Newport, RI - This is a small but exquisite and well-curated car museum, showcasing mostly vintage/classic cars and prestige motors from retro to present day, with a mission of "preserving, celebrating & sharing automotive history." They also host the annual Audrain Concours and Motor Week each October. We were having lunch next door and were debating whether it was worth it to drive back up to Portsmouth to visit the Newport Car Museum (having a few moto enthusiasts in my family including my car-obsessed child) when we came upon Audrain, and caught the Porsche exhibit. Helpful and knowledgeable staff were on hand to answer questions and were very happy to chat about the cars and tell us more about the history and culture. It's an incredible and selective collection. For those who wish to learn more, the description plaques had QR codes that you can scan for more information or to watch and hear the car. They rotate exhibits every few months, so check their website or social media for upcoming themes if you're in the area. read more

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The other car musuem in Newport. Smaller than the Portsmouth one, but $2 cheaper. This one is a lot more crowded, partly because of the size but its still a fun time. The cars here cyle every few months so its always something different. If you had to pick between the 2, the one in Portsmouth is probably the way to go. But if you have little ones with shorter attention spans, you may be better off here. read more

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Six of my family visited here summer 2024 and are looking forward to returning on our summer 2025 family vacation in Narraganset, RI. Four of my male and female grandchildren ages 11, 9, 4 and 2 enjoyed the museum along with their two dads who are car enthusiasts. One SIL has a 1940 Chevy and another owns a 1980's Saab. They picked favorite cars to pose in front of. The photos are outstanding, The adults were excited about the variety of cars, especially the classics. Each kid picked out a souvenir item in the Gift Shop. Background information: Founded in 2014 in Newport, RI with a mission of "Preserving, Celebrating & Sharing Automotive History," the Audrain Automobile Museum connects and engages with other local non-profits and the greater Aquidneck Island community. The historic Audrain Building was transformed into a captivating exhibition space. The museum, with access to collections containing over 400 cars and motorcycles ranging from brass era Veteran cars to Supercars of today, displays four unique, imaginatively curated thematic exhibitions each year, to entertain all generations and stylistic preferences. read more

I am not super into cars but my friend is and we saw tickets for this on Groupon. The museum is one level, and there are about 20 cars on display, with different themes cycling through very few months. The cars are well maintained, very clean, and there are descriptions and fun facts for each. You are allowed to take pictures, and the staff is very knowledgeable and available to answer any questions. It is in a very nice area so definitely come here and check out the Newport area (i.e. Tennis Hall of Fame, mansions, cliff walk, restaurants, Thames St...) while you're at it. read more

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I'm not really a "Car Person ", but this place is amazing. My son and husband were in car Heaven. There are several staff on the floor available to answer questions. read more

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8/4/24: if you're a car lover, Audrain Automobile Museum is the place to visit. There's many cool restored automobiles from many decades. Hope you enjoy the photos. Audrain Rep. Bill shared a lot of wonderful information about the autos. Many thanks to him! The other rep.was very informative too! New autos are displayed on a quarterly basis. Museum Hours: 10 AM to 4 PM Daily Ticket prices are as follows: Members - Free Adults - $18 Seniors (65+) - $10 Military and Students (with ID) - $10 Children (6-17) - $8 Audrain Automobile Museum is located at 222 Belleville Ave. Newport, RI. read more

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This is a very small car museum. They have many different exhibit. Check their website before visiting to know what kind of exhibit they have at the moment. We were there for the "JDM theme" exhibit. Great collection. One of us were super excited seeing one of the most dominant F1 race car ever built, the McLaren MP4/4 driven by the great Alain Prost. Definitely a must place to see for any car enthusiast out there. read more

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Small museum packed with awesome vehicles including some of Jay Leno's collection. The museum also includes bikes and go karts. They offer an annual membership which includes a free 20 min simulation and other perks. They also do weekly events such as cars & coffees. Small gift shop located inside. Service: Attentive, Friendly Pricing: $18 adult. Offers military discounts. Special Features: Vehicles change. Located right in downtown near everything. read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

A well presented, clean auto museum but wildly overpriced. Time budget: 20 minutes Price: $18 for adults is crazy considering there were only about 14 or 15 cars total. Bathrooms: Very clean read more

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A must do whether a car buff or not. Staff are quite knowledgeable and will inform you of coming attractions. Good take rain or shine!

