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Museum of the Moving Image
35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria
718-784-0077
The only museum in the United States entirely devoted to the arts, history and technology of film and motion, especially television and video. Offers exhibits, screenings, collections and interpretive programs. Admission is $10 (adults), $7.50 (seniors over 65, students), $5 (children ages 5 to 18). Film screenings are included with admission. Open: Wednesdays and Thursdays: 11:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Fridays: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (free after 4 p.m.); Saturdays and Sundays: 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Alley Pond Environmental Center
228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston
718-229-4000
Designated a National Environmental Study Area in 1979, Alley Pond was saved from the ravages of progress by concerned citizens, and today it is home to a diverse variety of wildlife and habitats. Workshops and nature walks for entire family. Hours: Trails open dawn to dusk, daily. Center, open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays; 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission: free.
Bowne House
37-01 Bowne St., Flushing
718- 359-0528
Tours temporarily suspended while the house is under renovation. Maintained by the Bowne House Historical Society, the house was built in 1661, 1680, and 1696 by religious leader John Bowne and is filled with his original furnishings of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It is the oldest house in Queens and is on the national registry of historic places and designated as a New York City landmark. Bowne House hosts an annual Fourth of July celebration and a Christmas candlelight tour in mid-December. Guided tours offered Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tours for groups offered weekdays by appointment by calling 718-762-3004. Closed mid-December through Jan. 1 and all federal holidays with the exception of July 4. Admission is $5, $4 seniors, $3 students and children.
Greek Cultural Center
27-18 Hoyt Ave., Astoria
718-726-7329
The center hosts programs related to Greek culture.
King Manor Museum
153rd Street and Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica
718-206-0545
The 29-room house was the home from 1805 to 1827 of Rufus King, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, one of New York's first two senators and America's first ambassador to Great Britain. It is the among the oldest historic house museums in the country. A brief introductory video and a guided tour of the early 19th century period rooms are offered along with information about King and his family, the early history of Jamaica and daily life during the early 19th century. Special programs and activities for both children and adults are available. Guided tours of King Manor Museum are offered February to December on Thursdays and Fridays noon to 2 p.m., every 1/2 hour (last tour 1:30 p.m.); Saturdays and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., every 1/2 hour (last tour 4:30 p.m.). Suggested Admission: $5 (adults), $3 (seniors and students), children aged 4 to 16 Free. Open: Thursday to Friday, Monday to Wednesday. School and group by appointment, Thursday to Friday, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Weekends, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
LaGuardia and Wagner Archives
31-10 Thomson Ave., Long Island City
718-482-5065
Features a variety of exhibits on the history of New York City with a major emphasis on its mayors. Visitors may use the archives for free. Open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays are free admission.
Living Museum
Creedmoor Psychiatric Center
80-45 Winchester Blvd., Queens Village
718-264-3490
This is the only museum in the U.S. dedicated to the mentally ill. The building features a 40,000-square-foot multimedia installation created by hospital patients which includes thousands of paintings, murals, sculptures and poems. Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. except Wednesdays, which are 9 a.m. to noon, by appointment only.
Holocaust Resource Center and Archives
Queensborough Community College
222-05 56th Ave., Bayside
718-281-5770
The center houses an extensive and expanding collection of books, documents (including nearly 400 doctoral dissertations on microfilm), and audio-visual materials for use by students, teachers, scholars and others interested in events surrounding and relating to the Holocaust. Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Louis Armstrong House and Archives
34-56 107th St., Corona
718-478-8274
Opened in 1998, this former home of jazz great Louis Armstrong has been converted into a museum and educational center. Entertaining and informative slide/tape presentations are based on treasures from the archives. View photographs, scrapbooks and manuscripts and listen to some of Armstrong's recordings. Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $8 (adults), $6 (seniors, students, and children). Guided 40-minute tours of the House leave every hour, on the hour.
