The most diverse and largest borough in NYC offers a variety of activities from a quiet and relaxed day at a museum to a getaway in a beach. Have a look at the list we’ve gathered with the best things to do in Queens.
1. Spend a day at a museum
Consider visiting at least one of these great museums: MoMA PS1, Noguchi Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park and Louis Armstrong House. The MoMA PS1 is one of the oldest and largest art institutions in the United States and it hosts a collection of the most experimental art in the world, also there’s free admission for IDNYC cardholders! Don’t miss the summer music festival ‘Warm Up’ with lots of emerging artists. Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park are just 5 minutes away, the first displays Isamu Noguchi’s architectural models, designs and drawings, and the second is an outdoor free museum that exhibits artists sculptures and you can also see movies in an outdoor cinema. The last museum is the actual place where Louis Armstrong lived, it now contains books, memorabilia, recordings and it even hosts musical performances.
2. Visit Queens’ largest park
The Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the fourth largest park in NYC and it has been elected twice to be home for the World’s Fair. There are several activities you can do since it contains Citi Field, where you can see the Mets play baseball; you can participate in the US Open held at the USTA National Tennis Center; you can as well visit New York Hall of Science, Queens Museum, Queens Zoo or even go fishing at Meadow Lake.
3. Surfing and diving
If you want to escape the city, Rockaway Beach is the best choice. This is the largest urban beach in the US and the only place for legal surfing in New York City. You can also dive and explore a sunken ship from Pier 5. There are seven playgrounds for kids to enjoy and adults can go fishing, sunning and swimming. It also has affordable and very tasty treats from a variety of street vendors and restaurants, like Rippers, that serves the best burgers with fresh potatoes. Besides, there’s an abandoned railroad that will possibly be transformed into an urban park for cyclists, pedestrians and artists.
4. Enjoy nature in a cageless zoo
Queens Zoo and Aquarium is located in Flushing Meadows Park and it is home to more than 75 species native to the Americas like Andean bears, pumas, coywolves, alligators and elks. This cageless zoo was opened in 1968 on the grounds of the World’s Fair, it was shortly closed between 1988 and 1992, and then it was reopened after a renovation. Book a guided tour and learn from wildlife and how to take care of them.
5. Bird watching
Jamaica Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel is home for more than 300 birds and other animal species. Take a break from the concrete jungle and head to this refuge to watch resident and migratory birds, as well as unique events that can only be seen here like the horseshoe crab mating and diamondback turtle egg laying.
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