List of museums in Rhode Island

This list of museums in Rhode Island encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included. Defunct museums are listed in a separate section.

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Current

Name	Town/City	County	Type	Summary
Annmary Brown Memorial	Providence	Providence	Art	Part of Brown University, collection includes European and American paintings from the 17th through the 20th centuries and swords
Artillery Company of Newport	Newport	Newport	Military	Uniforms, weapons, military artifacts and memorabilia
Barrington Preservation Society	Barrington	Bristol	History Local	Includes household items, brick industry, fishing industry, historical houses.
Beavertail Lighthouse Museum	Jamestown	Newport	Lighthouse	Located in the assistant keeper's house, includes models of many Rhode Island lighthouses
Belcourt Castle	Newport	Newport	Historic house	1890s summer cottage estate with furnishings, art and artifacts from 33 European and Oriental countries and 37 other Newport mansions
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum	Bristol	Bristol	Historic house	45-room English-style manor mansion, 32 acres of gardens & arboretum
Block Island Historical Society Museum	Block Island	Block Island	History - local	Includes household items, maritime and farming artifacts
Block Island Southeast Light	Block Island	Block Island	Lighthouse	Open in summer
Boyd's Wind Grist Mill	Middletown	Newport	Mill	Early 19th-century smock mill, open to the public on Sunday afternoons in July, August and September, operated by the Middletown Historical Society
The Breakers	Newport	Newport	Historic house	1890s Vanderbilt family mansion
Bristol Historical and Preservation Society Museum and Library	Bristol	Bristol	Prison	19th century jail and keeper's house
Bristol Train of Artillery Museum	Bristol	Bristol	Military	Open by appointment only
Cape Verdean Museum Exhibit	East Providence	Providence	Ethnic	history and culture of Cape Verde and Cape Verdean Americans[1]
Chateau-sur-Mer	Newport	Newport	Historic house	Gilded Age mansion
Chepstow	Newport	Newport	Historic house	19th century period mansion
Clemence-Irons House	Johnston	Providence	Historic house	Operated by Historic New England, late 17th-century house
Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum	Warwick	Kent	Historic house	Late 19th-century Victorian period house
Coggeshall Farm Museum	Bristol	Bristol	Living history	Late 18th-century period farm with living history re-enactors
Culinary Arts Museum	Providence	Providence	Food	part of Johnson & Wales University, history and culture of food, cooking and cuisine[2]
David Winton Bell Gallery	Providence	Providence	Art	part of the List Art Center at Brown University[3]
Eleazer Arnold House	Lincoln	Providence	Historic house	Operated by Historic New England, 17th century period house
The Elms	Newport	Newport	Historic house	Early 20th-century mansion
Firemen's Museum	Warren	Bristol	Firefighters	Open by appointment only[4]
Fort Adams	Newport	Newport	Fort	Tours of historic fort, located in Fort Adams State Park
General Nathanael Greene Homestead	Coventry	Kent	Historic house	18th century home of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, also known as Spell Hall
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace	Saunderstown	Washington	Historic house	18th century Colonial house and museum about portraitist Gilbert Stuart
Governor Henry Lippitt House	Providence	Providence	Historic house	19th century period Victorian 20 room home
Governor Sprague Mansion	Cranston	Providence	Historic house	Operated by the Cranston Historical Society, mid 19th century period mansion
Governor Stephen Hopkins House	Providence	Providence	Historic house	Operated by Society of Colonial Dames of America, 18th-century home of Stephen Hopkins
Great Friends Meeting House	Newport	Newport	Religious	Historic Quaker meeting house, operated by the Newport Historical Society
Green Animals Topiary Garden	Portsmouth	Newport	Historic house	80 topiary animals and an 1859 Victorian house museum with displays of vintage toys & furnishings
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology	Providence	Providence	Anthropology	Part of Brown University
Hearthside	Lincoln	Providence	Historic house	Early 19th century stone mansion
Hera Gallery	Wakefield	Washington	Art	Contemporary art
