Roger Williams Park Zoo

One of our nation’s oldest zoos (opened in 1872), Roger Williams Park Zoo is an integral part of southern New England’s history and heritage, bringing excitement and discovery of the natural world to generations of visitors.  Today the Zoo is one of Rhode Island’s top tourist attractions, welcoming over half a million people annually from all over New England and beyond.  Our award-winning conservation programs have won national acclaim, earning praise from The New York Times as “one of the best zoos in the country for its conservation efforts” among zoos of similar size.  Roger Williams Park Zoo is also a valuable center for science and environmental education; our standards-based education programs provide invaluable experiential learning to thousands of students every year and our advocacy efforts have helped to shape national environmental education legislation. Situated within Providence’s historic and beautiful Roger Williams Park, the Zoo is home to well over 100 species of rare and fascinating animals from all over the world.  As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Zoo is also home to many endangered species and participates in cooperative conservation and breeding programs to help ensure their future survival.