Parque Roger Williams

El Parque Roger Williams (Roger Williams Park) es un parque natural de 427 acres y distrito histórico nacional situado al sur de Providence, Rhode Island. El parque acogió el nombre de uno de los fundadores de Rhode Island, el teólogo Roger Williams. El terreno para el parque fue un regalo de la población de Providence en 1871, in accordance with the will of Betsey Williams, the great-great-great-grand-daughter, and last surviving descendant of the founder to own the land. It had been the family farm and represented the last of the original land grant to Roger Williams in 1638 from Canonicus, chief of the Narragansett tribe. The family farmhouse (built in 1773), known as the Betsey Williams Cottage, and the Williams Family burial ground (including Betsey's grave) are still maintained within the Park.

The park also contains seven lakes which comprise approximately 98 acres. It is located in the southernmost part of the city of Providence bordering the city of Cranston. The park was designed by Horace Cleveland in 1878, and was constructed in the 1880s. Many of the roads, bridges and sidewalks were built by the Works Progress Administration from 1935 to 1940. Currently it contains the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, The RWP Botanical Center, the Japanese Gardens, the Victorian Rose Gardens, the Providence Police Department's Mounted Command center, the Dalrymple Boathouse and boat rentals, historical tours, a Carousel Village for children that includes the "Hasbro Boundless Playground" which is accessible for handicapped children, the Temple To Music, the Roger Williams Park Casino, large greenspaces, and many miles of walking paths.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has declared Roger Williams Park to be one of the finest urban parks in the U.S.