Blackstone Valley's museums and galleries offer a rich cultural history of RI

Site of several colonial structures, including Slater Mill (1793), birthplace of American industry, the Sylvanus Brown House (1758), and Wilkinson Mill (1810), home to an authentic 19th century machine shop. This rhode Island site also features a eight-ton working water wheel, constructed in 1826, and regular demonstrations of early textile machinery, hand-spinning, and weaving, , making for an interesting place to visit and thing to do especially on your next family vacation.
Hours: Vary seasonally; call ahead.
Admission: Adults age 13-64, $12; seniors over age 64, $10; children age 6-12, $8.50

The Museum of Work and Culture thells the stories of the men, women, and children who came to find a better life in Rhode Island’s mill towns in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The Museum offers visitors an educational experience; exhibits include a farmhouse, mill floor, triple decker, parochial school classroom, and union meeting hall. The museum is fully wheelchair accessible. In 2015 the Museum was named “Best Overlooked Museum” in New England by Yankee Magazine.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday,1-4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $8; seniors or students, $6; children under age 10, free.
Information: www.rihs.org/museums/museum-of-work-and-culture/