68 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Queens - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Queens

Queens, New York

Surreal Elevator

Nondescript elevator doors open to reveal a stunning, surreal world.

Queens, New York

Fort Totten

Read between the lines of the subway map to find the hidden abandoned Civil War fort.

Queens, New York

Houdini's Grave

The final resting place of the great escape artist, where some still gather to wait for his escape from death.

Queens, New York

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

The remnants of two World's Fairs are here, complete with a 12-story globe, a mini-Manhattan, and a UFO-shaped pavilion.

Queens, New York

The Ganesh Temple of Queens

This enormous Hindu temple in Queens serves incredible dosas in its basement canteen.

Queens, New York

Panorama of the City of New York

A 9,335 square foot architectural model of the entire city.

Queens, New York

The Underground Home

A hyper-luxurious, 12,000- square foot home might be buried beneath Queens, still waiting to protect you from nuclear missiles.

Queens, New York

TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport

This futuristic airport terminal was built in the 1960s and abandoned for years before opening as a hotel.

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30 Unexpected Places to Have a Joyful Adventure in New York City

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Brooklyn, New York

New York Transit Museum

Ride the subways of yesteryear.

Bronx, New York

Bronx Zoo Bug Carousel

The first and only carousel with a lineup entirely of insects.

New York, New York

Tannen's Magic Shop

New York's oldest magic store.

Brooklyn, New York

Sunshine Laundromat

One of New York's best collections of pinball is hidden in a secret bar in the back of this laundromat.

Brooklyn, New York

Coney Island Museum

An oasis of calm amid the chaos of the boardwalk, the museum traces the heritage of this beloved beachside amusement park.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Queens

Queens, New York

The Ganesh Temple of Queens

This enormous Hindu temple in Queens serves incredible dosas in its basement canteen.

Queens, New York

Brooklyn Grange Farms and Apiary

Two New York rooftops are home to the largest rooftop soil farms in the world.

Queens, New York

Cassinelli Pasta

The oldest pastificio in Queens offers visitors fresh noodles and a peek inside the macaroni-making magic.

Queens, New York

Lhasa Fast Food

A hidey-hole sandwiched between cellphone, DVD, and jewelry stores features Tibetan delights.

See all 17 places to eat in Queens See all 17 places to eat in Queens

Atlas Obscura Trips

Only in Queens: Tasting Our Way Through New York’s Most Diverse Borough

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Recent Queens Activity

gparadela2 has been to Surreal Elevator

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Stories About Queens

Why Do Tennis Crowds Have to Be So Quiet?

The game's long, weird, elitist history provides some clues.

by Dan Nosowitz

August 11, 2020

This portrait of late doctor Ydelfonso Decoo is in the Queens Museum parking lot.

This Mural in Queens Highlights COVID-19's Impact on People of Color

An image of a brave doctor, large enough to be seen from space.

by Matthew Taub

Checking In on the Algae of a Brooklyn Reservoir With a Microbiologist

Sally Warring knows a lot about what we can't see.

by Sabrina Imbler

December 10, 2019

In this image looking southeast at the border between Queens and Brooklyn, the area briefly known as Haberman is at center-left, beside Newtown Creek.

The Brief, Baffling Life of an Accidental New York Neighborhood

Welcome to Haberman, Queens: Population 0.

by Isaac Schultz

October 15, 2019

Sesame and poppy seeds, dried onion and garlic, coarse salt. In a word: Everything.

Everything You Need to Know About the True Origins of the Everything Bagel

There's a lot of history in every bite.

by Dan Nosowitz

The architecture is Art Deco meets Mediterranean.

You Can Have This Historic Queens Diner For Free

But you only have a month to pick up your order.

by Evan Nicole Brown

A baby Kemp's ridley sea turtle, one of the first ever born in New York.

96 Rare Baby Sea Turtles Just Hatched in Queens, New York

If they can make it there, they'll make it anywhere.

October 3, 2018

Elmhurst Dairy in Jamaica, Queens, closes this week.

Inside the Final Days of New York City's Last Dairy

Elmhurst Dairy closes its doors in late October. What happens when a metropolis loses milk?

by Marguerite Holloway

October 30, 2016

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Lists Featuring Queens