The Savonlinna Provincial Museum is located downtown, on Riihisaari Island right next to Olavinlinna. The museum is located in a former state granary. The brick silo designed by Ernst B. Lohrmann was completed in 1852. In addition to the museum’s permanent exhibitions, visitors can learn more about its temporary exhibitions and museum ships.
 
In its work, the Provincial Museum concentrates on the cultural history of Southern Savo and the sailing history of Lake Saimaa. The museum has been run by Savonlinna since 1983. Prior to that, various associations took care of collecting museum artefacts. The current museum was opened up to the public in 1985. It was based on collections from the Guild of Saint Olaf and material collected by Saimaa boat traffic hobbyists.

The museum has two permanent exhibitions: “On the platform” and “On the town”. "On the platform, life on the shores of Lake Saimaa" displays the living conditions on the shores of Lake Saimaa. It talks about prehistoric times, Sääminki Church art from the 18th century, a Savo cottage from the 1920s, ship models and Finland’s oldest used Savo-style boat.

"On the town, Savonlinna in the 20th century" uses photographs and artefacts to describe the stages Savonlinna has gone through, the townspeople’s work and leisure and how the town changed during the 20th century. It shows a town full of wooden houses transforming into a modern town with blocks of flats. The exhibition has a furnished bourgeois home from the 1920s and a kitchen of the 1960s full of machines. It also has old maps and a model of the town as it was in the spring of 1939, not to mention the model of a bypass planned for the town.

The Savonlinna Provincial Museum has four museum ships. The Steam Schooner Salama from 1874, which spent the years from 1898 to 1970 at the bottom of the lake in front of Parkonsaari Island in Puumala. The tar steamer Mikko from 1914 is the last surviving example of Saimaa’s large tar steamer fleet. The passenger boat Savonlinna from 1903 was branded the "Saimaa Express" thanks to its speed. The steam tug Ahkera from 1871 is the oldest museum ship of Saimaa. The Mikko and Savonlinna can be chartered for cruises.