Twice the host of a World’s Fair and home to one of New York’s most futuristic icons, Flushing Meadows Corona Park is Queens’ giant backyard — and at 897 acres, it is even bigger than Central Park.
The park’s superstar is the Unisphere: a 140-foot-tall stainless steel globe built for the 1964 World’s Fair, surrounded by dancing fountains. It is one of the most photographed landmarks in New York and a proud symbol of global unity and hope for the future. The park also hosted the 1939 World’s Fair, and echoes of that space-age optimism remain everywhere.
Today the park is pure joy: Meadow Lake for boating, wide lawns for picnics and soccer, playgrounds, and the Queens Museum, housed in the old World’s Fair building. It is a favorite gathering place for Queens’ wonderfully diverse communities, and weekends here feel like a festival of the whole world.
It is ideal for families, space-age architecture fans and picnickers. Practical tip: take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point, bring a kite — the open lawns around the Unisphere are perfect for flying one — and stay for the golden-hour light on the globe. The park is free and open daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Kidfly182
