Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum

What a beautiful wedding venue! Such a beautifully maintained property! Worth a visit if you are in town.

What a beautiful place. We really enjoyed touring the mansion. The furniture is original. The master bedroom is a gorgeous room, with a wonderful view. The grounds are amazing, near the bay. There is a water and rock garden, 12 sequoias, various plants and flowers. The trails are marked well. The volunteers
are very helpful and really enjoy putting in the time and effort. The mansion and grounds hold special events, especially weddings. A must visit.

Having been born and raised in RI I can’t believe I have never been to Blithewold. I was there today as part of a photography group for Daffodil Days. The flowers were gorgeous and the tour of the mansion was packed with interesting information and a staff that was really excited about sharing this history. for the $ 11 admission (without AAA card it’s $ 12 for adults) you can walk around the gardens all day, without being there to take pictures though I might have been in and out in under an hour.

Beautiful mansion. Wife and I visited here for a self guided tour. Mansion was tastefully decorated with Xmas decorations. Beautiful grounds and mansion. Staff was friendly and kept their distance. Gift shop was very nice and is in the former «breakfast porch». Overall, fantastic experience! Really enjoyed our time spent there and would love to return.

This is a very nice mansion to visit outside of Newport. Their gardens are absolutely stunning! I would certainly want to visit on a warm day, having enough time to take a nice stroll around their gardens. They have a fantastic selection of trees and flowers. They even allow you to take pictures which is great.

What a beautiful mansion nestled along the bay in Bristol Rhode Island!
We stayed in Newport and came across this place online while searching for other historical places in the area.
Best part — you are ALLOWED to take pictures inside the house!
Grounds are beautiful, and it is also a great place to dine for a picnic, take a nap, and enjoy the scenery.
AAA members receive an admission discount.

Beautifully maintained gardens that roll down to the bay. Gorgeous and unusual individual gardens set in a nice place for a short walk. Haven’t been in the mansion itself, which is included in the reasonable admissions price, because we came late in the day and they were closing up for a wedding (beautiful spot to pretend you’re Daisy). Don’t miss the bamboo grove.

I came expressly to walk the gardens and check out the daffodils on a lovely spring afternoon with my baby. I spent a good hour and a half here with the baby snoozing away. It’s a serene place to take your time and stroll about.

Friends and I had a 3pm appointment for Tea. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. The mansion and grounds were tastefully decorated for Christmas. The servers were on the task, but they were sincere and down to earth. It was not uncomfortable or «stuffy». Remember any experience can be enhanced or diminished with the company. Bring fun, yet controlled people with you and you will enjoy your time here.
The volunteers were available but kept their distance so that visitors may enjoy the visit on their own if they pleased. They were available if you wanted to ask questions. If you don’t mind reading, or having someone with you that will read aloud, whether you ask them to or not, there are cards and captions for every room so that you know what you are looking at and the history behind the decorations for each room.
There are restrooms available to the public, but be warned, if you can’t do stairs easily, you may want to do your «business» before you visit.
The gift shop is quaint. This time of year, they had Christmas items on sale and they have the prerequisite Blithewold souvenirs as well; magnets that are like the tile and post cards of different pictures of the mansion.
The grounds are beautiful even in the winter, and you can walk about if you can stand the COLD air. Sunset was amazing from behind the mansion as well. This time of year is a great time to go, because of Tea and because the summer crowds are not milling about.
I look forward to revisiting in the summer when the gardens are in full bloom.
Thank you to all the staff/​volunteers for making it a pleasant visit.

Wow, what a gorgeous wedding venue! With a majestic lake stretching out as a background as the couple exchanged vows — it was breath-​taking. Loved the big, white tent where the reception was hosted, though the dance floor could have been a little larger. Glad I got to be a guest!

This was a gorgeous place to spend a sunny summer afternoon. The mansion itself is nice, but the grounds were amazing. The price was inexpensive, especially because my boyfriend was able to get reduced price admission through his library. The only downside was there was one area that was heavily infested with mosquitos. We were attacked quickly and often so much so that we had to leave to buy bug spray. Other than that, it was a lovely experience. I loved the bamboo garden as well as the many areas with beautiful flowers and water fountains.

