Visiting some of the Rhode Island museums during your visit is encouraged, as the state boasts many quality museums. Art and history are at the center of things at most of the Rhode Island museums, so art enthusiasts and history buffs will definitely find plenty of good places to hang out for a few hours. Historic sites abound in Rhode Island, as do lighthouses, and many of the historic sites and lighthouses here feature small museums that can help you learn more about them. Museums are never far off wherever you find yourself in Rhode Island, partly because of the state's small size, so including more than one on your itinerary shouldn't be too difficult.

Providence is the largest city in the state and it is also the capital, and there are some great museums in the capital city if you are looking for things to do. The Providence Rhode Island museums are numerous, and they include the State House, which was built in 1901. You can enjoy tours of the State House, or Capitol, and they offer insight into Rhode Island history on the whole. Other top Providence museums include the Providence Children's Museum and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. Families with younger children will definitely want to include a visit to the Providence Children's Museum on their itineraries, as it offers some great hands-on exhibits for the whole clan to enjoy. Exhibits at the Providence Children's Museum include Water Ways, where kids can play with water and build things that help them learn more about it, and Play Power, which offers a mix of interactive games, puzzles, and contraptions.

Of all the Providence Rhode Island Museums, the Rhode Island School of Design's is the most renowned. The Rhode Island School of Design Museum was founded all the way back in 1877, and it is one of the largest art museums in the country. Notable works of art from around the world are on display at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and you can also view pieces from renowned Rhode Island artists, including Gilbert Stuart and John Noble Barlow. Some of the non-Rhode Island natives whose works are featured here as well include Paul Revere, Picasso, Monet, and Andy Warhol. Since there are more than 80,000 works of art on display at the RISD Museum, you could easily spend a few hours here.

Rhode Island Map

Some of the best Rhode Island museums are historical sites, and there are a bunch of them found throughout the state. Mansions like The Breakers are among the top Newport Rhode Island museums, as they offer an inside look at some of the most impressive residences on the face of the earth. Only some of the mansions in Newport are open for tours, and you are encouraged to take an up close look at least one of the opulent residences when in town. Back in Providence, the Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum and the John Brown House Museum are two museums that also offer a look back at life in the state's earlier days. As for other Newport Rhode Island museums that you can add to the agenda, they include the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Like some of the other lighthouses in Rhode Island, the Beavertail Lighthouse offers extended summer hours at its museum. As for the International Tennis Hall of Fame, it is one of the Newport Rhode Island museums that sports fans won't want to miss. You can learn all about tennis greats from both past and present at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport.

The Rhode Island museums that are covered above are just some of the interesting museums that you might consider including in your travel plans. The historical sites that offer museums in Rhode Island are too many to list, and there are enough of them to satisfy a number of return trips to The Ocean State. Other Rhode Island museums, such as the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology in Bristol, offer visitors an array of cultural experiences to take advantage of, and you can learn more about past Ocean State residents by visiting places like the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket. The museums in Rhode Island satisfy a full range of interests, and most of them are well priced, which only lends to their popularity.