Things to do near JFK:
Have some time to spare during your stay? Check out the best Long Island and the Borough of Queens have to offer!
For more information getting to and from these attractions via mass transit: See http://www.mta.info
Museums and Culture:
If you're a museum or cultural buff, you really owe it to yourself to run not walk over to Manhattan and take in some fabulous cultural icons like the Museum of Modern Art, Lincoln Center or the American Museum of Natural History. But if you don't have the time or inclination to head into the city, or if you're looking for something new and different, there are some treats to be found right outside your hotel room door!
Louis Armstrong House Museum - 34-56 107th Street. Corona, NY 11368
Phone: 718-478-8274
Queens Museum of Art (in Flushing Meadow park)
King Manor Museum - 15003 Jamaica Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432
Phone: (718) 206-0545
Museum of the Moving Image - 3601 35th Ave # 1, Astoria, NY 11106
Phone: (718) 784-4520
New York Hall of Science (in Flushing Meadow park)
Queens Zoo (in Flushing Meadow park)
Queens Theater in the Park ( in Flushing Meadow park)
Queens Botanical Garden (in Flushing Meadow park)
Sports
If you're a horse racing fan you've come to the right place! Both Aquaduct Race Track and the legendary Belmont Race Track (home of the Belmont Stakes) are just a stone's throw away from JFK Airport.
Aquaduct Race Track/ Raceway
Belmont Race Track
Flushing Meadows Pitch n Putt (in Flushing Meadow park)
Forest Park golf (and other activities)
USTA Tennis (in Flushing Meadow Park - open to public)
Shopping:
About NYC Sales Tax: New York City (including the borough of Queens) has an 8.375% sales tax rate, however there is no sales tax on clothing or footwear on individual items priced less than $110.
Queens Center Mall
Featuring Macy's, Gap Kids, Urban Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Zales and others. Food court.
Open Mon-Sat
10:00 AM - 9:30 PM Sun 11:00 AM - 8 PM
90-15 Queens Blvd,
Elmhurst, NY (Intersection of Queens Blvd, the Long Island Expressway and Woodhaven Blvd.)
For more information and directions call Guest Services at (718) 592-4039
Comments: An average to above-average mall in a convenient location.
Roosevelt Field Mall
Features Macy's, Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, J.C. Penny and many more fine stores. Three stores of stores and a huge food court. Roosevelt Field is (at this writing) the 5th largest shopping mall in the USA.
Open Mon-Sat 10:00 AM - 9:30 PM, Sun 11:00 AM - 7 PM
630 Old Country Rd,
Garden City, NY (at the intersection of Old Country Road and Meadowbrook Parkway)
Comments: A favorite of the locals, but not that easy to get to without a car. The N22 N22A, N24 and N15 buses from Long Island stop there and there's a direct bus from the LIRR Mineola station to the mall. It's 1/4 mile from the Carle Place LIRR station (on foot or catch the N22).
Green Acres Mall
Stores include Macy's, Old Navy and Sears. Petsmart, Petco, Target Wal-Mart and Best Buy are among many other stores located outside of the main mall itself.
Open Mon-Sat 10:00 AM - 9:30 PM, Sun 11:00 AM - 7 PM
Sunrise Hwy, Valley Stream, NY
Comment: Sadly, Green Acres Mall isn't as nice as it once was and neither is the neighborhood it is in. Not that crime is a concern here, but there's a police station in the mall itself! Not recommended at night but more or less OK during early hours especially if you visit with friends, drive and park close to the stores. You may want to consider one of the other shopping options instead if you need to use mass transit or if you're by yourself
Outdoors:
Flushing Meadow Park
Gateway National Park
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Forest Park
Jones Beach (Nassau County, Long Island)