Despite its history as one of the country’s oldest zoos, Roger Williams Park Zoo is an outstanding example of modern zoo design and ethics. Largely cage-free, the zoo is a place where animals live in environments as close as possible to their native habitat, and where visitors can see them with a minimum of visible barriers.

In the 40-acre zoo, they can watch snow leopards, zebras, alligators, wildebeest, giraffes, elephants, kangaroos, red pandas, and dozens more native and exotic creatures in a setting that encourages kids and adults to learn more about them, their habits, and their habitat. In the newest addition, the Faces of the Rainforest exhibit, you meet the monkeys, birds, reptiles, and amphibians native to the Amazon Rainforest.

Because of its kid-friendly atmosphere and the number of things to do here, Rogers Williams Park Zoo is one of Rhode Island’s most popular places to go for families. Exhibits are varied for different ages, with a treehouse for younger children to climb, and engaging exhibits about the animals and their environment for older kids.

The 435-acre park also contains a Botanical Center with New England’s largest public indoor display garden, the Museum of Natural History, a planetarium, and a carousel.

Author’s Tip: Throughout February, you can visit the zoo with your family at half-price admission, during the zoo’s annual Winter Wonder Days.