Blithewold Mansion is a toned down yet stately and elegant alternative to the Newport Mansions. At $ 11 for admission, it’s also a bit cheaper. What really sets this place apart, though, are the grounds. The mansion is set on a small hill next to a vast expanse of lawn that borders the bay. There are all kinds of rare, exotic trees, and the flowers are really magnificent during the spring and early summer months. Lots of paths to walk on and little secret gardens sprinkled throughout. And don’t miss the bamboo forest.
The reason I didn’t give five stars is that the mansion is a bit on the smaller side, compared to the ones in Newport, and it doesn’t have that «wow» factor of magnificent artwork and gold faucets. Still, a lovely place to spend a morning or afternoon.

I much prefer Blithewold to the Newport Mansion experience. It’s smaller, quieter and there seems to be less of a crowd here, which is what I like. The day I went, there was actually an event being held which I hardly even noticed. There was TONS of quiet space to be away from it all… I brought a sandwich and a camera, wandered around a bit, took a ton of photos and planted myself in the grass by the water. A single admission is $ 11… I liked it so much I purchase an annual membership for $ 37. I definitely will go back, and back, and back again. Highly recommend for those looking for local, beautiful quiet space without a lot of hassle.

This review is for Blithewold as a wedding venue — a role it plays quite well.
Upon pulling onto the premises, i was directed to the appropriate parking location by a man w/​a sercet-​service-​ish looking earpiece. Before the ceremony started i had a chance to walk around the grounds a bit — impressive, if you’re looking for that type of thing.
The ceremony was conducted w/​the water as a backdrop, in a small little courtyard to the right of the building. The bridesmaids and bride started from the building and proceeded down several stairs, around a row of hedges, and down the aisle. A scenic route to be sure, but one that tested their coordination and was probably a bit longer than it needed to be.
The cocktail hour immediately followed on the grounds in the back — it really felt like i was at an old-​fashioned garden party. The reception after that was in a large tent — substantial and well constructed — really the perfect mix of the outdoors and a bit of shelter.
I’m not taking into account the food (excellent) nor the DJ (terrible) since i’m thinking they aren’t technically part of the package. But be wary if they recommend a DJ. I never thought a good DJ could have that much of an impact on an event. That was until captain anti-​charisma broke out phrases such as «wait — no one leave the dance floor» — it was mostly downhill from there (musically).

