Rhode Island
A trip to Newport, R.I., inspired by HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’ – The Boston Globe
Since its premiere in 2022, the cable giant’s original series, “The Gilded Age,” a drama focused on New York City’s 19th century elite, has brought renewed intrigue to the Ocean State’s “Gold Coast.”
“I think the show itself has put Newport back on this global sphere,” Cassandra Earle, communications director for Discover Newport, told the Globe. “We’ve had interest from people from across the globe coming to Newport because of this series.”
And for fans of the show, it’s easy to get up close with the glamour gracing their television screens.
The production has filmed scenes for its two seasons in the storied properties that line scenic Bellevue Avenue and other locations around the city that have long been museums open to the public. (The series will be back to film this fall, as HBO readies for Season 3, Earle confirmed.)
“[The series] brings … a nice light to the Gilded Age time period, which a lot of people were not familiar with and didn’t understand,” said Melanie Garcia, director of visitor experience for the Preservation Society of Newport County, which maintains the Newport Mansions. “And that’s what we’re all about here.”
So, are you thinking about a “Gilded Age” inspired trip to Newport? Here are a few ideas to consider when stepping back in time:
Exploring the grounds
The collection of historic properties known as the Newport Mansions spans six sites, including The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Chateau-sur-Mer, Kingscote, and the Green Animals Topiary Garden, all open to the public.
While self-led and guided tours are staple offerings regularly available to visitors, devoted fans of the HBO series may be most interested in the mansions’ show-specific tour.
On the popular “Inside ‘The Gilded Age’ Tour,” attendees are shown the rooms at four of the mansions where scenes of the show were filmed and get the “inside scoop on what it takes to host a major television production,” the website for the Newport Mansions boasts.
“I think definitely people who come on the tour have a passion for the show,” Garcia said. “They’ve been watching it, and they’re really excited to see places that it was filmed at. A lot of people really enjoy getting that behind the scenes information.”
Tickets a $200 each for Preservation Society members and $250 each for nonmembers to The Elms, Marble House, The Breakers, and Chateau-sur-Mer, where refreshments are served on the porch.
“It is kind of like a whirlwind tour,” Garcia said, adding ticket-holders receive guest passes to be able to return to the four properties at their own leisure.
Tickets are $200 each for Preservation Society members and $250 each for nonmembers. Those interested should act soon, as the tour is only offered select times throughout the year, and for now, the next string of tours are booking for Tuesdays and Fridays in September and spots are limited, Garcia said.
HBO fans looking to take in even more of the show’s setting may want to venture over to the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Bellevue Avenue, where some of the show’s scenes were filmed on the facility’s Horseshoe Court. There is no charge for the public to stroll the grounds, according to Megan Erbes, director of communications for the Hall of Fame.
Taking in tea time
For a sophisticated experience, consider taking in afternoon tea at the Chinese Tea House, located on the same property as the Marble House, the 1892 mansion William Vanderbilt built for his wife, Alva.
Through Sept. 2, afternoon tea and dining is offered on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and on Labor Day, before switching to only Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, according to the website.
Discover Newport, the city’s visitor center, also offers other suggestions for visitors craving the afternoon tea experience.
Getting around in style

While historians may note the Gilded Age technically ended before the first shots of World War I were fired in 1914, who would turn down a ride in a classic, 1920s car?
Take a drive back in time with Newport Classic Car Co., which offers various private group tours around Newport, including trips to the mansions, in authentic antique cars, such as a 1924 Studebaker convertible, starting at $45 per person.
“We stop in front of each home narrate it, tell you about it. And some of our packages do include admission,” owner Ken Hudson said. “It all depends on which one you do.”
Hudson also operates Newport Classic Yacht Co., which offers private sightseeing cruises on a 42-foot 1928 antique wooden commuter yacht, once owned by a wealthy family of Bostonians nearly a century ago.
“You do see mansions that are on the inner harbor that you will not see from the street side in the car,” Hudson said. “So it does also provide a little extra experience.”
Pricing for the boat charter begins at $400 and varies by cruise.
Staying at an historic inn
“Gilded Age” fans looking for an-around-the-clock immersive experience can also consider booking a two-night stay at the historic Castle Hill Inn on Ocean Avenue.
The 1874 inn, initially built as one of Newport’s “summer cottages,” offers a special package inspired by the HBO series that includes daily breakfast and afternoon tea, a “tasting-menu” experience for two at Aurelia at Castle Hill, two mansion tickets, and access to a self-guided audio tour of Newport’s Cliff Walk, among other perks. Pricing starts at $1,300 per night.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.
Rhode Island
RI Foundation plan would overhaul school funding, shift costs to state
McKee to launch ‘affordability’ agenda in reelection bid.
Facing a tough reelection fight, McKee will propose policies to help Rhode Islanders with the cost of living, starting with a tax cut for retirees.
A proposed overhaul of Rhode Island education funding unveiled by a panel of experts and the Rhode Island Foundation on Monday, Jan. 5 would simplify the way public education is paid for and shift spending from municipalities to the state.
A 33-page report from the Blue Ribbon Commission describes the state’s current funding formula as “complex,” “opaque,” and “unpredictable,” the product of years of emergency tweaks and political compromises.
“We are constantly confronted with the limitations of the current funding formula. We hear about it all the time, both as a funder and as a partner in the public education sector,” David Cicilline, Rhode Island Foundation president and former congressman, told reporters at a briefing on the plan, whose release was delayed as a result of a shooting at Brown University.
The commission recommends that the state share the cost of some things now borne entirely by local governments, such as transportation, building maintenance and vocational schooling. And it wants the state to take on some costs entirely − including retired teacher pensions, high-cost special education and out-of-district transportation − that are now shared with municipalities.
The current system places “an outsized fiscal burden on districts,” the report’s executive summary says.
But the price tag for taking that burden from cities and towns is large, and in a time of economic uncertainty might give Rhode Island State House leaders sticker shock.
At the same time that the commission shifts costs to the state, it is also proposing a roughly $300 million net increase in education spending to better reflect what its experts believe is necessary to guarantee.
The commission’s preferred scenario, in which the state covers 58% of school costs, would increase the state education budget by $590 million. Under this plan cities and towns would save $278 million.
Cicilline notes that state leaders could choose to phase the new spending in over two or three years to soften the budget impact.
Recent years have seen significant annual increases in education spending under the existing funding formula. The current state budget saw a $59 million increase in education spending from the previous year.
Cicilline also noted that the state’s unfunded pension obligation is projected to fall dramatically in 2036, at which point the cost of covering those payments for cities would fall.
The state currently pays 40% of teacher pension costs. Picking up the full cost of retiree pensions would push the state cost from a little over $100 million to more than $270 million, according to projections from the commission.
Who participated in the Blue Ribbon Commission?
The commission, hosted by the Rhode Island Foundation and Brown University’s Annenberg Institute, included representatives of nonprofits, municipal government, teachers unions, research academics and public schools, both traditional and charter.
The panel did not include any elected officials or state policymakers, such as members of the Rhode Island Department of Education or members of the General Assembly. However, Gov. Dan McKee, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson were briefed on the recommendations.
How did state officials react to the recommendations?
All reserved judgment on the plan, although many of the ideas in it align with priorities that Lawson, president of the National Education Association Rhode Island, expressed in an interview at the start of the month.
Shekarchi thanked the foundation and said the House will be “carefully reviewing” the recommendations. “A strong educational system is essential in making sure our students are well prepared for the rapidly-changing 21st century economy and is a critical component of our state’s future prosperity,” he said in an email.
The report “reflects a strong commitment to strengthening public education and expanding opportunity for every Rhode Island student – goals my administration has been working towards diligently,” McKee said in an email.
Senate spokesman Greg Pare said the Rhode Island Foundation is slated to give the chamber a presentation on the report Jan. 15.
“The Blue Ribbon Commission’s work raises important issues that we will be exploring, including state support relative to areas such as high-cost special needs and transportation,” Pare wrote.
Municipal winners and losers under new funding plan
Although most cities and towns come out big winners with the Blue Ribbon plan, some do better than others, and a few communities are projected to see a net loss.
In place of the current “quadratic mean” formula, which includes bonuses for communities with expensive real estate but a large number of low-income students, the commission proposes basing municipalities’ aid level entirely on real estate value. (The higher the assessed value of property in a city, the less aid it would receive.)
Newport would lose $7.8 million in state aid, the Chariho school district would lose $7.7 million, Westerly $1.3 million and Middletown $400,000, according to commission projections.
But all other communities would gain.
Providence would see see state aid increase by $186 million and its own projected costs fall from $118 million to $90 million.
East Providence would see state aid rise by $33 million and its own projected costs fall from $65 million to $44 million.
And Warwick would see state aid rise by $35 million while its own projected costs fall from $127 million to $92 million.
Rhode Island
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Rhode Island
Rhode Island GOP chairman Joe Powers to step down Jan. 15
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Rhode Island Republican Party chairman Joe Powers will resign effective Jan. 15, the party announced on Saturday, Jan. 3.
“Chairman Powers is stepping down due to the increased demands of his professional workload and an extensive travel schedule that no longer allow him to give the Chairmanship the full attention the position requires,” the party said in a news release. “The role of Chairman demands constant focus, and daily engagement especially moving into an election year, neither of which Chairman Powers can provide at this time.”
Powers a, real estate agent and unsuccessful 2022 candidate for a Cranston Senate seat, was elected to lead the state’s Republican Party in March 2023. He was reelected to a second two-year term in March.
During his tenure, Powers “oversaw meaningful organizational progress, including the successful update of the Party’s ByLaws and the full staffing of Party committees for the first time in over 20 years, establishing a strong and durable foundation heading into the next election cycle,” the GOP news release said.
Powers will remain on the GOP’s state Central Committee as chairman emeritus and will “continue to support Rhode Island Republicans in a smaller capacity,” the release said, thanking him “for his leadership and service.”
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