Montevideo is a city with many green spaces to go to rest, drink yerba mate or play sports. Some of them are:
Parque Rodo: Situated opposite the Playa Ramirez and close to essential parts of the city such as the Teatro de Verano (a popular stage where the Official Competition of Carnaval Associations takes place), the imposing building of eclectic style that is home to the Mercosur, the Stadium of the Football club Defensor Sporting and the National Museum of Visual Arts. It has large green spaces, two theme parks (one for children and one for adults), two lakes, one of them with small boats to sail, fountains and an Andalusian patio. On weekends it houses one of the most important fairs in the city.
Parque Batlle: a green space with large trees, where you can find the Centenario Stadium, the athletics track, the Municipal Velodrome, two smaller football stadiums and the monument La carreta, a work of Uruguayan sculptor José Belloni. It is located near the Bus Terminal, and the Pocitos and Buceo neighbourhoods.
Parque del Prado: One of the largest green spaces in Montevideo and also a very popular tourist area because of the multitude of museums and gardens in the area. The Museo Juan Manuel Blanes, where works of national, Latin American and European art from the fifteenth to the twentieth century are exhibited, the Japanese Garden, the elegant Hotel del Prado, the Presidential House, the Botanical Garden, which has a variety of trees, flowers and aquatic plants, the Rose Garden with over 300 varieties of antique and modern roses, are all found here. Finally in this area is la Rural, home of La Criolla, an annual event that combines a rural exhibition, conferences, musical performances, cuisine as well as traditional payada (song improvisation) contests and the biggest attraction; the Rodeo Competition.
