Botaniska Trädgården
This park is the beauty oasis of Gothenburg, and is in fact the most dramatic, cultivated bit of nature in western Sweden. The botanic gardens were first opened to the public in 1923 and have been improved considerably over the years with better landscaping and more stunning plantings.

Children's Zoo
There's also a children's zoo at Slottsskogen from May to August.

Drottning Kristinas Jaktslott (Queen Christina's Hunting Lodge)
The rounded walls of this stone-sided house--the oldest in Gothenburg--were originally conceived in the 1600s as part of an outpouring of civic pride (or civic savvy) when it was designated as a hideaway for Queen Christina during her occasional visits from Stockholm. Although the queen didn't use it very frequently, its stone and wood interior still evokes the austere majesty of this deeply religious, deeply troubled 17th-century monarch.

Liseberg Park
Scandinavia's largest amusement park is more than 75 years old, and in terms of numbers of visitors, this is the number-one tourist attraction in Sweden. Some of Sweden's best performing artists entertain every summer at Stora Scenen, the park's main stage. The park's newest attraction is the Gasten Ghost Hotel filled with things that go bump in the night.

Kronhusbodarna
One of the architectural showpieces of Gothenburg, Kronhusbodarna was originally built in the 1650s; it's the oldest nonecclesiastical building in town. In the 1660s, it was pressed into service as the meeting place for the Swedish Parliament, which convened here hastily to welcome a visit from Charles X Gustav during his wars with Denmark.

Slottsskogen
With 274 acres, this is the largest park in Gothenburg. First laid out in 1874 in a naturally wooded area, today it has beautiful walks, animal enclosures, a saltwater pool, bird ponds, and an aviary, as well as a children's zoo (open May to August). A variety of events and entertainment take place here in summer.

Stadsbibliotek
Toward the end of the Avenyn is the public library, on the left at Gotaplatsen. This is the main library of Gothenburg, the home of some 450,000 volumes in 50 languages, and a café. The library also has a listening room with recorded music, as well as a reading room with more than 100 foreign daily newspapers. One hall features continuously changing exhibits.

Trädgårdsföreningen
Located across the canal from the Central Station, this park boasts a large Rosarium that flourishes with about 10,000 rose bushes of 4,000 different species. The park's centerpieces are the Palm House, a greenhouse maintained at subtropical temperatures even in the depths of winter, and a Butterfly House containing beautiful butterflies that flutter through a simulation of a natural habitat.