Formerly a residence of the Portuguese imperial family in Rio, this huge mansion now serves as the National Museum, whilst its gardens encompass the Rio Zoo and the vast public park known as Quinta da Boa Vista. At weekends, families flock from surrounding suburbs to make the most of the refreshing wide open space, while the museum itself is home to Latin America's biggest scientific archives, with more than three thousand exhibits including the continent's largest collection of neotropical primates.