The Musée du Vieux Nîmes occupies the 17th-century former bishop's palace next to the cathedral. The collection focuses on the city's local history, the regional textile industry (Nîmes gave its name to "denim" — de Nîmes — through its blue serge cloth), and the religious and civic life of the 17th and 18th centuries.
It's a small, calm museum — half an hour to an hour — and the building itself is part of the appeal: the painted ceilings of the bishop's apartments are particularly fine. Admission is free.