Herreshoff Marine Museum	Bristol	Bristol	Maritime	Includes America's Cup Hall of Fame
Hunter House	Newport	Newport	Historic house	18th century period house
International Tennis Hall of Fame	Newport	Newport	Sports	Located at the Newport Casino
Isaac Bell House	Newport	Newport	Historic house	1880s Shingle-Style house
Jamestown Fire Museum	Jamestown	Newport	Firefighting	Operated by the Jamestown Fire Department and volunteers, located next door to the main station[5]
Jamestown Museum	Jamestown	Newport	Local history	Operated by the Jamestown Historical Society, open seasonally
John Brown House	Providence	Providence	Historic house	18th century period mansion, operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society
John Waterman Arnold House	Warwick	Kent	Historic house	Late 18th-century house, home of the Warwick Historical Society
Joy Homestead	Cranston	Providence	Historic house	Operated by the Cranston Historical Society, 18th-century Colonial period house
Kingscote	Newport	Newport	Historic house	19th-century Gothic Revival house
Linden Place	Bristol	Bristol	Historic house	19th century estate and gardens
Marble House	Newport	Newport	Historic house	Gilded Age Vanderbilt family mansion
Mount Hope Farm	Bristol	Bristol	Historic house	18th century period mansion and farm grounds
Musée Patamécanique	Bristol	Bristol	Patamechanics	Private museum containing works representing the field of Patamechanics
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium	Providence	Providence	Natural history	Located in Roger Williams Park
Museum of Newport History	Newport	Newport	Local history	Operated by the Newport Historical Society
Museum of Primitive Art and Culture	South Kingstown	Washington	Archaeology / Anthropology	Changing exhibits of archaeological and ethnological objects from around the world, including Native American
Museum of Work and Culture	Woonsocket	Providence	Industry	Textile industry, operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society
Museum of Yachting	Newport	Newport	Maritime	Art, photographs and history of yachting, sailing, and boatbuilding
National Museum of American Illustration	Newport	Newport	Art	American illustrative art, located at Vernon Court, a Gilded Age mansion
Naval War College Museum	Newport	Newport	Military	History of the Naval War College, area naval activities and science of naval warfare
Nelson W. Aldrich House	Providence	Providence	Local history	Home of the Rhode Island Historical Society, changing exhibits on Rhode Island history
New England Wireless and Steam Museum	East Greenwich	Kent	Technology	Includes a former wireless station and equipment, steam engines
Newport Art Museum	Newport	Newport	Art	Includes notable works from Rhode Island and New England artists, mid-19th century period rooms in the John N. A. Griswold House
Newport Colony House	Newport	Newport	History	Meeting place for the Colonial legislature and alternative State House, operated by the Newport Historical Society
Norman Bird Sanctuary	Middletown	Newport	Natural history	300-acre (1.2 km^2) wildlife refuge with trailside museum
Old Colony & Newport Railway	Newport	Newport	Railroad	Operates narrated historical tours using 100-year-old passenger equipment. An operation of the National Railroad Foundation and Museum.
Paine House Museum	Coventry	Kent	Historic house	Colonial period house
Paradise School	Portsmouth	Newport	School	One room schoolhouse
Pettaquamscutt Historical Society Museum	Kingston	Washington	Local history	Housed in a former jail building
Portsmouth Historical Society|	Portsmouth	Newport	Local history	Houses the majority of its collection in the former Portsmouth Christian Union Church, includes Julia Ward Howe Room
Prescott Farm	Middletown	Newport	Mill	Includes windmill, Revolutionary War guard house, and historic gardens
Providence Children's Museum	Providence	Providence	Children's
Quonset Air Museum	North Kingstown	Washington	Aviation	State's aviation heritage, includes military vehicles, missiles, aircraft and aviation artifacts
Redwood Library and Athenaeum	Newport	Newport	Art	Library with changing exhibitions of art and history from its collections, also sculpture, furniture, gardens & special book collections
Rhode Island Computer Museum	North Kingstown	Washington	Technology	Vintage computers
Rhode Island School of Design Museum	Providence	Providence	Art	Collection includes art from Egypt, Asia, Africa, ancient Greece and Rome, Europe, and the Americas, decorative arts, costumes and textiles
