Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Roger Williams Park Botanical Center offers a beautiful experience with huge tropical plants and greenhouses that provide warmth, making it an excellent option even in winter. It features a dedicated kid play area and includes goats, offering good value for a low entry fee.
Key Highlights
- ✓Beautiful, exotic, and tropical plants housed in greenhouses, providing warmth and shelter, especially useful in winter.
- ✓Dedicated kid play area that reviewers found engaging (one even 'almost wanted to play myself').
- ✓Features goats, adding an extra element of interest for children.
- ✓Includes attractive decorations, ponds, water features, and a rose maze (some roses blooming even in winter).
- ✓Friendly staff.
- ✓Opportunities to access and explore other parts of the larger Roger Williams Park.
Standout Features
- ⭐Greenhouse environment ensures warmth and vibrant plant displays, making it suitable for cold weather visits.
- ⭐Kid play area provides an active outlet for children.
- ⭐Goats on-site.
- ⭐Rose maze and decorative ponds/water features.
- ⭐Quiet spots for adults to sit, read, draw, or work.
- ⭐Large areas to explore, both within the center and potentially in the surrounding park.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Exercise caution and avoid getting too close to plants due to reported mealy bug infestation.
- →If visiting with a baby and planning to explore trails in the wider park, prioritize baby-wearing over a stroller due to uneven terrain.
- →Consider visiting in winter to enjoy the warmth of the greenhouses and vibrant indoor greenery.
- →Plan for potential exploration of other parts of Roger Williams Park, especially for photo opportunities.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Plants are reportedly 'INFESTED' with mealy bugs, described as 'SO gross and distracting', with advice to 'don't get too close to anything'.
- ⚠Trails within the wider Roger Williams Park are not entirely stroller-friendly, requiring baby-wearing for better navigation.
Price & Value
The reported entry fee is $5, which one reviewer considered 'worth a visit' despite issues, indicating good value for money given the attractions and warmth provided.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Only parts of the wider park are stroller-friendly; baby-wearing is recommended for trails.
- •No other specific accessibility accommodations are mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No information available in the reviews regarding outside food or on-site dining options.
🚗Parking Info
- •No information available in the reviews regarding parking facilities or costs.
👥Crowd Levels
- •No information available in the reviews regarding typical crowd levels or peak times.
🛡️Safety Features
- •No specific safety features or measures are mentioned in the reviews.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Extensive exploration of park trails with a stroller, as many areas are not stroller-friendly.
- • Visiting if you or your children are highly sensitive to bugs, as a significant mealy bug infestation was reported on plants.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Hands-on Bonsai Workshop
$90.00Duration: 2 hours (10:30am-12:30pm)
Learn the ancient art of bonsai and take it home. We welcome you to relax in our greenhouse.
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
International Observe the Moon Weekend
October 4, October 5
Join the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park for International Observe the Moon Weekend! This global event invites citizens around the world to observe and learn.
📅Booking Policy
- • Option to 'Book Private Events' (Click to see lookbook).
- • 'Buy Tickets' link available (specific events not detailed).
🚗Parking Information
- • Directions available ('Get Directions'), implying parking access.
What People Say
What's Great
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 4 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Raychael Chavez Coombes
a month agoBeautiful place. Friendly staff. Huge tropical plants. Infested with mealy bugs. INFESTED!! It was SO gross and distracting. But it was only $5 and they do have goats. Worth a visit, but don't get too close to anything.
Terrence Irving
a month agoA wedding photographer's perspective: Roger Williams Botanical Center is an absolute dream of a wedding venue! I've worked her multiple times and it's always beautiful. The plant list makes for such a unique experience. I also appreciate the location; if you plan for it, you can access other parts of the park for photos. Highly recommended!
Angelica Gomez
a month agoCame here to see all the pretty plants and ended up being pleasantly surprised at everything I saw. This was my first time here and had no idea what to expect but I'm glad I came. Next time will bring the little ones after seeing the kid play area (I almost wanted to play myself) This is also one of those places where you can pull up a chair read a book, draw some sketches or just get some work done.
Tina Rubin
5 months agoWe’ve been here several times of year and even in dead of winter it’s an amazing park with such large areas to explore. When taking baby in a stroller though only parts of it are stroller friendly. If you’re going on the trails in the park better to baby wear and not use stroller.
Cam N530
6 months agoOh my goodness, so beautiful!!! 🤩 Plenty of exotic plants and most are in a greenhouse so they stay alive and you can stay warm while browsing at this time of year. Many decorations that suit the plants, especially the ponds and waters, most are big enough to take selfies with. Love the rose maze, even right now, some are still blooming, in the middle, there are even more pretty decorations.