This place was probably the most spectacular inner-city gardens I have seen. Jardins de Luxembourg was the name, and it apparently was an old castle/mansion whose owners donated the gardens to the City. (I did not know it at the time of our visit, but learned that the French Senate now uses the mansion as its seat.)
Green grass fields, flower-filled gardens, pathways, trees, tennis courts, sandboxes, merry-go-rounds, horse-back riding for kids, to name a few of the amenities. In the center was the mansion with the grounds fronting it - a huge fountain/pond, statues, and well-manicured lawns. While it did not seem crowded at all, there were probably thousands of visitors and children enjoying the park. Even though tired from the long walk, we had fun exploring many parts of the park. It even had a small-scale Statue of Liberty with a plaque noting the history of the statue and the gift to America.