Museum for African Art
36-01 43rd Ave., Long Island City
718-784-7700
The Museum for African Art galleries are closed until it moves into new quarters in Manhattan, but will be organizing temporary exhibits throughout New York City. Its offices and museum store are open. The museum is dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation of African art and culture. It is recognized worldwide as the pre-eminent organizer of exhibitions and devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary African art. Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th St., Flushing
718-699-0005
Located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, this museum has been ranked as one of the best in the country. It has more than 160 exhibits, most of which are hands-on for both children and adults. Don't miss the 30,000-square-foot science playground exhibit and the outdoor laboratory – open April through November – where experiments are performed on more than two dozen pieces of equipment. Hours: September – June, closed Monday; Tuesday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday; 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (free 2 – 5 p.m.); Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (free Sunday 10 – 11 a.m.); July and August, Monday – Friday
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday
10 am – 6 p.m. Admission: Adults: (age 18 and over) $11, Children: (2 to 17, college w/ID) $8, Senior Citizens: (age 62 and over) $8. Science Playground fee: $3 per person, $2 for groups, plus general Hall admission fee (free to Family Plus Members and higher). The Science Playground is open to children of all ages with adult supervision, March to December, weather permitting.
Flushing Quaker Meeting House
137-16 Northern Blvd., Flushing
718-358-9636
Maintained by Flushing Society of Friends, the meeting house and a burial ground are still used as a workshop. Open for tours Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Poppenhusen Institute
114-04 14th Road, College Point
718-358-0067
Home of the first free kindergarten in the United States, Poppenhusen Institute was built as College Point's town hall and education center with money donated by Conrad Poppenhusen. Today the New York City and national landmark is a cultural center and a museum of local history. Tours, which can include slide presentations, are available of its old village jail cells and its native American and first free kindergarten exhibits. Hours: Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, closed; Fridays, noon to 7 p.m.
Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main St., Flushing
718-886-3800
The garden features 39 acres of seasonal displays, permanent living collections and an arboretum. There are also demonstration gardens, a rose garden, a Victorian-style wedding garden and a flowering cherry circle. Winter Hours (through March): 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Spring and Summer Hours: (April 1 to Sept. 30): Tuesday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Mondays except legal holidays. Admission is free.
Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Floral Park
718-347-3276
The museum, which reflects the agricultural history of New York City, features a landmark farmhouse that dates back to 1772, planting fields, an orchard, a farmyard and livestock on its 47 acres. Guided tours of the restored farmhouse are available, as are quilting courses, craft courses, educational tours and workshops. Grounds open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Farm house open weekends only. Admission is free except special events days.
Queens Museum of Art
New York City Building
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing
718-592-9700
Various exhibits of contemporary art, architecture and design installations by both international and Queens-based artists. Be sure to see the Panorama of the City of New York, a 9,335-square-foot scale model of New York City which includes skyscrapers, parks, rivers and bridges. It has been updated to include recent developments. Hours through June 25:
Wednesday – Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. June 26 – Sept. 5
Wednesday – Sunday: noon- 6 p.m.; Fridays noon to 8 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday. Groups welcome Tuesdays by appointment. Admission: $5 (adults), $2:50 (seniors and students).
Queens Wildlife Center – Queens Zoo
Flushing Meadow Park
53-51 111th St.
718-271-1500
Of special note are both the structures and inhabitants. The aviary is in fact a geodesic dome, designed by Buckminster Fuller and used in the 1964 World's Fair in Queens. And the zoo's animal residents include “Otis,” the famous coyote rescued in Manhattan's Central Park in 1999. Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekends and holidays: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Winter hours Daily: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission: $6 (adults), $2 (children aged 3 to 12), $2.25 (seniors 65+). Children under 3 years are always free!
Rockaway Museum
88-08 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Rockaway Beach
718-474-6760
This traveling museum explores the historical and cultural life of the community through traveling exhibits and lectures.
Voelker Orth Museum
149-19 38th Ave.
718-359-6227
This museum is located in a renovated Victorian house and offers Victorian tea parties and workshops. There's also a Victorian garden which houses a bird sanctuary. House tours 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
