See how the servants lived in a new tour at The Elms in Newport, R.I.
If you’ve been to Newport, you’ve probably seen how the one-percenters of the early 20th century lived in summer, in massive seaside mansions with frescoed ceilings and marble columns. Now you can view life in the Gilded Age from an entirely different perspective. The new Servant Life Tour at The Elms (which replaces the Behind the Scenes tour) introduces visitors to the butler, Ernest Birch; his wife, cook Grace Rhodes; and one of the maids, Nellie Lynch Regoli. In a true “Upstairs, Downstairs’’ experience, visitors climb the servants’ staircase to the third-floor staff quarters, where they learn about servant life though anecdotes, artifacts, and photographs, then head back down the 82 stairs to tour the basement kitchens, coal cellar and boiler room, laundry rooms, and wine cellar.
367 Bellevue Ave., 401-847-1000, www.newportmansions.org. Adults $15, children ages 6-17 $5. Reservations required.
ELLEN ALBANESE
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