We visited Blithewold on National Public Gardens Day with a free coupon we got online. In all the time I lived in Rhode Island and particularly in Bristol I’d never visited Blithewold. Dad, Mom and I came around 11:00 am. We knew that Dad would not be able to do too much since physically he has a hard time getting around and refuses to use a wheelchair or other assistance.
The gift shop and visitors building greets you at the parking lot. Both the parking lot and gift shop/​visitor center are small. After paying for your ticket you get a sticker with the date on it which allows you to leave and come back in the same day. Convenient if you want to visit the renowned Lobster Pot Restaurant further down on Hope Street but come back after resting your legs and lunching. you also get a map that helps you find out where you want to go and also numbers on a map and identifies 50 different trees on the property.
You are free to tour the grounds. You are free to look inside the museum which is the Van Winckle’s second mansion. A short history is provided on the map while a longer history and the family’s genealogy can be viewed within the mansion. The mansion is a beautiful building where you are allowed to roam freely within except for the servants quarters on one side of the building. Administration offices are located there hence are closed to the public. Many docents provide you with interesting facts when asked but don’t follow you suspiciously around. Very nice since I like to do things at my own pace and my Father has problems getting around.
As my Father regaled the patient docents with his distorted tales of MLK Jr. my Mother and I wandered the lower floor. Dad snagged a free local Bristol tourist guide in the Butlers’ Pantry while I took a survey because it claimed if I filled it out I’d get 10% off my gift shop purchase. I was informed that although I could photograph anything in the gardens and on the lawns I could not take pictures inside the mansion. Pity, it was a beautiful place with many of the original pieces of furniture, dishware and decorations still in place.
Dad followed Mom and I up to the upper level. Here he pooped out and began to get a distressed look on his face. A chair that possibly the docent upstairs used was at a corner of the upper hall. I asked of Dad could sit in it and she offered it to him, kindly. He plopped down and stayed there until we finished looking at the small rooms that were typical of the period they were designed in.
Dad followed us downstairs where I asked if it was okay for my Father to sit at one of the tables in the covered porch while Mom and I toured the gardens. The girl setting up tables on the open porch said it wasn’t a problem so Dad sat down with his tourist magazine and read. Mom and I power walked and took fast pictures of the North Garden, the Water Garden, the Rock Garden, the Narragansett Bay, the upper and lower Display Gardens and the Greenhouse before we became nervous. Dad has a small attention span and can’t be trusted to stay in one place especially if he doesn’t recognize it. So we returned to the covered porch and found him there unfazed but a bit grumpy.
We returned to the cottage that housed the gift shop because I was charmed by the old fashioned music box. Next to the box was a plaque about the music box and the music and how it’d had been recently recorded They sold CDs of the music in the gift shop. With the completed survey I asked for the discount as i bought the CD. The woman at the register didn’t know about it but trusted me when I told her about the sign that claimed it beside the stack of survey papers to be filled in.
It was a lovely afternoon. And although almost all of the daffodils were gone, the tulips were blooming and there were many varieties. This is definitely a Rhode Island gem. We plan on coming back here in Christmas because although it isn’t open year round the mansion has a few special events off season; one being the display of the Christmas tree with tea being held in the mansion.

I went to Blithewold today with a couple friends for the daffodil days festival. We toured the house, which was lovely and interesting, but I was most impressed with the grounds. There were 100s of daffodils *everywhere*, and they were at their peak, so it was absolutely beautiful. There was a greenhouse with interesting succulents and a wonder lemon tree (imagine if lemons were 3x their normal size). My favorite part was the bamboo grove. You walk into it and are absolutely surrounded by stalks and stalks of gently swaying bamboo. It is very peaceful and the sound is very relaxing, like a slow rain at night when you go to sleep. My friends and I got a lot of great photos today. Definitely worth a visit!

Ohh Blithewold. I want to love Blithwold. It is almost an alternative to the Newport Mansions, but falls short in a few way. I think the house is great. it is situated on a hill that has amazing views of the ocean.
The grounds are absolutely spectacular. There is a rose garden, rock garden, bamboo grove. Blithewold is also has a giant sequoia.
I first visited Blithewold in the summer and really enjoyed myself. The grounds are great to walk around. The house is small, but the rooms are interesting. My favorite is the sleeping porch and the pantry.
Since I have developed such an affinity for Blithewold I thought it would be a great place to visit around the holidays. I was told the house was fully decorated and was similar to the Newport Mansions.
So… I made the trip down to see the holiday decorations. The house was decorated, but the decorations were under par. The massive Christmas tree was umm artificial and a poor quality one. The rest of the house was decorated also in fake garland. The rooms were decorated with creepy dolls and mannequins. It took about 15 mins to go through the entire house… we also skipped the live music.
I was saddened by the display at Christmas at Blithewold. It has the potential to be great and almost on par with the mansions. I think the main problem is that the «staff» is older and may not have the same design sensibilities as everyone else. I didn’t feel bad about the money since Blithwold could use some restoration/​preservation. I think I was more saddened by the fact that I missed Christmas at the Mansions. Ohh well. I’d recommend Blithewold, but just not during the holidays.

This mansion by the sea is an alternative to the Newport mansions by the sea. Instead of cliffs, Blithewold is perched on a slight hill that leads down to a dock with a view of Narragansett Bay. During the spring and summer Blithewold boasts an impressive garden, but I went in December to see ‘Christmas at Blithewold’ in which a number of the mansion’s rooms were decorated and replete with mannequins celebrating a Victorian Christmas. Let’s just say we didn’t stay to hear the nine mandolin players. Great photo ops though!