What to do and see in Rhode Island, United States: The Best Specialty Museums

Landmark which was once the center of the Sentintellist movement with frescoes modeled after the Sistine Chapel.

Tomaquag Museum is the region's only native-operated facility dedicated to the sharing of indigenous culture, arts and history. Tomaquag boasts 14 unique rotating exhibits that showcase Southern New England tribal community stories, over 20,000 artifacts in collections, and over 100,000 research materials in the archive. Come take a tour with our knowledgeable and native museum staff for an enriching educational experience.

7 MILES FROM NEWPORT w/ ample FREE PARKING! Since 2017, the Newport Car Museum has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. Located in a converted 3-acre building that once served as a missile manufacturing facility, the Newport Car Museum presents 75+ cars as art, displaying them in six galleries that use theatrical lighting, specially commissioned large-format artwork and award-winning videos to tell the story of Ford/Shelby, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars, Mopars and American Muscle Cars. Meticulously kept cars are displayed on low-rise platforms and turntables, with no barrier ropes, allowing for unobstructed 360-degree inspection, especially appreciated on “Hoods Up” Weekends held the second weekend of every month. Docents ignite lively exchanges; Mid-Century modern furniture provides comfortable seating; and eight driving simulators allow a spin in virtually any car on any track in the world. (Cool gift shop, too!)

The WaterFire Arts Center serves as our headquarters, production complex, and multi-purpose arts venue as well as a social enterprise platform strengthening the organization's long-term financial sustainability. One of the unique features of the WaterFire Arts Center is the Main Hall which provides 15,000 sq. ft. of uninterrupted exhibition, performance, and production space with a 40 ft. ceiling.

Living Sharks Museum is a pop-up Shark History & Conservation exhibition, created to educate the public about the story of the shark through a visual record of their history, exploitation and conservation. Featuring the permanent exhibit of infamous shark hunter-turned conservationist Frank Mundus. Curated by shark advocate and educator Keith Cowley.

The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial preeminence in turn of the century America. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt established the family fortune in steamships and later in the New York Central Railroad, which was a pivotal development in the industrial growth of the nation during the late 19th century. The Commodore's grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, became Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad system in 1885, and purchased a wooden house called The Breakers in Newport during that same year. In 1893, he commissioned architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a villa to replace the earlier wood-framed house which was destroyed by fire the previous year. Hunt directed an international team of craftsmen and artisans to create a 70 room Italian Renaissance- style palazzo inspired by the 16th century palaces of Genoa and Turin. Allard and Sons of Paris assisted Hunt with furnishings and fixtures, Austro-American sculptor Karl Bitter designed relief sculpture, and Boston architect Ogden Codman decorated the family quarters.