Created after the 1939–40 World’s Fair, Flushing Meadows Corona Park—the largest park in Queens—has attractions and activities for all kinds of visitors. You’ll find large swaths of green to play soccer, volleyball and cricket; cool playgrounds; scenic trails; a boating lake; major attractions such as the Queens Museum and the New York Hall of Science; and sporting hubs like the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and nearby Citi Field, home to baseball’s Mets. Next door, Etihad Park will be the home of soccer team New York City FC when it opens in 2027 and of Gotham FC the following season.
Use this list as a starting point for exploring one of the City’s favorite green spaces. Get there on the 7 train or the Long Island Rail Road to Mets–Willets Point at the northern end of the park.
Photo: Charles Sturges
Trawl the tempting stalls at Queens Night Market, featuring over 100 vendors selling merchandise, art and food outside the New York Hall of Science. The event takes place most Saturday evenings from April to October.
Courtesy, New York Hall of Science
Bring the kids to the New York Hall of Science, located in a building from the 1964–65 World’s Fair. This fascinating attraction brings STEM to life for all ages through its “Design Make Play” approach. The new CityWorks interactive exhibit explores the often unseen inner workings of urban centers, while the Great Hall holds the immersive Connected Worlds.
Check out large-scale remnants of both World’s Fairs. These provided the park with its most prominent features, including the futuristic New York State Pavilion and its observation towers (which famously starred in Men in Black and Iron Man 2), currently under renovation. The stainless steel Unisphere is the world’s largest globe, a Queens icon and popular spot for photo ops.
Queens Theatre. Photo: Shelli Weiler
Catch a performance at Queens Theatre. It’s another survivor from the 1964 World’s Fair and home to concerts, plays and dance. There’s a shuttle between the theater and the Mets–Willets Point #7 subway station that runs on certain performance days.
Panorama of New York City. Photo: Julienne Schaer
Admire the mind-blowing Panorama of the City of New York at Queens Museum. This room-sized scale model includes all of the City’s 895,000 buildings constructed prior to 1992, plus a few from afterward. The museum served as the New York City Building at the 1939–40 World’s Fair. Grab a coffee at the on-site Unisphere Café.
Rocket Thrower. Photo: Shelli Weiler
Seek out the iconic Rocket Thrower and Freedom of the Human Spirit. These are just two of several major sculptures and works of art in the park, most dating from the 1964 World’s Fair.
Take a break at the serene Pool of Industry. It’s connected to the Unisphere by an interactive mist garden—especially refreshing on summer days—and a concourse of now-empty but soon-to-be-redeveloped reflecting pools.
Fantasy Forest Amusement Park. Courtesy, NYC Parks
Let the kids let off steam at the Fantasy Forest Amusement Park, riding the borough’s only roller coaster and the historic Flushing Meadows Carousel from the 1964–65 World’s Fair.
Watch sea lions being fed or admire the exotic bird life inside the Aviary at Queens Zoo.
Show off your tricks at Maloof Skate Park, a sprawling space featuring multiple stairs and rails of different lengths as well as ledges, pyramids and banks. Bring your own board or skates.
Recharge at the small Garden of Meditation, a peaceful corner of the park featuring tablets with a quotation from Francis Bacon’s 1625 essay “Of Gardens” and various Bible verses.
Have some easygoing fun at Flushing Meadows Pitch & Putt, which comprises an 18-hole pitch-and-putt golf course and a mini-golf course with waterfalls, bridges and streams (open till 1am in summer). For pitch and putt, you can rent clubs and buy golf balls on-site.
World Ice Arena. Courtesy, NYC Parks
Go ice-skating at World Ice Arena inside the Aquatic Center; public skating sessions run seven days a week year-round. Skate rentals are available to those who don’t bring their own.
Sample a classic New York hot dog at Tommy’s Doghouse, a takeout food shack on Dinkins Circle. It also knocks out breakfast sandwiches, fries and burgers.
Attend the US Open in late summer at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, whether for fan week or to watch a day of matches. You can also rent a court during non-tournament times and play a few sets yourself.
Cherry Blossoms. Courtesy, NYC Parks
View rows of frothy deep pink cherry blossoms in the spring, as well as tulips, azalea, dogwood and horse chestnut (typically late March to May). The park’s grove of Okame cherry trees is often the first in the City to bloom; you’ll find them near the Unisphere and New York State Pavilion.
Let the kids loose at a park playground. Jurassic Playground features swings, play equipment with safety surfacing, Apatosaurus animal art and images of all sorts of dinosaurs; the Lawrence Playground has dolphin-shaped climbing structures; and the Playground for All Children was the first in the country designed for both children with disabilities and those without when it opened in 1984.
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Photo: Julienne Schaer
Have aquatic fun at Meadow Lake. You can stroll around it, rent bikes, kayaks or pedal boats or go fishing. It also hosts the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival every August. Trails wend around Willow Lake, a little farther south, named for the weeping willows along its banks.
Find Roman remains in Queens? Just east of the Unisphere, Column of Jerash, a Corinthian column erected in 120 AD by Romans in the ancient city of Jerash. King Hussein of Jordan donated it to the City during the 1964 World’s Fair. It’s been heavily damaged over the years, parts were recently removed for restoration, what is left has been capped and its future is uncertain.
Examine the Etched Granite Pavement, one of the park’s lesser-known gems, by New York–based artist Matt Mullican. Installed in 1995, its engraved blocks depict the history of the area, from prehistoric times through the World’s Fairs.
Citi Field. Courtesy, New York Mets
Cheer on the New York Mets at Citi Field, the stylish ballpark that replaced Shea Stadium in 2009. It’s always a thrill to see the giant Home Run Apple emerge after a Met hits a homer. You can visit the museum and Mets Hall of Fame on game days; one-hour tours are available many other days.
