Parque Quinta Normal is a large public park in the Quinta Normal commune west of the centre, ringed by a collection of museums that makes it unusually worthwhile for a park visit. The Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (Chile's natural history museum), the Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología, and the railway museum all have their buildings within or adjacent to the park. The park itself has an artificial lake, large old trees, and the extraordinary 1875 iron greenhouse — now empty, slightly dilapidated, and beautiful for exactly that reason.
The park is popular with families on weekends, when it fills with cyclists, families picnicking, and teenagers making use of the lake. It is also a useful transport node: the Quinta Normal metro station is at the park's eastern edge, and the Matucana 100 cultural centre is immediately to the west.