Some 100 animal species from around the globe — kangaroos from the Australian outback, African elephants and Masai giraffes, red pandas from China, North American bison, and monkeys from the Amazon rain forest — have long drawn visitors to Roger Williams Park Zoo. Situated in historic Roger Williams Park, which also offers a natural history museum, planetarium, and old-fashioned carousel, the zoo is one of the oldest in the country.
New this summer is Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard, an indoor-outdoor play area where children can explore, build, climb, and create. Trade treasured items collected on outdoor explorations in the Nature Swap; build a fort in the Sticks and Stones Building Zone; design a waterway in the Drip Drop Water Garden; stage or watch a puppet show in the Creativity Corner. Then follow the trail to the CVS Caremark All Kids Can Tree House, packed with things to touch, hear, smell, and see.
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This summer the zoo welcomed Inara, a baby giant anteater; two takin, large, hoofed mammals from the Himalayas; and two king vultures native to Central and South America — all said to be the only ones of their ilk in the Northeast. 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, 401-785-3510, www.rwp
zoo.org. Adults $14.95, 62 and over $12.95, children ages 3-12 $9.95. under 3 free.