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Monday, July 21, 2014

Happening Place

And it's at the Zoo if you recall the word of Simon & Garfunkel's 1967 tune, so that's where we headed for granddaughter's 3rd birthday outing. 


The Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI is one of the oldest zoos in the country and located within the 40-acre Roger Williams Park. The park and zoo are named after the founder of Providence, a 17th-century proponent of religious tolerance. It's now home to over 100 species of rare animals from all over the world in naturalistic settings. 


Roger Williams Zoo, which opened in 1872 with a limited collection of small animals (squirrels, guinea pigs, rabbits, peacocks, hawks and others). 
The zoo's first building, the Menagerie, opened in 1890. By the 1900s, the facility began to spread out over the park, featuring a wider variety of animals including monkeys, bears and large cats.

Over time other new exhibits opened and in 1929, the Menagerie building was converted to a birdhouse; this was followed by the opening of an elephant house in 1930. In the 1930s, a new sea lion pool was constructed. 

It's now one of Rhode Island’s top tourist attractions hosting over half a million people annually from New England and beyond. 


By the mid-1960s, the zoo was showing signs of neglect and in 1962 the Rhode Island Zoological Society was founded to raise funds for new exhibits, improving old exhibits, and providing the groundwork for research, educational programs, and zoo conservation. It's still the non-profit organization that supports and manages the zoo.


Our trip to the zoo ended happily for both child and adults. 

15 comments:

Maureen @ Josephina Ballerina said...

Doro told me it's all happening at Rodger's Zoo,
I Do believe it,
I do believe it's true!

(Sorry, had too shorten your name to make the rhyme work.)

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Love this, Dorothy! A great review of the zoo in words although the pix say it all!!!!...:)JP

Anvilcloud said...

It looks like a good zoo. Hopefully, most zoos are now good zoos.

MadSnapper said...

my birthday is coming up soon and i would love to go to this zoo or a zoo. all the animals i love. she looks so cute on the elephant

Anonymous said...

A trip to the zoo is always fun, especially since most of them now include more nature for the animals.

Have a great day!
Christer.

Anonymous said...

It's been years since I have been to the zoo. You have inspired me to go back and look.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos! She is adorable.

Out on the prairie said...

Always like a good zoo.

William Kendall said...

It's been a long time since I've been to a zoo. This one looks like a responsible one.

Michelle said...

What a fun trip for Ellie!

DeniseinVA said...

Ellie looks adorable in her pretty pink dress, and what a great outing to celebrate her birthday, especially with Grandma and Grandpa. Loved this post! Great photos!

Cheryl @ TFD said...

She is a cutie! I love the look on her face in the middle of the first photo. Zoos are always a fun visit!

Elaine said...

Looks like a great birthday outing! Wonder who had more fun, Ellie or Grandpa.....

diane b said...

Great place for a birthday. Love your animal shots. Did I spy an Australian Kookaburra?

Connie said...

Great photos! I always enjoy a trip to the zoo. :-)