . . . Cut!
Remember also that Newport Jaguar Tours will take you to see shooting locations that are not mansions, and some you would not recognize unless they were pointed out to you. And Newport Jaguar Tours even operates a broader Hollywood-in-Newport Tour, along with other fun-themed tours.
One final word of advice: You may want to take the driving tour first to decide which houses to visit afterward. If you haven’t seen The Gilded Age series yet, consider doing so before taking any of the tours above. They will resonate more. But if you don’t get that chance, there is still much to learn and love when visiting fabulous Newport, Rhode Island! Okay, here it comes . . . Cut!
HBO Max is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment, which is itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. This tour is not offered in conjunction nor affiliated in any way with said company or divisions.