Museums
Providence & North
Providence Children’s Museum ............... 273-5437
100 South St., Providence
An imaginative hands-on place for kids and families to play, learn, and grow together, with interactive indoor and
outdoor exhibits and creative daily programs. Enjoy the Creativity Initiative, launching this year with interactive new
exhibit spaces and opportunities to create with unique materials and authentic tools in the new Innovation Lab and
Maker Studio. Explore the whirling ways of water in a wonder-filled water play environment. Experiment with
intriguing puzzles and challenges and investigate the playful power of air, light and sound. Wriggle through tunnels
and a two-story climbing maze in The Children's Garden, discover a whimsical woodland environment for young
children, and MUCH more! Admission is $12; members are free. Open every day from 9 AM – 5 PM and select Fridays
until 8 PM. Free parking, wheelchair accessible. Play Every Day!
Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum ............... 453-0688
199 Hope Street on the East Side of Prov. www.lippitthouse.org
The Lippitt House is an 1865 Renaissance Revival Mansion. Call for hours of guided tours.
The Johnson and Wales Culinary Arts Museum ............... 598-2805
315 Harborside Blvd., Providence
This unique museum has something for every appetite to savor, from a dinner invitation from Thomas Jefferson to a bread ring from Pompeii. Classes for all. Closed Monday; Tuesday-Sunday 10-5.
The Museum of Natural History and Planetarium ............... 785-9457, x221
Roger Williams Park, Elmwood Ave., Providence. Open year-round, daily, 10-4pm.
Museum of Work and Culture ............... 769-9675
42 South Main St., Woonsocket
Traces the story of mill workers who came from the farms of Quebec in the last third of the 19th century to work in the shoe and textile factories of New England. Closed Mon.
RISD Museum of Art ............... 454-6500
224 Benefit Street, Providence
The RISD Museum offers a variety of ways for families to engage with a world class collection of art and design. Please visit us online for schedule of events and activities.
Slater Mill ............... 725-8638
67 Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket
A National Historic Landmark, the Slater Mill Museum brings textile manufacturing history to life through the voices of its expert interpretive guides. The Museum includes the Slater Mill (c.1793), the Wilkinson Machine Shop (c.1810), and the Sylvanus Brown House (c.1758) on a 4.5 acre riverside site along the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Learn the story of innovation, labor, entrepreneurism, women’s rights, the “cotton economy,” immigration, and New England’s textile industry. Come, see, touch, learn and be inspired by the unique example of Slater Mill, at the place where the industrial revolution began in America 219 years ago. Visit website for hours and special events.
East Bay
Audubon Environmental Education Center ............... 245-7500
1401 Hope Street, Bristol
(See info. under Aquariums).
Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame ............... 253-5000
Burnside Street and Rt. 114, Bristol.
See and feel the “Golden Age of Yachting” and trace the history of the world famous Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. See more than 60 historic yachts, steam engines, fittings, and the Model Room with a rare collection of the half-hulls from which the historic yachts were built. Step into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Open June 16-Sept. 15, daily 10-5, and Apr - June 15, Wed through Sunday, 10-5. Educational programs include field trips, seamanship classes, navigation classes, and sailing lessons. Yacht charters available (see ad page 135).
The Museum of Yachting ............... 847-7777
Fort Adams State Park, Newport
Enjoy the rich and colorful history of yachting. Exhibits include Evolution of Marine Engines, the History of the Schooner Coronet (including restoration of Coronet’s interior), America’s Cup Gallery, In-the-Water Yacht Collection, and Gift Shop. Boat building classes. Open daily 10am-5pm. Closed Mondays and Sundays.
National Museum of American Illustration ............... 851-8949
492 Bellevue Ave., Newport
Naval War College Museum ............... 841-2101/841-4052
686 Cushing Rd., Newport
Exhibits on the history of Naval
Warfare and the Navy in
Narragansett Bay. Free. Open M-F,
10-4:30, weekends from June to September from 12 to 4:30 pm; closed holidays. 24-hour notice requested before visiting the Museum.
Newport Art Museum ............... 848-8200
76 Bellevue Ave, Newport
The only museum to focus on the finest Rhode Island and regional art – past and present. See art and make art together! Enjoy changing exhibitions, concerts, live theatre, workshops, art classes and special events throughout the year (see ad page 149).
Newport Historical Society Museum ............... 841-8770
127 Thames St., Newport. Located in the 1762 Brick Market building, the Newport Historical Society's Museum provides a family-friendly introduction to the area's rich history and architecture. Glimpse the lives of the people-past and present-who have made Newport one of America's most historic cities. Open daily, the museum is an information center and departure point for guided walking tours. Admission by donation.
West Bay & South County
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum ............... 294-3001
GilbertStuartMuseum.org
815 Gilbert Stuart Rd., Saunderstown. The Gilbert Stuart Museum is an authentically restored and furnished eighteenth century working man’s home, and site of the first snuff mill in America. Gilbert Stuart himself is best known for his portrait of George Washington, and reproductions of his work are displayed. Fishing on Carr Pond, boat rentals (members only), children’s activities, gardens and more. Open May through mid-Oct. Closed Tues. and Wednesdays.
