Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum

About

Blithewold is a Country Place Era estate on Narragansett Bay in Bristol, Rhode Island. Augustus and Bessie Van Wickle built the first house here in 1895; after a fire in 1906, the family replaced it with the Arts and Crafts style mansion that stands today, completed in 1909. Landscape architect John DeWolf laid out the 33 acres of gardens and arboretum between 1895 and 1912, and the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

A visit covers the mansion's first floor, furnished much as the family left it, and the grounds outside: a rose garden, a rock garden, a bosquet of trees, and open lawn running down to the water. Docents are stationed on each floor to answer questions, and a free audio tour covers both floors of the mansion for visitors who cannot use the stairs. Most people spend an hour and a half to two hours moving between the house and the gardens at a walking pace.

Blithewold runs on a seasonal schedule. As of 2026, the mansion and grounds close for winter in early January and reopen in February with weekend-only hours, then move to daily hours from late March through late October. The property closes again in late October before reopening for a holiday light season starting in late November. Days and hours differ slightly between the manor, the gardens, and the shop, and the site is closed most Mondays outside holiday weeks.

Bristol sits on the east side of Narragansett Bay, about 20 miles south of Providence and 15 miles north of Newport. The Blithewold grounds run along the water on Ferry Road, with Colt State Park and the Mount Hope Bridge nearby.

Accessibility

Blithewold is partly wheelchair accessible. The first floor of the mansion and the grounds are accessible, but the mansion has no elevator, so the second floor is out of reach for wheelchair users. A free audio tour covers both floors for visitors who cannot take the stairs.

The main parking lot has marked accessible spaces. If that lot is too far to cover on foot, ask about the additional accessible parking down the main drive, past the green staff door, which sits next to the ramp into the mansion.

A permanent ramp leads to the mansion entrance, and staff have widened some interior doorways for wheelchairs and walkers. Outside, paths are about 80 percent semi-loose gravel, with some sections of wood chips, asphalt and lawn; wheelchairs with thicker tires handle the gravel better than narrow-wheeled chairs, and a few stretches are not level. A GRIT Freedom Chair, a lever-propelled all-terrain wheelchair, can be borrowed at the Welcome Center for outdoor exploration. It is not available for use inside the mansion, and standard wheelchairs or scooters are not offered for rent.

Accessible restrooms are located at the staff entrance and in the Visitors' Center.

Docents are posted on each mansion floor, and benches are placed throughout the grounds for anyone who needs to rest. Blithewold does not publish information about ASL interpretation, captioning, or sensory-friendly hours.

Call ahead at 401-253-2707 if you plan to use the alternate parking and entrance or want to reserve the GRIT chair, and budget extra time for the gravel paths if you use a manual chair.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Rhode Island

• Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium (Bristol)
• Roger Williams Park Botanical Center (Providence)
• Roger Williams National Memorial (Providence)
• Newport Car Museum (Portsmouth)
• Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark (Pawtucket)
• Providence Performing Arts Center (Providence)

Photo credits

• Blithewold Mansion's stone and shingle facade rises above a wide open lawn.: Jbarta, CC0 (source)
• Blithewold Mansion's stone and shingle facade overlooks a gravel drive with an American flag flying.: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Potted daffodils sit before Blithewold's columned entrance, with a ramp and railing to the side.: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Daffodils in pots stand before Blithewold's columned entrance, which has a ramp beside the steps.: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• A stone footbridge crosses a small pond in Blithewold's shaded garden grounds.: Daderot at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• A stone-edged water garden reflects Japanese maples in Blithewold's grounds.: Daderot at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)