Overlooking Narragansett Bay, Blithewold was built in 1908 for Augustus Van Wickle, and resembles a 17th-century English country manor. Its 45 rooms are furnished much as they were when the family lived here and decorated with their collections of Baccarat crystal, Gorham silver, more than 30 sets of fine china, several Tiffany lamps and dolls, along with objects collected in their travels.

The house was designed with large windows facing the water and overlooking the estate’s 33 acres of gardens. Among the finest New England gardens open to the public, those at Blithewold include a water garden, an enclosed garden, display gardens, a rock garden, and a rose garden. The more than 500 different varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants include the East Coast’s largest giant sequoia and a bamboo grove.