We walked past this building and thought the facade was interesting. Then someone pointed out it was a car museum. I glanced at the building and thought must be a small one. $20 entrance fee $10 for seniors. I walked in and was stunned at the significant GM cars they had on display. Not just any GM but Zora Arkus Duntov's test mule Corvette. I have read about this car my whole life and I knew the legend of Duntov. I am a car guy and a Chevrolet guy. The rare Corvettes on display were very important styling studies. These cars never saw production but you can see the influences on what GM came out with. Harley Earl was the chief designer for GM. They had his personal Buick on display. These were back in the days where they would make a one off car. The value of this Buick cannot be estimated. Bill Mitchell followed Harley Earl. He studied under Earl and was very influenced. Ed Welburn trained under Bill Mitchell so the Harley Earl DNA runs deep in GM. I have met Ed Welburn and was a very open and talkative man. Do you believe in serendipity? I do. This museum changes its displays often. What are chances on the one day I am there they have this collection? read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - Race car. Zora Arkus Duntov. Father of the corvette. - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

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This is a lovey place, but value for money is not worth the price. Nice cars but unless you are die hard fan of these cars, skip it. read more

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Beautiful facility, beyond friendly and knowledgeable staff, insane collection on rotation every 3 months!!!

Did not expect to be visiting a classic car museum on our trip to Newport, but here we are. This was one of the many pleasant surprises of the week, as this museum was next door to where we grabbed breakfast. Tickets are $18 for adults, but if you like cars then it's easily worth it. We're from Detroit and enjoyed the histories of the 20 or so vehicles they had on display. The vehicles rotate so there's no telling what you'll see. read more

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Wow, what a really amazing little gem in Newport! The collection on display is smaller than some of the huge auto museums, but the quality and display more than makes up for it. Both times I've visited, the cars were superb and you can get a very close 360 degree view of these special pieces of automotive art. Each vehicle is also displayed with a very informative history and often a QR code that will take you to further info on your phone. The staff is very friendly and enthusiastic. You can tell they love what they display. The "gift shop" area also has some really nice stuff to remember your visit. Parking couldn't be easier and it's right on Bellevue so you can easily make it a part of a trip to the mansions, etc. read more

Happened to be having breakfast at a cute and delicious spot next door (Cru, go, it's so good), and we spotted this museum. Admission was reasonable, so we decided to explore even though neither of us is a huge car buff. However, we might be after checking this place out! The displays were well done, informative, easy to understand and appealed to "car people" and laymen alike! read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

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Excellent museum for old timers who may remember the cars of past eras. They were exhibiting post-World War II automobiles or "land yachts" of the late 50's-early 60's like Edsel, DeSoto, Cadillac, Plymouth Road Runner. The staff was knowledgeable and gave great insight into the cars. Staff said Jay Leno even stopped there last week. Nice place to step in and go back in time when you're walking around Newport, near the Intl. Tennis Museum/Casino read more

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This is a great small car museum if you are looking for something to do for an hour in the Newport area. The parking can be a little confusing but there is some available on the side of the building. It is only $10 to get in and the person and the front desk was extremely friendly and helpful. We went right when it opened so there was nobody else there. After a while it started to get crowded though. The cool thing about this museum is they only display about 15 cars at a time so that Everytime you come back you can see something different. read more

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This is a newer museum in Newport. My husband being a huge muscle car fan we went to check out the current exhibit "American Muscle" and really enjoyed it. The cars are beautiful, the staff was really nice and answered any questions. They had an iPad at each station that told you a bit about each model and was sort of interactive (you could slide back to a different spot in the presentation, but then it would jump around a little oddly). Looking at their web site they've had a pre-war exhibit, and a super car exhibit, both of which would have been cool. I'll be keeping an eye on their site to see what's coming next. read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - Buick GSX - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

