1 Day, 2 Rhode Island Museums

March 26, 2023 — I had never been to the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island. I was well-acquainted with the Audrain Automobile Museum in Newport and may have thought they were one and the same. But I learned the Newport Car Museum is actually in Portsmouth and is unrelated to the Audrain which I had visited many times. A friend had done a photo series on the museum in Portsmouth and I was impressed with the number and quality of cars there.

I found the Newport Car Museum's website and was further impressed by the stunning beauty of the cars. Unlike the Audrain which installs a whole new exhibit about every three months, the Newport exhibit is permanent with an occasional car added or a loaner returned to its owner. Many of its cars are loaned or donated. It typically features about ninety vehicles, all beautifully restored to their original new condition and artfully displayed in the spacious, well-lighted, very photogenic museum.

I had been to the Audrain barely over a month ago, but it just so happened they had an all-new exhibit since I was last there. Since the Audrain is only a 20-minute drive south of Portsmouth, I had ample time to check it out after leaving the Newport. The Audrain titled their latest exhibit "Wonders in Wood, in Land and by Sea." The exhibit featured vehicles and boats, all of which utilized wood in part or in some cases the entirety of their construction. Quality of Audrain exhibits is equal to the Newport.

I didn't attempt to photograph all ninety of the cars at the Newport Car Museum, but selected something less than 60 of what I considered the finest. Hope you're as impressed as I was. You can see them at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/newportmuseum/

 My coverage of the Audrain Automobile Museum is at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/audrain2023-2/