Rhode Island - Museums and Galleries

Block Island Historical Society
Old Town Road
Block Island, RI  02807  
Phone: 401-466-2481  401-466-5009 (all year)

Open: June 25-September 4, daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; September-June, weekends, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

At this museum visitors will find information and exhibits on the history of Block Island. Open: June-September, 10 am-4 pm daily.

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens, and Arboretum
101 Ferry Road (Route 114)
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-2707

Open: Mansion: April 16 through Columbus Day for self-guided tours, Wednesday-Sunday and most Monday holidays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; the gardens, year-round, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with admission.

Blithewold is one of the finest garden estates in New England, with a dozen different gardens, specimen trees, and a 45-room English style manor house, all chronicling a rich social history of the lives of one family over a span of more than 100 years. The gift shop carries a variety of garden items. Cost: Adults, $10; seniors and students, $8; children under age 16, free.

Bristol Historical and Preservation Society Museum
48 Court Street
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-7223

Open: year-round, Wednesday and Friday, 1-5 p.m.

Historic site of the county jail, built in 1828. Rooms contain exhibits showcasing Bristol’s 300-year history. The building’s façade is ballast stone used in sailing ships. Group tours are available by appointment. Cost: Adults, $2.

Bristol Train of Artillery
State Street
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-521-9136

Open: Call ahead for schedule and tour appointment

Established in 1776, the organization's headquarters also is a museum containing many rare specimens of military weapons and artifacts, shoulder arms, sabers, documents, and other memorabilia of Bristol Train of Artillery members dating back to the American Revolution. Recently renovated. The museum is open for tours on a limited schedule.

Coggeshall Farm Museum
Off Route 114
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-9062

Open: October-March, Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; for self-guided tours; April-September, Tuesday –Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

A 35-acre colonial farm, established in 1750. The museum features rare breeds of livestock, a barn, cooling house, blacksmith and springhouse. Open March-September, 10 am-6 pm; October-February, 10 am-5 pm.

Firemen's Museum
42 Baker Street
Warren, RI  02885  
Phone: 401-245-7600

Open: By appointment only

This Victorian building was home to Narragansett's Steam Fire Company Station Number 3. Contains fire department memorabilia, including the town's first fire engine, "The Little Hero," built in 1802.

Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
Tower Street, off Route 136
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-8388

Open: June-August, Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; September-May, Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

A part of Brown University, this museum focuses on the arts and culture of Native American, African, Southeast Asian, and Oceanic societies throughout history.

Herreshoff Marine Museum and America's Cup Hall of Fame
Burnside Street
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-5000

Open: May-October, Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; other times by appointment.

A collection of 35 classic and power yachts from the "Golden Age of Yachting" to today. On the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, a major player during yachting's hey-day -- which built eight America's Cup defenders from 1893 to 1934. They also built America's first torpedo. Open May-October, Monday-Friday, 1-4 pm, Saturday-Sunday 11 am-4 pm, other times by appointment.

Fire Department Memorial Building
50 Narragansett Avenue
Jamestown, RI  02835  
Phone: 401-423-0062

Open: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; weekends by appointment

Antique firefighting equipment is on display here, including a horse-drawn steam engine from 1894 and photographs of fire fighters at work and at play. In the museum is an authentic hand tub dating from the mid-19th century.

Museum of Newport History
127 Thames Street
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-846-0813

Open: Mid-June-September 4, daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; April 20-June 11 and September 7-December 23, Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; closed Christmas to mid-April.

The museum offers a overview of Newport history to life with exhibits of decorative arts, artifacts of everyday life, graphics, historic photographs, audio-visual programs, fine ship models, brilliant paintings, exquisite Colonial silver, the printing press used by James Franklin, a ball gown worn by a member of the Summer Colony, the figurehead from the yacht Aloha, and much more. Cost: Admission is by donation.

Museum of the Artillery Company of Newport
23 Clarke Street
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-846-8488

Open: May–October, Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and by appointment the rest of the year.

In the Newport Armory, built in 1836, the museum contains a large collection of military artifacts, both from the U.S. and foreign sources representing more than 100 countries past and present. The museum is run by the Rhode Island Militia, which was chartered in 1741 and is the country's oldest military organization. Open June-September, Wed-Sat, 10 am-4 pm; Sun noon-4 pm.

