This spring and summer, NRF will offer public programming that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Newport Restoration Foundation by looking back at — and sometimes reviving — what Doris Duke and others were up to around the time of its founding. Please mark your calendars for special events including:
Ask a Gardener
Rough Point
May 26 / 10:30 am, weather permitting
Price: Included with admission to the house or grounds
Every last Saturday of the month, estate gardeners share their expertise on a range of topics from plant identification to organic garden care. Get insider tips on how to make your own garden as lush as the gardens at Rough Point.
Gardening with the Masters
Prescott Farm
First Sunday of the month
June 3 & July 1 at 10:00 am -12:00 pm / Free
Whether you’re growing lettuce or lupines, the URI Master Gardeners are here to help! Bring in a soil sample from your home garden for free analysis. At 11:00 am, hear garden pros speak on selected topics. The 1812 Sherman Windmill will also be open for touring.
Whitehorne House Museum Open House
June 14 & July 12 / 5:00-7:00 pm / Free
A fixture of Lower Thames Street for almost 45 years, it’s time for some change at Whitehorne House Museum! Explore the collection of 18th-century Newport furniture for the first time or come back to hear about plans for the revitalization. The museum’s charming pocket garden will also be open for wandering.
Premier Of “I Dare You: A Musical Suite Dedicated To Doris Duke”
Rough Point
June 15 / 7:30-9:00 pm
$25 in advance; $30 at the door
Doris Duke’s lifelong passion for jazz is reignited at Rough Point this summer. Composer and musician Francisco Pais has assembled musicians from around the world to debut an original contemporary jazz suite inspired by Doris. Listen to the imagined soundtrack of her life at this one-of-a-kind performance.
Party Like It’s 1968 Garden Party
Rough Point
July 11 / 5:00-7:00 pm
$25 in advance; $30 at the door
Back by popular demand! Come celebrate this big year for NRF in 1960s style. Join us as we get groovy with vintage cocktails, ocean breezes, genteel lawn games, and live music.
Closet Tour: Doris Duke’s 1960s Wardrobe
Rough Point
July 17 / 5:30-7:00 pm
$15 in advance; $20 at the door
Get a rare glimpse inside Doris Duke’s closet and the Rough Point costume collection. This curator-led experience will focus on Doris’s sartorial choices during the 1960s, including go-go boots and colorful caftans, and what we can learn from the garments she left behind.
