Take the Kids to Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island

Throughout February, plan your next family travel to the award-winning Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence for half-price admission, during the zoo’s annual Winter Wonder Days. This is a good time to see the newly opened Faces of the Rainforest exhibit and meet the monkeys, birds, reptiles and amphibians native to the Amazon Rainforest.

The 40-acre zoo is one of the oldest in the country, but it’s the poster-child of modern zoo concepts, largely cage-free, with exhibits showcasing the animals’ natural habitats, the ecology and importance. Living in species-specific environments are African savannah animals including giraffe, elephant, zebra and wildebeest; elsewhere are alligators, kangaroos, red pandas and the rare snow leopard.

Exhibits are geared to various ages: Young children can climb into the treehouse and children of any age will love having their picture taken while they ride on a camel. The zoo is open Thursday–Monday on any February school week 10 a.m.–4 p.m., with timed-entry ticketing.

There’s a lot more to do in Roger Williams Park in the winter. The Botanical Center is New England’s largest indoor display garden, with five greenhouses full of plants. Feb. 15–21, kids can experiment and create with hands-on activities during Adventures in STEM at the park’s Museum of Natural History, while at the Planetarium they can discover the science of flight at daily full-dome shows.

Outdoors, the park is networked in walking trails, and on Feb. 21 1–2:30 p.m., the Roger Williams Park Conservancy will host a guided winter nature walk.