Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Providence

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center opened in 2007, continuing a horticultural tradition disrupted when earlier park greenhouses were demolished for the construction of Route 10. Its glass-and-steel conservatory rises 40 feet and was designed to accommodate large tropical trees. Among its notable specimens is a Bismarck palm from Madagascar, recognised by its broad, silver-green fan-shaped leaves. Visitors can also see carnivorous plants, succulents, and cacti reaching about 10 feet.

Plant care follows an ecological approach. Three Nigerian Dwarf goats are walked through the grounds to graze on invasive plants, including Japanese knotweed and poison ivy. Staff also use biological pest management, maintaining trap plants that attract harmful insects and provide food for beneficial predators. During autumn, stems and seed heads remain standing to shelter native pollinators and feed birds through winter.

The center stands within a park that began with 102 acres bequeathed by Betsey Williams in 1871. Part of this land had earlier been shared with her ancestor Roger Williams by Narragansett sachems Canonicus and Miantonomo. The park later expanded to more than 435 acres, while the Botanical Center restored its lost greenhouse legacy with year-round indoor and outdoor gardens.