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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Queens

73 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Queens, New York

Updated August 16, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Queens

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Queens

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

The Many Flavors of NYC’s Five Boroughs

More than eight million diverse individuals call New York City home, and many of them share their heritage through food. Whether it’s a billiards hall that serves stellar Bhutanese fare or a mosque where Malian vendors sell snacks for just a few hours each Friday, the city offers a vast culinary landscape for those willing to explore it. Venture beyond the flashy hotspots with months-long waiting lists and you’ll find New York’s true flavor lies within the small restaurants and stands rooted in its thriving immigrant communities.

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Explore Queens, New York

Unique Restaurants & Bars 8
Abandoned 7
Restaurants 6
Art 6
Hidden 5
Music 5
Immigration 5
History 4

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Recent Queens Activity

Stories About Queens

This colossal freedom statue stands in front of Nigeria's Badagry Heritage Museum in Lagos State. Badgery, a small town near Nigeria's border with Benin, was the site of a large slave port.

The Untold Stories of the Women Who Led Slave Revolts

Their inspiring acts of resistance were ignored or erased for centuries—until now.
by Sarah Durn

Podcast: Houdini's Grave

Searching for the great beyond in Queens, New York.
by The Podcast Team

Podcast: The Louis Armstrong House Museum

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team

Why Do Tennis Crowds Have to Be So Quiet?

The game's long, weird, elitist history provides some clues.
by Dan Nosowitz
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
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: zero.
by Isaac Schultz
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

Lists Featuring Queens

The Geographic Center of NYC is located on a traffic meridian on Queens Boulevard.
Vale of Cashmere.
Underneath the entrance to the nature walk is a small separate garden (Michelle Enemark CC Attribution Share Alike)

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

Sponsored by Volkswagen
30

Including Geographic Center of New York City, Vale of Cashmere, and Marie's Crisis

Phyllis Diller
Detail of the Texaco map terrazzo mosaic tile floor of the New York State Pavilion (Tent of Tomorrow), 2009

18 Places to Discover Innovation in Roosevelt Island and NYC

Sponsored by Graduate Hotels
18

Including Holographic Studios Inc., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and Patent Pending

Overlooking New York Harbor.
Gravestone at Trinity Churchyard.
The New York Marble Cemetery.

Unique Cemeteries in New York

Famous and historic graveyards to visit in the five boroughs.

14

Including Green-Wood Cemetery, Trinity Churchyard, and First Shearith Israel Graveyard

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