Newport is money. There was and still is a lot of money there.

And because it is an ocean city it has a certain feel and reputation. Many wealthy people have yachts and large boats there.

Anyway, there is a lot of old money and a lot of old mansions there.

And the crowning jewel of all of them has to be "The Breakers". It was built between 1893 and 1895 as a Summer residence for the Vanderbilt family. And it is a structure from the Gilded age.

It is now owned by the Newport Preservation Society and it is open to the public as a museum year round.

It is located on the Atlantic Ocean on Ochre Point in Easton Bay.

It is in Newport which is actually on an island called "Aquidneck Island".

People are free to pretty much roam around much of the outdoor grounds which includes the front and the back of the mansion.

And the back of the mansion is where the ocean is not a 100 yards away. I am standing on the patio in the back and you can see the grass then the ocean.

I walked out to the ocean line and then turned around and took a picture of the back of the mansion.

Here is another look standing kind of inside the building and looking out at the ocean. This area of a building that is covered yet still open along one side, with columns is called a Loggia.

Let's take a look inside the mansion.

It is a loosely structured tour. You are free to do some roaming around, particularly on the ground floor. But there is a proscribed path to follow through the building.

And if there is one word to describe the inside of this mansion it would be "Opulent".

A Guide to Newport's Cliff Walk: Tales of Seaside Mansions & the Gilded Age Elite (History & Guide) Paperback – May 19, 2009