Roger Williams Park Zoo, in Providence, Rhode Island, doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers. Its group visits page does list a rate for self-guided groups of 10 or more paying guests: $20 per adult and $14 per child ages 2 to 12, paid when you arrive.
That’s the number to plan a class trip around. If you’re visiting with your own family, the Visiting On Your Own section covers Free First Saturdays, the military discount and the other ways the zoo’s discounts page says to save.
How To Get The Roger Williams Park Zoo Teacher Discount
The zoo calls these self-guided field trips, and you pay on arrival rather than ahead of time. To book, you give the zoo an estimated headcount. When you arrive, the zoo collects the final headcounts and calculates your totals. Payment is due in full by cash, check or credit card at the time of the visit, and purchase orders aren’t accepted, so a school that pays by purchase order should ask the zoo how to handle it.
The group prices on the page are $20 for adults, $14 for children ages 2 to 12 and $16 for seniors ages 62 and over. Toddlers age 1 and under are free. There’s no limit to the number of groups allowed each day, and the page says Fridays in May and the start of summer are the most popular time for visits.
If you’d rather buy tickets ahead, the page describes two options. Buying scheduled e-tickets online saves $2 on each ticket once you add at least 10 paid tickets to your cart for a date and time you pick, and the zoo says all of those sales are non-refundable and non-transferrable. For a very large trip, the bulk discount starts at 100 paid tickets in one order and brings the price to $17 per adult and $11 per child ages 2 to 12.
The groups page also lists a few add-ons. A private lunch space for the group starts at $150 for a 90-minute reservation, and the zoo asks you to email GSales@rwpzoo.org with your visit date and group size. Its private educational programs meet Rhode Island educational benchmarks, and the page offers field trip resource guides for your class, including A Bug’s World and self-guides for grades 1 through 5.
Visiting On Your Own
The discounts and offers page says the zoo has a few limited ways to save, and it doesn’t list one for teachers. The best known is Free First Saturdays: the first Saturday of every month is free to residents of the City of Providence, not East or North Providence. You show a valid ID and proof of residency at the ticket window, and you don’t need to reserve in advance.
Active and retired US military veterans get 50% off regular daytime admission with a valid military ID plus another form of ID, for up to four people in a party of immediate family members. Those tickets are based on availability and have to be bought in person. Members of many AZA accredited zoos and aquariums get a discount on daytime admission with their membership card and an additional ID. The page also says libraries in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts offer a library pass discount on daily admission, so it’s worth asking at your local branch. Winter Wonder Days bring half-priced admission for the first three months of the year.
The page says these offers exclude special events and programs and can’t be combined with other offers.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The group visits page mentions a Providence School discount, and it points to the Groups Policies & Procedures Guide for the details, along with the chaperone policy and the payment requirements. We didn’t open that guide, so ask the zoo what the Providence School discount covers and who qualifies before you count on it. The pages we read don’t list a separate teacher admission rate, and they don’t say how many adults the zoo counts as free chaperones.
Q&A
Is there a teacher discount at Roger Williams Park Zoo?
Not for individual teachers on the pages we read. Groups of 10 or more paying guests get a discounted rate, and the page lists $20 per adult and $14 per child ages 2 to 12.
Do we pay ahead for a self-guided group visit?
No. The page says self-guided groups pay on arrival, in full, by cash, check or credit card. Purchase orders aren’t accepted.
How do we book?
The page asks for an estimated headcount to book, and the zoo collects the final headcounts when you arrive.
Can we buy tickets before the trip?
Yes. E-tickets for a date and time you pick save $2 each when you buy at least 10, and sales are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
Is there a rate for a very large group?
The page lists $17 per adult and $11 per child ages 2 to 12 for orders of 100 or more paid tickets.
Can our group reserve a lunch space?
Yes. The page says prices begin at $150 for a 90-minute reservation. Email GSales@rwpzoo.org with your visit date and group size.
Who gets Free First Saturdays?
Residents of the City of Providence, not East or North Providence, with a valid ID and proof of residency.
More Information:
The details above come from Roger Williams Park Zoo’s own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