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Small museum and a bit pricey since you're only viewing a handful of autos. That said, the cars are exquisite! I read from the other reviewers that the displays go through a rotation. Our visit came upon a viewing of their exotic supercars - with the majority of them owned by one local gentleman, who more than dabbles in real estate. Bravo - nice to see the American Dream is alive and kicking! Two Porsche racers that I didn't even know were ever in existence piqued my interest as well as the extremely limited Bugatti Veyron (1 of 1 of this particular model) The Bentley and Aston Martin on display I can see anytime parked in front of the River Palm in Edgewater so that was "whatever" but the Enzo Ferarri and Lamborghini Aventador were amazing to see in all their detail. The Saleen was great - hadn't ever seen one of those up close, nor the Spyker (small Swedish supercar outfit responsible for putting the final nail in my beloved Saab's coffin - they tried to resurrect the brand from GM but failed). Anyway, I digress - nice display of sexy cars! Cool spot to see some awesome vehicles for $12/each. read more

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This is definitely a great private collection to come and take a gander. Per the nice gentlemen at the front entrance, they rotate cars out every few months. All the cars are owned by one man. This time around, it ranged from a corvette, to a mustang, to a Panthers, etc. This is definitely a great collection to come and view. Only complaint, admission is $15 plus tax. The museum itself, takes no more than an hour to get around. The staff is very friendly, and are definitely willing to give you detailed descriptions, on the current showcase. read more

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Exceptional vehicles Efficient presentation Highly worthwhile Audrain Automobile Museum, so named for the real estate developer of the building it's housed in, is a compact but highly enjoyable museum for even the most casual car fan. You probably came to Newport to ogle the opulent homes, so why not drop by here and see what ostensibly occupied (or occupies) the garages, too? My 9-year-old son and I (we do both happen to be car enthusiasts) were greeted by Dave, who gave us a great background of the building, a brief overview of the museum's seasonal rotation (muscle cars, supercars/superbikes, and pre-war among them), the ownership of the vehicles (three separate, allied owners), and a few ground rules (like, check the iPads for info, ask the docent Joe any questions you might have, and very importantly, don't touch these beauties). I paid ($12 for me, $8 for a student), signed up for the email list, and we got underway. The space is meant to replicate a vintage dealership, with parquet floors below and steel beams above. Each car gets showcase billing, finely roped off for its own protection, but highly visible and (within reason) approachable. Televisions loop vintage footage, the walls are adorned with high quality photos, prints, and ads, and the iPad Prezis walk the visitor through each car's provenance and intriguing notes from that model year and other context. There's something to be said for small museums that can wholesale switch their entire collections out en masse, but it's even more impressive when the place feels like it's purpose built for whatever's there at the time. So, with all the dedicated mixed media around the cars, it felt as if this had been and would remain a muscle car museum. And these cars would be worth every penny if they were the entirety of the permanent collection. Happily, this spot will bear revisiting because of the highly desirable collections that will switch in soon, and again a few months after that. I'd wholeheartedly recommend stopping by if you're in town, and if you're able to make repeat visits, sign up for the email list to stay up to date on news and notes. This is a highly-concentrated shot of automotive cool. read more

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Very nice collection. They theme of the exhibit changes so the exhibit can be visited often. Very inexpensive for us seniors.

Interesting museum. Since we were close to the closing time and they were preparing to move the vehicles, the receptionist allowed us to go in for free. I am taking away one star since the vehicles did not have the hoods open which, I believe, seeing the motors is part of the experience in antique vehicle appreciation. read more

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Honestly, I'm not a huge automobile fan but this museum was one of my favorite spots in Newport. The entrance fee is about $10 and it's pretty small, so you might spend an hour max. There are cars from as early as the 1890s to modern day cars; the actual automobiles are in stunning condition and the Ipads give you information about each car. For a novice like me, the information was interesting without being overwhelming. There are cars that range from Bugattis to Rolls Royce and they're quite impressive. Definitely, a must visit in Newport!! read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - Locomotive - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

It's the best of the best ! Small exhibits that are rotated every 3 months , just saw the motorcycle exhibit and worth ever penny, talking to the guys on the floor . read more

