Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Chateau-sur-Mer is a landmark of High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport from its completion in 1852 until the appearance of the Gilded Age Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s. Chateau-sur-Mer was built as an Italianate-style villa for China trade merchant William Shepard Wetmore. Mr. Wetmore died in 1862, leaving the bulk of his fortune to his son, George Peabody Wetmore, who married Edith Keteltas in 1869. During the 1870s, the young couple departed on an extended trip to Europe, leaving architect Richard Morris Hunt to remodel and redecorate the house in the Second Empire French style. As a result, Chateau-sur-Mer displays most of the major design trends of the last half of the 19th century. Several scenes for HBO's hit series "The Gilded Age" were filmed at Chateau-sur-Mer.
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4.5
436 reviews
Excellent
216
Very good
152
Average
57
Poor
8
Terrible
3
Jennifer S
Delaware, OH21 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
This was a very interesting stop on our tour of Newport Guilded Age mansions. The interior has some stellar woodwork. Everything just makes you marvel at how these people must have lived. The tour of the grounds is a little less than what we expected....much of it is 'this is where the building used to be' versus a building. The moon gate is pretty cool.
Written 9 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pnemiller
Kutztown, PA2,184 contributions
Chateau sur Mer is one of the 9 mansions operated by the Newport Preservation Society. The mansion has free parking and is on Bellevue Ave. right by the local bus/trolley. Bellevue is a beautiful street with many large mansions. Chateau sur Mer was built in the 1850s by the Wetmore family whose son George, who was both a governor and senator, inherited the mansion and had it remodeled in the 1870s. The grounds are large and park like and the building is old fashioned and very lavish with beautiful wood and wonderful furnishings. It is not as opulent as the Breakers or Marble House, but is certainly worth a visit. The tour guide was an older man, with a very dry, witty sense of humor, who told wonderful stories about the family and the house. If you are visiting more than 1 or 2 mansions, the package tour of 5 mansions for $31 is a bargain since the mansions can be visited at any time and there is no time limit.
Written 10 June 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Resort22018
20 contributions
Chateau sur Mer is a beautiful home built by the Wermore Family. It may appear a bit austere on the outside but the interior is very beautiful: the craftmanship fo the woodwork, the incredbile stained glass windows, the decoration in the rooms and the Victorian furniture are simply lovely! The Chateau pre-dates most of the larger Newport mansions by a generation, so it's more intimate and less pretentious than The Breakers, Marble House or Rosecliff. The grounds are very nice and peaceful. Newport is best visited in the spring or the autumn; the WORST time to tour the mansions is on summer weekends!
Written 15 April 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aly S
1 contribution
Mar 2017 • Family
Ok. So I went here with my best friend and of the mansions, this was the worst by far. Inside smelled mildew-y and it was very dark. When we were coming up, it looked like a mansion. The tour guide wasn't very informative and could not answer any questions. If you are going to Newport, don´t waste your time here.
Written 13 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Douglas M
Collingswood, NJ124 contributions
Apr 2019
Chateau sur Mer was designed and originally built nearly half a century earlier than Marble Houze and the Breakers. As such, it lacks the over the top opulence of the latter two properties. It is still emphatically a mansion and features a variety of fine woodwork. The tour guide was interestingf, but he’d presentation suffered a bit from receiving the tour script only a week earlier.
Written 3 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happiness722793
2 contributions
July 2017 • Couples
Chateau-Sur-Mer was the last property we toured of the Newport Cottages. Being one of the oldest properties, we didn't know what to expect. After visiting The Breakers and The Elms etc., which were more impressive from the outside and used audio tours we decided to try it rather than waste our last tour of the package.
The house was amazing. Whereas it wasn't as grandiose as some of the other properties, it offered a lot in the way of detail and aesthetics.
Our tour guide was great. She not only provided a background of the property and explanation of each room, but also added a personal touch that the audio tours were missing.
We would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Newport area, but would suggest touring it before The Elms, The Breakers or Marblehouse.
The house was amazing. Whereas it wasn't as grandiose as some of the other properties, it offered a lot in the way of detail and aesthetics.
Our tour guide was great. She not only provided a background of the property and explanation of each room, but also added a personal touch that the audio tours were missing.
We would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Newport area, but would suggest touring it before The Elms, The Breakers or Marblehouse.
Written 24 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
boats_and_castles
Massachusetts23 contributions
July 2014 • Couples
This mansion has beautiful inlaid woodwork all over, but beyond that, this tour was a big disappointment. To start with, the staff member taking our money fit all the negative stereotypes of a snobby Newport Society lady. Our tour guide was a pleasant woman who didn't seem to know too much about the house or it's inhabitants--beyond the basic stuff of "Chinese porcelain" or "Italian marble". This house has very little furniture and furnishings original to the home---in the 1960's most of the remaining stuff was auctioned off. The house has been purchased by the preservation society and refitted with period pieces. The tour consisted of the dining room, an adjacent china storage room, living room, library, 3 bedrooms, and a quick walk-through a period bathroom without any comment at all. Most of the rooms were hot and dark, with the heavy draperies covering the windows. Would have liked to see the kitchen and servant quarters, even if they were stripped of all the furnishings. There was a carriage house that is not open for viewing, either. Basically, at $14.50 per person, this house should be at the bottom of your list.
Written 20 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nspire
Newtown, PA26 contributions
Sept 2019 • Family
Loved the tour. It opened our eyes to many things we would have missed. Beautiful location, majestic trees, memorable interior and fascinating family history .
Written 27 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daphnepf
Newport, RI104 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
Chateau-sur-Mer is a pre-Gilded Age mansion on Bellevue Avenue. It's filled with amazing hand carved wooden ceilings, bookcases (from Italy), beautiful furniture, and incredible architecture. It's a mansion, but it's one that anyone could live in comfortably. Our tour guide was excellent and had all sorts of interesting little tidbits to share. The ballroom is stunning, but the dining room with the leather wallpaper was even more beautiful. Don't miss this tour.
Written 31 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PamKP
New York, New York, United States12 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Loved everything about this house especially the guided tour which provided lots of info and an answer to all of your questions.
Written 29 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is no food offered == it is a historic site to walk through and view. Sorry.
Written 1 September 2015
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