Museum of Yachting
Fort Adams State Park
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-847-1018

Open: Mid-May-October 31, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Other months by appointment.

The Museum of Yachting brings to the public eye the beauty and excitement which has led sailors to the water for centuries. It is a lively organization which reflects the international flavor of yachting in Newport, dedicated to the preservation of the traditional skills, documents, vessels, and artifacts which record and describe the history and development of yachting around the world. Cost: Adults, $5; seniors and children, $4.

National Museum of American Illustration
Vernon Court at 492 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-851-8949
Fax: 401-851-8974

Open: The Museum is open year-round by advance reservations for museum tours.

The National Museum of American Illustration exhibiting original artworks from the Golden Age of American Illustration, including Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and 75 others in its extensive collection. The Museum venue, Vernon Court, is a Beaux-Arts adaptation of an 18th century French chateau, by noted architects Carrere and Hastings. Cost: tour is $25 per person.

Naval War College Museum
686 Cushing Road
Newport, RI
Phone: 401-841-4052  401-841-1317

Open: Year-round, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; June-September, Saturday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; closed holidays

The museum is in Founders Hall (1820), A National Historic Landmark, and features exhibits on the history of naval warfare and the history of the Navy in the region. Founders Hall is where the college started in 1884 and where historian Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote the epochal The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783, the book that helped to change the course of history at the start of the 20th century. Open year-round, Mon-Fri, 10 am-4 pm; June-September, Sat-Sun, noon-4 pm; closed holidays.

Old School House
East Main Road and Union Street
Portsmouth, RI
Phone: 401-683-9178

Open: Memorial Day-Labor Day, Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; also by appointment.

The oldest schoolhouse in the United States, built in 1716. Antique textbooks, school bells, and school furniture on display.

Portsmouth Historical Society
870 East Main Road
Portsmouth, RI  02871  
Phone: 401-683-9178

Open: Memorial Day-Columbus Day, Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

The museum is in a former Christian Sabbath Society meeting house, built in 1865. Collections of Colonial farm and household tools can be found inside. On the museum grounds is a monument on the site of the initial skirmish of the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778. Open Memorial Day-Labor Day, Sat-Sun 1-4 pm, and by appointment.

Sydney L. Wright Museum
26 North Road
Jamestown, RI  02835  
Phone: 401-423-7280

Open: Monday-Tuesday, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.; Thursday, noon-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; summer Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; winter Sundays, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Housed in the Jamestown Philomena Library, this museum features both Native and Colonial artifact collections from both the pre-historic and settlement periods. Most of these were found at local sites. Open Mon-Fri, Sat June 15-September 15. Call for specific hours.

Whitehall Museum House
311 Berkeley Avenue
Middletown, RI  02842  
Phone: 401-846-3116

Open: July-August, daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed Monday

Built in 1729 by Dean George Berkeley, an Anglican Bishop. The home is authentically furnished and maintained by the National Society of the Colonial Dames in Rhode Island, who offer tours during operating hours. Open daily July and August, 10 am-5 pm, or by appointment the rest of the year.

Wilbor House Museum
548 West Main Road (Route 77)
Little Compton, RI  02837  
Phone: 401-635-4035

Open: Mid-June to Labor Day, Thursday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; weekends through Columbus Day, 1-5 p.m.; and by appointment throughout the year. Last tour is at 4 p.m.

Built in the 17th century and expanded and remodeled over the next 200 years, the property was restored in 1956 by the Little Compton Historical Society. The house contains period furniture and artifacts. The barn features historic farm items, vehicles, and tools. There is a Colonial herb garden. Guided tours available. Cost: Adults, $5; Children, $1.

Aldrich House
110 Benevolent Street
Providence, RI
Phone: 401-331-8575

This Federal style mansion was built in 1822. It is the headquarters for the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Charles W. Greene Museum at the George Hail Free Library
530 Main Street
Warren, RI  02885  
Phone: 401-245-7686

Open: Wednesdays, 2-4 p.m.or by appointment

Collection includes domestic artifacts, military, maritime, Warren items, two journals of Luther Cole, a section of a whaling log of the ship Chariot, a George Washington signature and the papers of L. E. Simmon, a naval officer and Warren resident who was also the son-in-law of James Maxwell. The collection also includes Native American artifacts excavated from Burr's Hill Park, which overlooks the eastern shore of the Warren River.

