The capital city of Providence, RI is full of history and perfectly combines both city and beach to make it an excellent destination for visiting families. We’ve rounded up a number of our favorite family attractions below and our Providence events calendar is packed with daily story times, museum exhibits and movie nights. Book your time in Providence today!

photo: Providence Children’s Museum via yelp

Providence Children’s Museum
This museum offers hands-on, play-based exhibits and programs that explore arts, culture and science, technology, engineering and math. The museum’s hands-on learning environments and programs are designed for children ages 1 to 11 and their adult caregivers. Explore ice, mist and discover the swirling, whirling ways of water in an all-new water play environment! Explore a garden of native plants, a perfect place for a picnic lunch and for active outdoor play.

100 South St.
Providence, RI
Online: childrenmuseum.org

Providence Performing Arts Center 
The Providence Performing Arts Center is one of the most visually-stunning venues in the country as well as one of the most prestigious destinations for performing artists and companies.

220 Weybosset St.
Providence, RI
Online: providencetheater.com

Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
The Museum of Natural History is Rhode Island’s only natural history museum and is home to the state’s only public planetarium. For more than a century the museum has served as a unique educational, scientific and cultural resource by offering exciting exhibits and programming that provide ways for children and families to learn about our world and its people.

1000 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
Online: providenceri.gov

India Point Park
Located at the confluence of the Seekonk and Providence Rivers where they widen into Narragansett Bay, the Park is the only broad expanse of Bay shoreline in Providence accessible to the public.

India St.
Providence, RI
Online: riwaterfrontevents.com

photo: Shayna G. via yelp

Roger Williams Park Zoo
Located amid 40 acres of beautiful woodlands, the Roger Williams Park Zoo provides visitors the opportunity to see animals from all over the globe, some more than a million years old. Naturalistic surroundings are home to more than 100 species of animals including a Komodo dragon, as well as zebras, red pandas, African elephants, Masai giraffes, snow leopards, bears, flamingos, sloths, and more! Kids from two to 102 have the opportunity to feed giraffes and harbor seals, as well as an array of farmyard animals.

1000 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
Online: rwpzoo.org

Historic Federal Hill
Sip a strong espresso at an outdoor cafe, grab a quick pizza for lunch or dine in style at a gourmet Italian restaurant in this historic section of the city, also know as Little Italy. You’ll know you have arrived by the huge arched gateway, with a bronzed pine cone, which marks the entry to the neighborhood.

Providence, RI
Online: federalhillprov.com

Gondola Rides
Take a gondola ride through the Providence waterways with your family to see the sights of the Renaissance City like never before.

Online: gondolari.com

The Best Upcoming Events for Kids in Providence
If you’re looking for events and activities, don’t miss our local Providence events calendar, which has everything from story times to seasonal activities like apple picking, pumpkin patches, and Christmas tree farms.

—Kate Loweth

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