One of the best car museums i've ever been too! they have a rotating display every 4 to 5 months! only thing i have to say is their items in there shop are pretty pricy. read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

We loved this museum! Small but great, staff was friendly and informative. The guy said it's a rotating museum that rotates the cars every few months. read more

Excellent!! The changing exhibits are excellent - my family and I love that we can come back every few months to see new exhibits. The simulators are a huge hit with all family members - grandparents to kids. Museum is clean, staff is knowledge/pleasant and the gift shop has all different items! read more

We had a fantastic visit to the Audrain for the New England Hot Rods Exhibition. We have been members for some time now and try to regularly visit the new exhibits. I am a restorer by trade but have a genuine love for vintage hot rods. This display is a great sampling of the many great, historic pieces that need to be saved and shown to the public. The displays are setup well and informative. The museum was clean and beautiful, as always. The staff was inviting and professional. I always recommend this museum to anyone interested in a great experience whether you are a car nut or not. read more

Audrian museum has great exhibits which rotate roughly seasonally. From micro cars, races cars, luxury cars, classic cars, super cars, hyper cars, and you name it they probably have. Each automobile in the collection has a great story. I have become a member and attend many of their events. I want to thank Antonio for getting me to sign up. From the cars and coffees to gala and now their concourse that they're trying to put on the map. The museum is family that cares for each other and rolling pieces of art. The staff puts their heart into their work. I highly recommend a visit and take it from there. read more

A must see while visiting Newport. We had a marvelous docent tour from Chuck who gave us the history on bicycles, motorcycles & the museum. It was the perfect way to start our day!! Can't wait to come back and check out future exhibits. read more

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A wonderful museum, really well tended to, a true gem to visit in Newport any time of the year and will delight both tourists and locals each time. The themes and exhibits change a few times a year and they have wonderful events for car enthusiasts throughout the year as well. I would do them a disservice if I didn't acknowledge the unparalleled treasure that is their very knowledgeable, helpful and customer service oriented staff which you will encounter each and every time you visit! Huge dose of gratitude to Victoria for helping me get my husband a membership (over Instagram) and ensuring it arrived in time for his birthday. Enjoy and support this wonderful treasure and get a membership so you never miss an exhibit! read more

Well-curated shows and friendly volunteer staff. The venue is on the small side, but they do a lot with what they have. Cudos to the rapidly-rotating (3-month) shows. Hope to be back for future events! read more

Visited the Museum today with taking some photos in mind. Upon arrival the staff was extremely helpful and explained the current exhibit and the rules for the museum. There is a staff member that is on the floor the entire time in case you have any questions about the cars. The exhibit is set up all on one floor. Each car had it's own iPad on a stand with a slideshow of information about the car. The Adult admission price was $12 which I though was reasonable for the exhibit. This is just a small part of a large collection which they change out several times a year with different themes. Photography was welcome as long as you don't lean over any of the vehicles. read more

We had a good time they offer military discount they got a total of 18 cars, they change the cars every three months do good with groups, students they have iPads in front of each vehicle. it is a self guide,they also have a young guy on the floor for questions and of course watching the no body touch the cars. read more

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Impressive collection of brass era cars. Very aggressive door man. Not very welcoming personality and quick to tell me I was 1/2" over the rope taking a picture. Had me freaked out the rest of the time. But a beautiful collection none the less. read more

Audrain Automobile Museum - American Underslung - Museums Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

beautifully refurbished building, if you cannot afford the $10 to get in the windows are large and you can see almost all the cars from the sidewalk! Their display changes so check there website. Disappointed that the BUgatti was not there, even though it was supposed to be, but it was at a bugatti convention! read more

Stopped in at this Museum and it was fantastic. The older gentleman at the desk was great. Informative, funny and super friendly. The younger gentleman working with him showed me and my wife a few of the cars, giving us details about the cars history. Great experience and I hope to come back someday soon. Thank you for a great visit. read more

nice pristine cars but definitely not worth $15.00 admission price. only about a dozen-15 cars. I see more classic and muscle cars free at our local car show read more