The city's largest park covers 17 hectares on the southern edge of the centre, designed in the 1890s by Charles Thays — the French-Argentine landscape architect who shaped most of Argentina's great urban parks. There is an artificial lake with paddle boats, a large rose garden, a small zoo, and broad lawns that fill on weekends with families grilling asado.
The park is bordered by several of the city's major museums and by the National Observatory on its western edge. It is also the main outdoor venue for the city's festivals, from rock concerts to the annual book fair.