Change of pace – A letter from Gladys

Question

Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a city). Each thematic answer is notable enough to have its own article in the English Wikipedia, although not necessarily under the same name that is used here. The goal is to fill the grid, identify the thematic answers and guess the name of Gladys’s destination, which is not indicated in the grid.

Dear Puzzling,

Today I’m taking a break from all the sun and sand and have had to put on my winter jacket. I have been to an amusement park built around a tall observation tower, walked in a snow-covered garden, visited a few museums and tried some lovely local delicacies on a pictoresque marketplace. Can you guess where I am?

Wish you were here!
Love, Gladys.

Across
1. Section of Noah's Ark Annie mistook for a place with coasters (11)
7. Ex-leader of Barbados is after cow hide (5)
10. Rowdy fans disturbed a solo balloon flight, cutting one of the lines (8,9)
11. Natural corruption of Robin by Batman's side (6)
12. Maybe Antony and Cleopatra found a place to swing (10)
14. Industry's leading character actor did fudge lines written down as a memory aid (5,4)
15. As overheard: "Darned! A carbonated beverage?" (4)
18. Not quite close to young lady (4,4)
19. Nick showers after others (8)
21. A container with lid slightly open (4)
23. After 5 April, thousands enter the third museum built in an old factory building (9)
26. It has a revolving restaurant and a nun dancing with aliens (10)
28. Fruit essential to Algonquin celebration (6)
30. Set straight a Midlands idiot – run cutting-edge technology? (10,7)
31. Fictional places of worship, built to honour the Seven Clans (5)
32. Prepared for timeless weather phenomenon (2,5,4)

Down
1. In cuisine, cooked turkey's topping is very strongly suitable (10)
2. Nirvana's leader expressed: "Composition of In Bloom? Hard like a diamond!" (10)
3. Clad in gold, Robert (extravagant man) shows summertime attraction (9)
4. Death metal group from the south of Réunion Island in France (4)
5. Expelled criminal held axe (7)
6. Possibly poisonous plant has gold colour (5)
7. Outrageously rich pianist Garland made shrill, trilling sounds (7)
8. End of war upset immature SEAL (4,2)
9. Live deer is butchered (6)
13. Language analyser misinterpreted spear head in Rome (6)
15. Child who writes novels is kidnapped by agent that's inactive (6)
16. Luna took off with Gladys, touring Red Square (10)
17. Cricket shot is going in the wrong direction in really heartless game (6,4)
20. Kind of roll seen in hearings or assemblies of a legal nature (9)
22. Has a craving for enviable neighbours? (7)
23. Criminal inhabiting immoral community (7)
24. Opens organisation which has 193 members and zero supporters initially (6)
25. Exhausted professor originally supporting American academic domain (4,2)
27. Second place in judo taken by son of two Olympians, getting circular pieces of valuable metal perhaps minted in Athens (5)
29. One member of US left-wing party is the same as the previous one (4)

Answer 1

Gladys is in

Tampere, Finland

where she saw

the SARKANNIEMI theme park, the ARBORETUM, the VAPRIIKKI museum, the NASINNEULA tower, and the marketplace at LAUKONTORI.

Across

1. SARKANNIEMI substring Section of Noah's Ark Annie mistook for a place with coasters (11)
7. COWER ER (i.e., the Queen) after COW Ex-leader of Barbados is after cow hide (5)
10. FOOTBALL HOOLIGANS (A SOLO BALLOON FLIGHT - L)* Rowdy fans disturbed a solo balloon flight, cutting one of the lines (8,9)
11. INBORN ROBIN* + (-batma)N Natural corruption of Robin by Batman's side (6)
12. PLAYGROUND PLAY + GROUND Maybe Antony and Cleopatra found a place to swing (10)
14. IDIOT CARD (I(-ndustry) ACTOR DID)* Industry's leading character actor did fudge lines written down as a memory aid (5,4)
15. SODA homophone: SEWED A As overheard: "Darned! A carbonated beverage?" (4)
18. NEAR MISS ddef Not quite close to young lady (4,4)
19. RESTRAIN RAIN after REST Nick showers after others (8)
21. AJAR A JAR A container with lid slightly open (4)
23. VAPRIIKKI V + APR + KK in III After 5 April, thousands enter the third museum built in an old factory building (9)
26. NASINNEULA (A NUN ALIENS)* It has a revolving restaurant and a nun dancing with aliens (10)
28. QUINCE substring Fruit essential to Algonquin celebration (6)
30. INDUSTRIAL DIAMOND (A MIDLANDS IDIOT RUN)* Set straight a Midlands idiot – run cutting-edge technology? (10,7)
31. SEPTS ddef Fictional places of worship, built to honour the Seven Clans (5)
32. ST ELMO'S FIRE (FOR TIMELESS)* Prepared for timeless weather phenomenon (2,5,4)

Down

1. SUFFICIENT in (CUISINE* + T) is FF In cuisine, cooked turkey's topping is very strongly suitable (10)
2. RHOMBOIDAL (IN BLOOM HARD - N)* Nirvana's leader expressed: "Composition of In Bloom? Hard like a diamond!" (10)
3. ARBORETUM ROBERT* clad in AU, plus M Clad in gold, Robert (extravagant man) shows summertime attraction (9)
4. NILE (reunio)N + ILE Death metal group from the south of Réunion Island in France (4)
5. EXHALED (HELD AXE)* Expelled criminal held axe (7)
6. IVORY IVY contains OR Possibly poisonous plant has gold colour (5)
7. CHIRRED RICH* + RED Outrageously rich pianist Garland made shrill, trilling sounds (7)
8. WRAP UP WAR* + PUP End of war upset immature SEAL (4,2)
9. RESIDE (DEER IS)* Live deer is butchered (6)
13. PARSER SPEAR* + R(-ome) Language analyser misinterpreted spear head in Rome (6)
15. SLEEPY LEE kidnapped by SPY Child who writes novels is kidnapped by agent that's inactive (6)
16. LAUKONTORI (LUNA TOOK) + I, touring R* Luna took off with Gladys, touring Red Square (10)
17. INSIDE EDGE IS< in INDEED G(-am)E Cricket shot is going in the wrong direction in really heartless game (6,4)
20. TRIBUNALS BUN in TRIALS Kind of roll seen in hearings or assemblies of a legal nature (9)
22. JONESES ("keeping up with ...") Has a craving for enviable neighbours? (7)
23. VILLAGE LAG inhabiting VILE Criminal inhabiting immoral community (7)
24. UNZIPS UN + ZIP + S(-upporters) Opens organisation which has 193 members and zero supporters initially (6)
25. USED UP P(-rofessor) supporting US + .EDU Exhausted professor originally supporting American academic domain (4,2)
27. EUROS (-j)U(-do) taken by EROS Second place in judo taken by son of two Olympians, getting circular pieces of valuable metal perhaps minted in Athens (5)
29. IDEM I + DEM(ocrat) One member of US left-wing party is the same as the previous one (4)

Grid: