16 Best Sights in Queens, New York City

Opened in 2009, the Mets' stadium was designed to harken back to Brooklyn's Ebbets Field (where the Dodgers played until 1957), with a brick exterior and lots of fun features for fans of all ages, from a batting cage and Wiffle-ball field to the original giant apple taken from the team's old residence, Shea Stadium. Even those who aren't Mets fans but simply love baseball should come to see the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, a soaring multistory entrance and history exhibit dedicated to the Dodgers player who shattered baseball's color barrier. While here, don't miss the chance to taste your way through the fabulous food court, set behind center field (on the Field Level), where you'll find Shake Shack burgers and Pig Beach BBQ. Still feeling nostalgic for the old Shea? Stop by the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum (located by the Bullpen Gate). Behind the scenes ballpark tours (starting at $25) are available year-round; see mlb.com/mets/tickets/tours for schedule and ticketing info.

Although it's full of Hollywood and television memorabilia, this museum's core exhibition is Behind the Screen, which demonstrates how movies and TV shows are produced and shown and has stations where you can create your own short animation, experiment with sound effects, or view the behind-the-scenes editing process of a live Mets baseball game. The Jim Henson Exhibition tells the stories of Henson's film and TV works and has a build-a-muppet station. A wide range of films (more than 400), from classic Hollywood to avant-garde works to foreign-festival hits, is generally shown on weekend evenings and afternoons. Special programs include film retrospectives, lectures, and workshops, as well as daily short films in Tut's Fever Movie Palace, a fab Red Grooms-- and Lysiane Luong–designed installation.

Stretching almost the entire length of the peninsula, this beach is separated into sections according to and labeled with the nearest cross street. In order to prevent erosion that worsened after Hurricane Sandy, certain sections of the beach are closed on various days, so check the website for details. The adjoining concrete boardwalk becomes a see-and-be-seen bazaar in the height of summer. Bikers, strollers, joggers, and rollerbladers all share space with day-trippers trying to spot their friends on the sand. There are also plenty of eateries and some swimsuit and surf shops for browsing. Amenities: food and drink; toilets; lifeguards (in season). Best for: swimming; walking; surfing; partiers.

The gleaming Unisphere (an enormous, 140-foot-high, steel globe) might tip you off that this 898-acre park, which is the largest in the borough, was the site of two World's Fairs. Take advantage of the park's barbecue pits, seasonal boat and kayak rentals, sports fields, and cultural festivals, but don't forget the art museum, science hall, zoo, theater, carousel, indoor pool, ice-skating rink, pitch-and-putt and mini-golf courses, and model-airplane field. Set aside a day to hit a few primary spots: several are clustered together on the park's northwest side, but reaching others will require long (though peaceful) walks.

The outdoor Queens Night Market ( www.queensnightmarket.com) is held Saturday evening, late April through October, near the New York Hall of Science. It's reminiscent of Asia's popular food markets and generally has about 100 vendors serving flavorful, often-adventurous global fare.

The flat grounds are ideal for family biking; bike rentals are available at two locations from March to early November.

The park is open from 6 am to 9 pm, 365 days a year (as in most city parks, exercise caution when visiting outside daytime hours).

A former military site, this section of the Rockaway peninsula is still dotted with intriguing detritus. Two brutalist concrete batteries—Battery Harris West and Battery Harris East—are covered in graffiti and overgrown plant life, making for astonishing sights and choice photo backdrops. There are also two other batteries buried beneath the sand, as well as an underground missile silo, but you'll largely have to imagine what those looked like as they're blocked by a tall chain-link fence. Thanks to its relative inaccessibility (you really need a car, or be prepared to take a long subway ride followed by a bus), the beach itself remains blissfully empty for much of the year. Amenities: toilets. Best for: swimming; solitude.

Mosey down to this 12-acre waterfront park for sweeping views of Midtown Manhattan across the East River. The atmospheric stretch comes with piers, manicured lawns, Adirondack chairs, and well-designed benches. It also has interesting relics that nod to Long Island City's industrial past, including towering, restored old gantries (once used as shipping lifts between barges and rail cars) that fringe the river and a massive bright red Pepsi-Cola sign that once stood atop a factory here. There are often food trucks lined along Center Boulevard, the road directly next to the park.

For the last 28 years of his life, the famed jazz musician lived in this modest three-story house with his wife, Lucille. Take a 40-minute guided tour (reservations required in advance; departs on the hour, last tour at 3 pm), which are limited to 10 guests per tour. Note the difference between the rooms vividly decorated by Lucille in charming mid-century style and Louis's dark den, cluttered with phonographs and reel-to-reel tape recorders.

In 1985, the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904–88) transformed this former industrial plant into a showcase for his modernist and earlier works. A peaceful central garden is surrounded by galleries, showing a comprehensive selection of Noguchi’s sculptures in stone, metals, paper, and ceramics, as well as architectural models, drawings, designs, and photographs. Temporary exhibits rotate, like their 40th anniversary exhibit, along with collaborations with other artists. The museum is about a mile from subway stops, but less than half a mile from the Astoria stop on the NYC Ferry; check the website for complete directions.

Adjacent to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, these 39 acres include rose and herb gardens, an arboretum, and plantings especially designed to attract bees and birds. An environmentally friendly visitor center uses solar energy and recycles gray water. To learn more about what you're looking at, use the garden's guides, like the summer plant walk guide, the Indigenous Heritage plant guide, or the winter plant walk guide.

Between the zoo and the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park lies the Queens Museum. Don't miss the astonishing Panorama of the City of New York, a nearly 900,000-building model of NYC made for the 1964 World's Fair, and the world's largest scale model. There are also rotating exhibitions of contemporary art, a massive map of the NYC water supply system, a permanent collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass, and an ongoing a mural display by Caroline Kent. Parking is free but limited.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is home to the intimate Queens Zoo, featuring animals of North and South America. The 18-acre facility includes pumas, Andean bears, Canadian lynx, and southern pudus, the world’s smallest deer species. The zoo also maintains a farm with domestic animals including sheep, goats, horses, rabbits, and more. The last ticket is sold 30 minutes before closing.

Founded by artists in 1928 to exhibit innovative contemporary work, SculptureCenter occupies a former trolley repair shop that was renovated by artist Maya Lin in 2002 and expanded by Andrew Berman Architect in 2014; it's not far from MoMA PS1. Indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces close between shows; see the website for details or call ahead before visiting.

In 1986, local artist Mark di Suvero and other residents rallied to transform what had been an abandoned landfill and illegal dump site into this 5-acre waterfront park devoted to public art. Today, a superb view of the East River and Manhattan frames changing exhibitions of contemporary sculptures and topical multimedia installations. A farmers' market, outdoor yoga, and free public programs, including workshops and performances, are offered seasonally April to October. Socrates is open 365 days a year, 9 am to sunset, but the best time to visit is during warmer months.

Each year, from late August through early September, approximately 1 million fans come here for the U.S. Open, which claims the title of highest-attended annual sporting event in the world. The rest of the year, the 34 courts (19 outdoor and 12 indoor, all DecoTurf, plus three stadium courts) are open to the public for $40–$80 hourly. Ball machine rentals are also available for $18 per hour. Make reservations up to two days in advance. Parking is free but limited.