The General Nathanael Greene Homestead ............... 821-8630
www.nathanielgreenehomestead.org
50 Taft St. Coventry
Known as Spell Hall, it was the home of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene from 1770 to 1776, and was owned afterwards by his brother Jacob Greene and his wife Margaret. The house is owned and operated by the General Nathanael Greene Homestead Association, a non-profit organization and was opened as a museum in 1924. Open Friday, Saturday, and Monday 10-5 and Sun. 1-5, April 1 - Oct 31.
Museum of Primitive Art and Culture ............... 783-5711
1058 Kingstown Rd., Peace Dale
Explore the “treasures” of the American Indians, Eskimos, early people of Europe andcontemporary Africa. Children ages 6 - 10 can discover museum artifacts using a “treasure hunt”. Call for information. Open Wenesdays, 1 -2 or by appointment.
Quonset Air Museum ............... 294-9540
488 Eccleston Ave., N. Kingstown Dedicated to the preservation of RI’s great military and civil aviation history. Many aircraft are on display and educational programs are available to the public. Fly-in visitors are welcome. Open June 15-September 30th, daily 10am - 3pm; October 1 - June 14th weekends 10-3.
SeaBee Museum ............... 294-7233
21 Lafrate Way, N. Kingstown
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. From April 1st to October 31st, we are open on Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturday from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. From November 1st to March 30th, we are open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. Private tours are available by appointment only.
South County Museum ............... 783-5400
115 Strathmore Street, Narragansett
Hands-on demonstrations, lectures, tours and programs on printing, carpentry, blacksmithing, early transportation, a one-room school, and a living history farm exhibit. Handicap accessible. The picnic tables, exercise course, and small farm animals nearby make the museum a lovely place to spend the day. Call for hours.
Tomaquag Museum ............... 491-9063
390A Summit Rd., Exeter
Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island's only Indigenous museum dedicated to sharing Indigenous culture, art and History from a first person perspective. Though small in size, we features an extensive collection and archive that focuses on tribal communities of Southern New England. Our educators are all members of Indigenous communities and provide interactive exploration of our exhibits, providing personal insights, a safe space for questions and discussion and highlight tours of the exhibits by request. For our younger guests, we have an interactive desk with games and activities, a sensory touch table, and scavenger hunts. Visit our website for a schedule of our public events, workshops, and lectures as well as our summer Children's Hour schedule. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 seniors,college students,military and veterans; $3 children ages 5-17; Children under 5 are free. Open Wednesdays from 10am-5pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm, All other days available for private and group tours by appointment with an additional fee. Wheelchair accessible.
Warwick Museum of Art ............... 737-0010
3259 Post Rd., Warwick
facebook.com/WarwickMuseum
(See listing under Activities: Art.)
Nearby Massachusetts & Connecticut
Battleship Cove
......... 508-678-1100
........ 800-533-3194
5 Water St., Box 111, Fall River, MA
The world's largest collection of
historic naval ships - Battleship Massachusetts, Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Submarine Lionfish and the only restored pair of PT Boats on display in the world. Also, explore Hiddensee, the world's only publicly exhibited Soviet-built missile corvette, and our growing aircraft collection, including the newly acquired Cobra AH-1 Attack Helicopter. Battleship Cove serves as the Bay State's official memorial to WWII and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars and September 11th victims. Open year-round.
EcoTarium ............... 508-929-2700
222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
EcoTarium is New England's leading science and nature center, an indoor-outdoor venue dedicated to inspiring a passion for science and nature in visitors of all ages. About an hour from Providence.
Lizzie Borden Museum ............... 508-675-7333
230 Second St., Fall River, MA www.lizzie-borden.com
Guided tours of this home that was the site of one of the most famous unsolved murders - includes the history of Fall River in 1892. View the murder scene and spend a night (if you dare!) in the actual house where the murders took place. Guests are treated to a breakfast similar to the one the Bordens ate on the morning of the murders. In summer, tours are daily 11-3.
The Marine Museum ............... 508-674-3533
70 Water St., Fall River, MA
(just 1/2 mi off Rt. 195 in
Battleship Cove) See exhibits on the R.M.S. Titanic, Andrea Doria, Fall River Line, and H.M.S. Bounty. Lectures, school and group programs available. Gift shop.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research
Center .............. 1-800-411-9671
110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket, CT. www.pequotmuseum.org
Feel the cold as your family descends deep into an Ice Age glacier and then witnesses the drama of a prehistoric caribou hunt. Enter a life-size, 16th century Pequot village and follow in the footsteps of an ancient people whose story lives on today. Experience all this in an
award-winning, interactive environment that stimulates the senses,
captures the imagination, and stirs the spirit with the history of
Native American culture. Don't miss the 18-story observation tower.
Restaurant and gift shop onsite. Handicap accessible. See it with your eyes, feel it in your heart!
New Bedford Whaling Museum ............... 508-997-0046
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA. www.whalingmuseum.org
Dive into the story of human interaction with whales in the world's oceans, the science of whales today, and the history of SouthCoast Massachusetts. Marvel at massive whale skeletons, explore new exhibits on whale biology, behavior, and conservation, and climb aboard the world’s largest ship model, the Lagoda. Special events and programs throughout the year feature science you can touch and try; history you can see, try on, and board! Your admission is good for two consecutive days.
