25 Things To Do in Rhode Island for Under $25

PC Friars Games

The Providence College Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are founding member of the Big East Conference. Tickets start at just $12!

The Breakers

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. Admission is $19.50.

Avon Cinema

Foreign, art house & indie films are shown in this historic art deco theater with retro decor.

John Brown House

The John Brown House is the first mansion built in Providence. It is located on Power Street on College Hill, and borders the campus of Brown University. The house is named after the original owner and one of the early benefactors of the University, John Brown.

President John Quincy Adams considered the house "the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent." Tickets are $10.

Newport Art Museum

The museum has many notable works particularly from Rhode Island and New England artists, including William Trost Richards, John Frederick Kensett, John La Farge, Gilbert Stuart, and Catharine Morris Wright as well as many contemporary artists.[5]

Providence Sky Chiefs

The Sky Chiefs are Rhode Island's first pro Basketball team! A great night out, with affordable tickets at just $10! 

URI Men’s Basketball

Cheer on the Rhody Rams at the Ryan Center in Kingston, tickets start at just $14.

Cable Car Cinema

The Cable Car offers a curated array of indie & foreign films in a cozy setting with food, wine & beer.

Museum of Work & Culture

The Museum of Work and Culture is a museum in Woonsocket that features exhibits focusing on the city's textile manufacturing heritage. Admission for adults is $8.

The Met

Check out an array of local and national acts at this cool concert venue in the Hope Artiste Villiage in Pawtucket. Most events are between $15 and $25.

Museum of Natural History

Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium is a natural history museum and planetarium within Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.

The park and museum are named after Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, and is located on land donated by Williams family. The museum is part of the Providence Parks. It was founded in 1896. The Cormack Planetarium offers regular showings and the Natural History Museum contains a vast array of scientific specimens. Admission is only $2!

Providence Bruins

Check out exciting AHL Hockey right in downtown Providence with the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Tickets start at just $21.

Children's Museum

Providence Children’s Museum, Rhode Island’s only hands-on museum especially for families, is an active place where kids and grown-ups play and learn together. Located in Providence’s Jewelry District, the Museum presents interactive exhibits and lively programs for children ages 1 to 11. Admission is $9.00 for adults and children.

RISD Museum

The RISD Museum contains a broad range of works from around the world, including ancient Egypt, Asia, Africa, ancient Greece and Rome, Europe, and the Americas. It also features many notable works by a range Rhode Island artists such as 18th century Newport furniture makers Goddard and Townsend and nineteenth century Rhode Island painters, such as Anglo-American impressionist John Noble Barlow and portraitist Gilbert Stuart. The museum also features prominent international and American artists such asPicasso, Monet, Manet, Paul Revere and Andy Warhol. The RISD Museum houses over 86,000 works of art. Admission is $12.

Haffenreffer Museum

The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology is Brown University’s teaching museum. It aims to inspire creative and critical thinking about culture by "fostering interdisciplinary understanding of the material world". It's free!

The Paw Sox

McCoy Stadium is a great place to catch a ballgame, with the Minor League Red Sox Affiliate PawSox. A great family night out, without breaking the bank.

Iggy's Doughboys

What's more Rhode Island than Chowder and Clamcakes? A summer (or any time of year) staple on Oakland Beach in Warwick, and affordable, too!

AS220

AS220 is an artist-run organization committed to providing an unjuried and uncensored forum for the arts. AS220 offers artists opportunities to live, work, exhibit and/or perform in its facilities, which include several rotating gallery spaces, a performance stage, a black-box theater, a print shop, a darkroom and media arts lab, a fabrication and electronics lab, a dance studio, four dozen affordable live/work studios for artists, and a bar and restaurant. Lots of stuff to check out here!

Gilbert Stuart Museum

Gilbert Stuart, a famous American portraitist of the 18th and 19th centuries, was born in the colonial-era house located on the property. The museum consists of the 1750 house in which Stuart was born, an operational snuff mill, an operational grist mill, a mill pond, streams, a fish ladder, nature trails, an herb garden, and a Welcome Center and gift shop. Admission is $10.

Block Island

Check out the natural beauty of Block Island, accessible for less than $25 round trip from Point Judith.

Roger Williams Park Zoo

The Roger Williams Park Zoo of Providence houses over 100 species of rare animals in naturalistic settings. The park and zoo are named after the founder of Providence, Roger Williams.

The zoo was founded in 1872, and is one of the oldest zoos in the nation. 

Recent addition included a bald eagle exhibit, a giant anteater exhibit, river otters, tree shrews, Chinese alligators and renovation of the Fabric of Africa exhibit. An adult admission is $14.95.

Slater Mill

The Slater Mill is an historic textile mill complex on the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket. Modeled after cotton spinning mills first established in England, the Slater Mill is the first water-powered cotton spinning mill in North America. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Admission is $12 for adults.

Naval War College Museum

The Naval War College Museum in Newport is one of fifteen official museums operated by the United States Navy, under the direction of the Naval History & Heritage Command and in co-operation with the Naval War College. Admission is free.

The Naval War College Museum uses this building to display exhibits on three themes: the history of the Naval War College since 1884, the history of naval activities in the Narragansett Bay area since the colonial period, and the history of the art and science of naval warfare since ancient times.

Wireless and Steam Museum

The New England Wireless and Steam Museum, founded by Robert and Nancy Merriam, is an electrical and mechanical engineering museum in East Greenwich emphasizing the beginnings of radio and steam power. The museum honors engineers who achieved greatness and served the public good by analyzing and solving tough engineering problems. The museum is both archival and educational, and is $15 for adults and $7 for children.

Sunset Lighthouse Tour

In the summer months, enjoy a beautiful Narragansett Bay sunset aboard one of Save The Bay's custom passenger vessels. Tours depart from the Save The Bay Center in Providence for a guided cruise of the Upper Bay while enjoying the historic views of Gaspee Point, Conimicut Light, Nayatt Light, and Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. Tours are approximately 90 minutes and are $25 per person.