Park It On The Green
Queens Greenspots & Playgrounds
Queens’ most famous landmark is in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. |
Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island are all green with envy over Queens’ Greenspots – all 7,106 acres of them. This spacious borough is filled with parklands, playgrounds, traffic triangles, public gardens and green street spots.
The parks in Queens are as diverse as the borough’s residents – from beaches on the Rockaway coast to Astoria Park’s 14 tennis courts, there is something for everyone with the bike trails, running paths, swimming pools, concert halls, carousels, horseback riding, sculpture gardens and more.
The largest park in Queens is Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which hosts not only Queens residents looking to relax, but also the New York Mets, the U.S. Open at the USTA Tennis Center, the New York Hall of Science, Queens Theatre in the Park, the Queens Museum of Art and several remnants from the two World’s Fairs. Probably the most prominent of all remains the Unisphere, which has become a symbol for the borough.
Below is a listing of Queens’ parks the New York City Parks Department operates and maintains.
Enjoy a view of the Triboro Bridge from Astoria Park. Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen |
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park: At 1,255 acres, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is the second largest park in the city and host to the USTA U.S. Open and The New York Mets in Shea Stadium. The park also includes the Queens Museum of Art, Queens Zoo, Hall of Science and Queens Theatre, attractions that draw locals and visitors to the borough’s liveliest park. It is also home to the first playground in the United States built for disabled and able-bodied children. The playground is located near 111th street and Corona Avenue.
Forest Park : Another premier green place, Forest Park is located among five neighborhoods: Richmond Hill, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Glendale and Kew Gardens. With 538 acres to romp through, Forest Park offers trails for horseback riding and walking or jogging. The park also features the City’s only wheelchair softball field, which was unveiled in March 2000. The Bandshell, originally constructed in 1898, serves as a venue for musical performers, including Sunday afternoon appearances by the Queens Symphony Orchestra.
Kissena Park : The place for bocce, tennis or early morning Tai Chi, this quaint refuge in Flushing is smaller than the others, but still packed with plenty of recreational opportunities, like golfing at the Kissena Park Golf Course or cycling at the Velodrome on Booth Memorial Avenue and Parsons Boulevard. Since a revamp of Kissena Lake several years ago, the looping path around it is often filled with joggers, walkers and fishers.
Jamaica Bay: This 9,000-acre bird sanctuary is known for some of best bird-watching on the eastern seaboard, where migrating birds flock during their journey South. A 1 ½ mile trail weaves through the salt marshes; the wildlife refuge is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Alley Pond Park: Extending from Little Neck Bay to Springfield Boulevard and Union Turnpike, this 654-acre park is the second largest in Queens and consists of an environmental center, baseball and football fields, and a path for biking, walking or running, which was the first of its kind in the City park system when it was created in 1935. The origin of “The Alley” name is still debated, but it is believed the park was a passage for travelers heading to Long Island, including George Washington in 1790.
Juniper Valley Park: This park became part of the park system after the City acquired it to settle a tax dispute with Arnold Rothstein, most famous for accusations that he rigged the 1919 World Series. The 55-acre plot of land earned its name from the nearby Juniper Valley Swamp and in the early 1940s the bog was transformed into a recreational destination with new fields and paths. Today, the Juniper Park Civic Association maintains the park and lobbies for its needs.
Playgrounds
Playground for all Children in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Bay Terrace Playground (PS 169)
Bellaire Playground (PS 135)
Bulova Park (Moser Playground)
Dry Harbor Playground
Francis Lewis Playground
Glendale Playground
Linden Park (Park of the Americas)
London Planetree Playground
Marconi Park
Painters Playground (PS 174) (Mount Playground)
Queensbridge Park
Sandpiper Playground in Rockaway Beach
Schneiderman Playground (PS 232) (Linden Woods)
Smokey Oval
Sobelsohn Playground
Utopia Playground
Windmuller Park (Doughboy Plaza)
OUTDOOR POOLS
Astoria
19th Street and 23rd Drive
(718) 626-8620)
Fisher
99th Street and 32nd Avenue
(718) 779-8356
Liberty
173rd Street and 106th Avenue
(718) 657-4995
OUTDOOR TRACKS
Astoria Park
Astoria South and 18th St.
Forest Park
Myrtle Ave. and Woodhaven Blvd.
½ mile bike track.
Kissena Park
½ mile bike track
160th Street and Booth Memorial Boulevard
Windmuller Park
39 Drive and 52 Street
Juniper Valley Park
Juniper Blvd and 71 Street
Astoria Athletic Field
2 Street, 26 Ave. and East River
Liberty Park
Colden and Juniper Streets.
173 St & 105 Ave.
DOG RUNS
Windmuller Park (Doughboy Plaza): Woodside Ave., 54 and 56th Streets.
Veteran’s Grove: Judge St. and Whitney Ave.
Underbridge Dog Run: 64 Ave/ 64 Road on Grand Central Parkway
Cunningham Park : 193rd St. between Aberdeen Road and Radnor Road
K-9 Dog Run (Forest Park): Park Lane South and 85th Street.
Little Bay Dog Run: Cross Island Parkway between Clearview Expressway and Utopia Parkway
Murray Playground: 21st Ave & 45th Road (southeastern side of the park)
BARBEQUE AREAS
Alley Athletic Field: Union Turnpike & Winchester Boulevard
Alley Pond Park: Winchester Boulevard & Grand Central Parkway
Brookville Park: Brookville Boulevard & South Conduit Avenue
Cunningham Park: 193rd Street & Union Turnpike
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park: Jewel Avenue & Van Wyck Expressway (Meadow Lake)
Forest Park - Woodhaven Boulevard & Forest Park Drive
Springfield Playground - 147th Avenue & Springfield Boulevard (Behind Park House)
CRICKET FIELDS
Baisley Pond Park: North Conduit Ave. & Baisley Blvd
Baisley Park South: 150th St. & 134th Ave.
Kissena Corridor Park: Peck Ave. & Underhill Ave.
Cunningham Park: Tennis Horace Harding Expwy. & Grand Central Pkwy.
St. Albans Park: Merrick Blvd., 173 Pl., Sayers Ave.
COMPLETE LIST OF PARKS
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Forest Park
Alley Pond Park
Cunningham Park
Astoria Park
Queensbridge Park
Herman A. MacNeil Park
Francis Lewis Park
Kissena Park
Highland Park
Crocheron Park
Edward Byrne Park
Baisley Pond Park
Springfield Park
Idlewild Park
Rockaway Community Park
Jacob Riis Park
Socrates Sculpture Park
—Sources: New York City Department of Parks, Queens Borough President’s Office, wirednewyork.com, John Roleke, about.com.
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