Culinary Archives and Museum at Johnson and Wales University
315 Harborside Blvd.
Providence, RI
Phone: 401-598-2805

Open: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Monday and major holidays

This rare museum on the grounds of the region's largest culinary institution is a fascinating trip into mankind's relationship with food. More than 200,000 items are available, including Presidential culinary autographs, a gallery of history's best-known chefs, original artwork, and cooking and eating utensils from around the world and as old as the third millennium.

David Winton Bell Gallery of the List Art Center at Brown University
64 College Street
Providence, RI  02912  
Phone: 401-863-2932

Open: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

Part of Brown University, the gallery contains art exhibits of both contemporary and historical works.

Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum
199 Hope Street
Providence, RI  02906  
Phone: 401-453-0688

Open: May-October, Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tours on the hour; last tour at 2 p.m.; tours also by appointment

A Victorian mansion built in 1865, it is a National Historic Landmark. Home of two Rhode Island governors. Intricately decorated and furnished with authentic pieces from the Victorian period. Cost: Adults, $10.

John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street
Providence, RI  02906  
Phone: 401-273-7507

Open: September 5- December 30, Tuesday-Friday, tours at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Saturdays, tours at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m.; January- March, tours at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays only.

One of America's grandest mansions when completed in 1788, the house at 52 Power Street was home first to John Brown, a businessman, patriot, politician, China trade pioneer, and slave trader who participated in the debates and practices that shaped the new nation. Group, school, and special tours are available by appointment. Cost: Adults, $8; seniors and students, $6; children age 7-17, $4.

Museum of Art at Rhode Island School of Design
224 Benefit Street
Providence, RI  02903  
Phone: 401- 454-6500

Open: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; third Thursday monthly until 9 p.m.

Exhibits focus on historic art and design. Included are items and exhibits from ancient Greece and Rome, 18th-century Europe, ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages and 19th-century American decorative art. Cost: Adults, $8; seniors (age 62 and older), $5; youths (age 5-18), $2; college students, $3; free, Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; third Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday, noon-1:30 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and July 4.

Museum of Natural History and Cormack Planetarium
Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, RI  02907  
Phone: 401-785-9457 ext. 221  401-785-9457 ext. 221

Open: Museum open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Planetarium open school vacation weeks and Saturday-Sunday with shows at 2 p.m.

Rhode Island's only natural history museum and home to the state's only planetarium. The museum offers regular exhibits, events, and attractions. The Planetarium features a state-of-the-art Zeiss star projector and an enlarged domed ceiling on which the stars are projected. Cost: Museum admission is $2; planetarium admission is $3. Children under age 4 are not permitted into the planetarium.

Museum of Work and Culture
42 South Main Street
Woonsocket, RI  02895  
Phone: 401-769-9675

Open: Hours are 9:30 am to 4 pm on weekdays, 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and 1 pm to 4 pm on Sundays.

The Museum of Work and Culture tells the story of French Canadian immigrants who left Quebec to come to work in the mills and factories of Woonsocket. Visitors begin their tour at a rural Quebec farm house and journey through the work day world of Woonsocket's residents from the early 20th century to the present. On the shop floor of a textile mill, from the front porch of a three family tenement, in church, in school, in the union hall, visitors are immersed in a narrative of the working class in America. The museum includes six walk-through displays, two movies, many interactive audio presentations and hundreds of photographs. Cost: Adults, $7; seniors or students, $5; children under age 10, free.

Providence Children's Museum
100 South Street
Providence, RI  02903  
Phone: 401-273-KIDS

Open September-March, Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; April-Labor Day, daily, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and every Friday evening in June, July and August.

A museum for children featuring hands-on exhibits for all ages, pre-school to teens. Cultural and science exhibits and a gift shop highlight interactive activities and exhibits.

