Providence Sights

  1. Culinary Archives & Museum

    Johnson & Wales' oddity, the Culinary Archives & Museum displays about 300,000 objects connected in some way to the culinary arts. Ogle a cookbook collection dating back to the 15th century, resist fingering presidential cutlery and peruse over 4000 menus from around the world.

    Read more about Culinary Archives & Museum

  2. Museum of Art

    The extraordinary collections at Rhode Island School of Design's Museum of Art include 19th-century French paintings; classical Greek, Roman and Etruscan art; medieval and Renaissance works; and examples of 19th- and 20th-century American painting, furniture and decorative arts. Kids love staring at the mummy, and older-types will be impressed to see the works of Manet, Matisse and Sargent.

    Read more about Museum of Art

  3. Museum Of Natural History

    In 1871, Betsey Williams, great-great-great-granddaughter of the founder of Providence, donated her farm to the city as a public park. Today this 430-acre expanse of greenery, only a short drive south of Providence, includes lakes and ponds, forest copses and broad lawns, picnic grounds, a Planetarium and Museum of Natural History, an operating Victorian Carousel, greenhouses and Williams' cottage.

    Read more about Museum Of Natural History

  4. Providence Athenaeum

    William Strickland's 1838 Providence Athenaeum is a library of the old school, with plaster busts and oil paintings filling in spaces not occupied by books. Edgar Allen Poe used to court ladies here.

    Read more about Providence Athenaeum

  5. Providence Children's Museum

    If you like to watch younger kids freak out, the well-designed, hands-on Providence Children's Museum genuinely delights most of its guests. Try walking into a giant kaleidoscope, doing experiments with water fountains, pretending to be a veterinarian or playing with marionettes made by some renowned puppeteers. It's intended for kids aged one to 11.

    Read more about Providence Children's Museum

  7. Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

    Perhaps the top art school in the United States, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) leaves an imprint on Providence that is easily felt. From public statuary to film performances to indecipherable screen-printed flyers stapled to College Hill telephone poles, creativity oozes palatably from it across the small cityscape.

    Read more about Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

  8. RISD Fine Art Museum

    The state's finest art museum, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, showcases everything from ancient Greek and Roman art to 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, furniture and decorative arts in a collection of over 80,000 pieces.

    Read more about RISD Fine Art Museum

  9. Sol Koffler

    Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) maintains several fine galleries. Sol Koffler serves as the main exhibition space for graduate students, where you can see work in a range of media. Hours vary on the weekend.

    Read more about Sol Koffler

  10. Advertisement