Arboretum Nacional Juan Bautista Salas

Park featuring rides, artificial lake with duck peddle boats, and sports venues.

The plaza-sized hilltop viewing platform on the northern lip of the crater of the Laguna de Tiscapa, known as Loma de Tiscapa, used to be the site of the presidential palace and the headquarters of the National Guard in the Somoza era (until they were destroyed in the earthquake of 1972); political prisoners were tortured in a prison close by. This is where you'll also find the landmark silhouette of Augusto C Sandino (with a little American tanquette next to it), as well as military memorials. The hill offers the best views in town, both to the downtown and Lake Managua to the north, and to the Carretera a Masaya area to the south. The Nicaraguan Army headquarters are located on the hill's northern slope, and are definitely not open to the public, though pedestrians are allowed on the street straight north from the hill, which is lined with large interpretive signs in Spanish about the military history of Nicaragua (from the Sandinista point of view, of course).

Your chance to see a lot of grayish-white concrete poured over AK-47s and one tank, which is supposed to symbolize everlasting peace in Nicaragua now that the Contra war is over, but this was largely replaced by Parque Luis Alfonso Velasquez Flores.

The first floor of the old national palace is now a museum featuring several salons with exhibits highlighting the indigenous Nahuatl people and the 2,500-year-old stone sculptures they left behind. A smattering of popular arts and cultural exhibits round out the museum, which also features a beautiful courtyard garden. A library (free entry; open Monday to Friday only) is on the second floor

Ruins of the city's old cathedral are a remembrance of the damage caused by a 1972 earthquake that destroyed much of central Managua. Due to structural damage caused by the earthquake, you're not allowed inside.