Slater Mill Historic Site
67 Roosevelt Avenue
Pawtucket, RI  02862  
Phone: 401-725-8638

Open to the public March through December

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. The site also features a eight-ton working water wheel, constructed in 1826, and regular demonstrations of early textile machinery, hand-spinning, and weaving. Cost: Adults $9; seniors (65 and older), $8; children age 6-12, $7.

Warwick Museum of Art
3259 Boston Post Road
Warwick, RI  02886  
Phone: 401-737-0010

Open: Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 5 or by appointment.

A selection of changing exhibits of the works of artists, both past and present. Cost: No admission charge; donations are welcome.

Casey Farm
2325 Boston Neck Road
Saunderstown, RI  02874  
Phone: 401-295-1030

Open: June-mid-October, Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Once the site of Revolutionary War activities, this farm was built and continuously occupied by the Casey family for 200 years. Farmland offers view of Narrangansett Bay and Conanicut Island. Restored and operating farm with animals, organic gardens; 1750 farmhouse with family paintings and furnishings. Admission: $4.

Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum
815 Gilbert Stuart Road
Saunderstown, RI  02874  
Phone: 401-294-3001

Open: May – October, Thursday – Monday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. with tours on the hour

A showplace for reproductions of the works of Gilbert Stuart, one of America’s foremost portrait painters, this home also is an authentically restored and furnished workingman’s home and the site of the first snuff mill in America. The lovely wooded homestead on the banks of the Mattatuxet Brook also features a partially restored grist mill and a fascinating fish ladder. The grist mill houses the original fine-grained granite stones used to grind corn for the famous Rhode Island johnny cakes. Cost: Adults, $6; children age 6-12, $3.

Helme House Gallery
2587 Kingstown Road
South Kingstown, RI  02881  
Phone: 401-783-2195

Open: Wednesday – Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m.; closed holidays

Home of the South County Art Association, set in a historic house, and featuring art classes and regular art shows.

Museum of Primitive Art and Culture
1058 Kingstown Road
South Kingstown, RI  02879  
Phone: 401-783-5711

Open: Labor Day to Memorial Day, Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Memorial Day to Labor Day, Wednesday, noon-2 p.m.; other times by appointment; closed holidays

Founded in 1892, South County's oldest museum houses more than 15,000 archaeological and ethnological objects from around the world. Changing exhibits in the period Southwest Mission-style gallery explore two million years of world culture. Cost: $2 donation is requested.

Quonset Aviation Museum
488 Ecclecston Avenue
North Kingstown, RI  02852  
Phone: 401-294-9540

Open: July-September, daily, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.; October-June, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

The museum is housed on three acres in an original Naval Air Station Quonset Point hangar built in 1945 as the point building for the Overhaul and Repair facility. The museum has a large collection of aircraft, aircraft parts, and other historical artifacts. The 28 aircraft currently on display or under restoration include civilian, military and prototype aircraft dating from 1944 (Hellcat under restoration) to 1983 (F-14 Tomcat). Cost: Adults, $7; children age 6-12, $3; military, free.

Seabee Museum and Memorial Park
21 IaFrate Way
Davisville, RI  02852  
Phone: 401-885-2383

Open weekdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and by appointment

On the grounds of the original US Navy Seabee base, this growing museum documents the growth of the Seabees and the Quonset hut. Exhibits focus on the development of military construction and equipment. Free admission.

South County Museum at Canonchet Farm
Strathmore Street and Anne Hoxsie Lane
Narragansett, RI
Phone: 401-783-5400

Open: May, June, September, and October, Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; July and August, Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

On scenic and historic Canonchet Farm (see listing above), the South County Museum features a variety of exhibits and artifacts from Colonial and Victorian Rhode Island. These include a kitchen exhibit, maritime exhibit, antique toys and dolls, cobbler shop, and an antique carriage collection with tack and livery. In season there are regularly scheduled events, demonstrations and lecture series. Open May-October, Wed-Sun, 11 am-4 pm.

Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum
390A Summit Road in Arcadia Village
Exeter, RI  02822  
Phone: 401-539-7213

Open year-round by appointment only.

Artifacts and information about local tribes and Native American groups across the country. Artifacts include an authentic birch bark canoe, a collection of Southern New England ash splint baskets, and a large doll collection.