News for the Traveler (3)

Christmas in Newport is a month-long series of holiday concerts, fairs, tours , and parties. It began on the evening of December 1 with the candlelight illumination of the city's homes and shops, but there are special events planned for every day through the end of the month.

One of the mansions, Chateau-sur-Mer, will be decorated with laurel roping, spruce boughs, and mistletoe prepared by the Society's gardening staff, as well as a large number of red poinsettias grown in the society's greenhouse. The Christmas tree in the French-style ballroom will be decked with cloth and paper Victorian ornaments and toys.

Chateau-sur-Mer was built for China trade merchant William S. Wetmore in 1852 from designs by Fall River contractor Seth Bradford. The house was extensively remodeled for Mr. Wetmore's son in the 1870s and '80s by architect Richard Morris Hunt.

A 25-foot evergreen will be illuminated on the lawn of Marble House, and others will be erected in the ballrooms of Marble House and The Elms. The three mansions will be open every Saturday and Sunday in the winter from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A calendar of Christmas events in Newport is available from The Preservation Society of Newport County, 118 Mill Street, Newport, R.I. 02840.