Beatty Museum is the town's modest but useful history stop, with exhibits on the Bullfrog mining boom, railroads, ranching, and life around the edge of Death Valley. It helps put Rhyolite into context, especially if you do not already know how quickly Nevada mining towns could rise and fail.
Visit before driving out to the ruins if the museum is open. It will not take long, but the maps, photographs, and local objects make the empty buildings west of town easier to read.