There is a zoo worth visiting that is aptly named Taman Hewan Pematangsiantar - animal garden of Pematangsiantar usually a zoo is Kebun Binatang in Indonesian. It has a good collection of Indonesian native animals, most notably birds, tigers and apes. The zoo itself boasts abundant tropical trees and plants, some of which are quite old. The location is surprisingly close to the main roads of the city within walking distance. Ticket price April 2009 is 7,000 IDR.
Another place of interest in the city is Vihara Avalokitesvara - a Buddhist Temple, which houses the Statue of Kwan Im Goddess of Mercy. At 22.8 meter high, is the tallest statue of its kind in Indonesia. The temple complex is accessible from Jl. Pane. It is part of the new temple complex and still under construction as of April 2009. Connected by a bridge, adjacent to the new complex across the river of Bah Bolon, the old building of the temple was burned completely in an inferno in May, 2008.
There are a few nice colonial style villas and houses from the Dutch era which can be found in and around the city center, e.g. the Balai Kota old city hall, the old and the new director's house of the Rumah Sakit Umum public hospital, the kantor pos post office, and some more - but most of them are horribly maintained.