Rhode Island Railroad Museum	Kingston	Washington	Railroad	Located in southern half of Kingston Railroad Station
Roger Williams National Memorial	Providence	Providence	Biographical	Life of Roger Williams, co-founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and a champion of the ideal of religious freedom
Rosecliff	Newport	Newport	Historic house	Gilded Age mansion modeled after the Grand Trianon
Rough Point	Newport	Newport	Historic house	Estate of Doris Duke, includes large art collection and
Samuel Whitehorne House	Newport	Newport	Historic house	19th century brick townhouse with examples of Newport and Rhode Island furniture from the late 18th century
Seabee Museum and Memorial Park	Davisville	Washington	Military	Includes the former U.S. Navy concrete chapel, seven vintage Quonset huts and a Seabee statue[6]
Slater Mill	Pawtucket	Providence	Industry	Textile mill industry
Smith-Appleby House	Smithfield	Providence	Historic house	18th century period house
Smith's Castle	Wickford	Washington	Historic house	Late 17th century period house
South County Museum	Narragansett	Washington	Living history	Includes farm and agriculture exhibits, Victorian kitchen, general store display, aritime gallery, print shop, carpentry shop, blacksmith shop, one-room schoolhouse, carriage barn, early vehicles
Sydney L. Wright Museum	Jamestown	Newport	Archaeological	Ancient and Colonial period Narragansett Indian artifacts, European artifacts from the 1600s, photos and maps[7]
Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum	Exeter	Washington	Native American	Museum of the Narragansett
Touro Synagogue	Newport	Newport	Historic site	Colonial-era synagogue
Varnum House Museum	East Greenwich	Kent	Historic house	The Varnum House Museum was built in 1773 by James Mitchell Varnum, a lawyer who entered the Revolutionary War and served as one of General George Washington's Continental Army Brigadier Generals. Varnum was later Major General in command of the entire Rhode Island Militia. The museum is furnished with period furniture and features many historic artifacts. Owned and operated by the Varnum Continentals.
Varnum Memorial Armory Military Museum	East Greenwich	Kent	Military	From July 1918 to January 1996, the Varnum Memorial Armory in East Greenwich, RI, housed units from the Rhode Island State and National Guard. Built in 1913 and completed in 1914, the Varnum Continentals had the Armory built in the Medieval architectural style. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and contains an extensive Military & Naval Museum. Owned and operated by the Varnum Continentals.
Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House	Newport	Newport	Historic house	Colonial era period house, operated by the Newport Historical Society
Warwick Museum of Art	Warwick	Kent	Art	Changing exhibits of fine and decorative art
Watson Farm	Jamestown	Newport	Historic house	1796 house is not open to the public but visitors can explore the farmland on their own.
Westerly Armory Museum	Westerly	Washington	Military	Local military memorabilia
Whitehall Museum House	Middletown	Newport	Historic house	18th century period house
Wilbor House, Barn and Quaker Meeting House	Little Compton	Newport	Historic house	Operated by the Little Compton Historical Society, late 17th-century house and early 19th-century meeting house

Defunct

• Beechwood (mansion), closed in 2010 ^[8]
• The Doll Museum, Newport, closed in 2005 ^[9]
• Soviet submarine K-77, Providence

Naval War College Museum in Newport

See also

Rhode Island county map

• List of museums
• Nature Centers in Rhode Island

References

1. "Home". Cape Verdean Museum Exhibit.
2. "Home". Culinary Arts Museum.
3. "Home". David Winton Bell Gallery.
4. "Firemen's Museum". Visit Rhode Island. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
5. "Fire Museum". Jamestown Fire Department. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
6. "Seabee Museum & Memorial Park". Seabee Museum and Memorial Park.
7. "Jamestown and Newport, Rhode Island Interesting and Useful Information". Jamestown Information. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
8. "Astors Beechwood mansion in Newport may be sold for $10.5 million". The Providence Journal. 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
9. http://dollmuseum.com/aboutus.htm The Museum Doll Shop Web site