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Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Review

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Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Address: Between 111th St./Grand Central Pkwy and Van Wyck Expressway at 44th Ave., Flushing, NY, 11368 | Map It

Category: Sports Venues
Location: Queens

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Fodor's Review:

Standing in the lush grass of this park, you'd never imagine that it was once a swamp and a dumping ground. But the gleaming Unisphere (an enormous 140-foot-high steel globe) might tip you off that this 1,255 acre-park was also the site of two World's Fairs.

Many New Yorkers head to a specific attraction, such as a Mets game or the science museum, not realizing the many discoveries to be made nearby. But savvy visitors can take advantage of "one-stop park shopping." Here are not only typical grassy knolls, barbecue pits, and sports fields, but also an art museum, a petting zoo, golf and minigolf, and even a model-plane field. It is too large to see everything in one day, so aim to hit a few primary spots. Though several destinations are clustered together on the northwest side of the park, be prepared for long peaceful walks in between. The flat grounds are ideal for family biking; rent bikes near the park entrance or Meadow Lake from March to October. Although the park is great in daytime, avoid visiting once it gets dark; there has been some crime in this area.

At the northwestern edge of the park, the New York Hall of Science (718/699-0005. www.nyscience.org. $11; free Fri. 2-5 and Sun. 10-11 Sept.-June. Sept.-June, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30-2, Fri. 9:30-5, weekends 10-6; July and Aug., weekdays 9:30-5, weekends 10-6) has more than 400 hands-on exhibitions that make science a playground for inquisitive minds of all ages. Climb aboard a replica of John Glenn's space capsule, throw a fastball and investigate its speed, or explore Charles and Ray Eames's classic Mathematica exhibition.

Behind the Hall of Science lies the intimate Queens Zoo (718/271-1500. www.wcs.org. $6. Early Apr.-late Oct., weekdays 10-5, weekends 10-5:30; late Oct.-early Apr., daily 10-4:30; last ticket sold 30 mins before closing), whose small scale is especially well suited to easily tired young visitors. In only 11 acres you'll find North American animals such as bears, mountain lions, bald eagles, and pudu—the world's smallest deer. Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome from the 1964 World's Fair is now the aviary. Across the street is a petting zoo.

Between the zoo and the Unisphere, you'll find the Queens Museum of Art (718/592-9700. www.queensmuseum.org. $5 suggested donation. Sept.-June, Wed.-Fri. 10-5, weekends noon-5; call for extended hrs in July and Aug.) Don't miss the astonishing Panorama, a nearly 900,000-building model of NYC made for the 1964 World's Fair. Many unsuspecting park visitors looking for a bathroom instead find themselves spending hours checking out the intricate structures that replicate every block in the city. There are also rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and a permanent collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass.