As HBO’s “The Gilded Age” continues to dazzle viewers with sweeping mansions, elaborate costumes and high-society rituals, a growing number of travelers are seeking destinations that echo the grandeur of America’s late 19th century.
Beyond the show’s New York setting, there are real-world escapes where the Vanderbilts, Flaglers, Rockefellers, Morgans and Astors built their seasonal playgrounds. From Rhode Island’s cliff-top manors to Georgia’s barrier islands, these retreats don’t just preserve history — they bring lavish leisure to life.
Credit: Courtesy of Discover Newport
Credit: Courtesy of Discover Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Once the summer playground of America’s richest, Newport remains a powerhouse of Gilded Age splendor.
The Breakers, Marble House and Rosecliff remain the crown jewels of Newport’s architectural opulence, each now a museum and open for tours and events that make it easy to imagine yourself in high society.
Less known is Rough Point, the sprawling estate of tobacco heiress Doris Duke — once known as “the richest girl in the world.” Duke’s Newport Restoration Foundation, supported by Jackie Kennedy, helped preserve the city’s heritage.
Credit: Jerry Rabinowitz
Credit: Jerry Rabinowitz
Palm Beach, Florida
If Newport was the period’s summer capital, Palm Beach was de rigueur in the winter. In fact, many would argue the Gilded Age never really ended here.
The Breakers Palm Beach has a history of both disaster and reinvention. Oil tycoon Henry Flagler first opened the doors in 1896, but the hotel we see today was built around 1926. Still run by Flagler’s descendants, it offers a seamless blend of history and luxury for guests.
For a deeper dive into Flagler’s vision, tour Whitehall, his 75-room beaux arts palace turned museum. Built in 1902 as a wedding gift for his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan, Whitehall set the tone for Palm Beach as America’s ultimate winter retreat.
Palm Beach also once hosted E.R. Bradley’s infamous Beach Club, an invite-only hideaway where presidents and royalty gathered for illegal high-stakes gambling. Opened in 1898, Bradley ran the private club for more than 50 years without being robbed or raided, according to the Palm Beach Post. Today, its legend lives on in local lore, Bradley Park and in a popular bar off Flagler Drive.
Credit: Peter Frank Edwards
Credit: Peter Frank Edwards
The Georgia Sea Islands
Once the private playground of the Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, Jekyll Island’s turreted clubhouse opened in 1888 at the heart of an exclusive retreat. Today, the island welcomes all, with bike trails, Driftwood Beach and trolley tours through its historic district. A stay at the Jekyll Island Club Resort — complete with verandas and restored cottages — lets you step right into its Gilded Age past.
While travelers can get to Jekyll Island by car, nearby Cumberland Island is accessible only by ferry. Time is untouched here: Wild horses roam freely beneath moss-draped oak trees and only one commercial establishment exists. Built in 1900 by the Carnegie family as a private residence, Greyfield Inn now welcomes guests into its 15 heirloom-furnished rooms. Days are spent biking or kayaking; nights bring garden-to-table dinners and cocktails on the porch under a canopy of stars.
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