Mid-May in NYC is when the cherry blossoms have mostly dropped, the late tulips are fading, and everyone funnels back into Central Park because they think that’s the only place spring still looks good. Make a pivot. Take the 7 train into Flushing and walk into Kissena Park instead.
Kissena is one of the strangest, prettiest parks in New York, and almost nobody outside Queens treats it as a destination. It’s a large Queens park that hides a willow-fringed lake, a historic tree grove with species you won’t find anywhere else in the five boroughs, the city’s only public cycling velodrome, and a public golf course. It’s the kind of park where you go for a quiet morning walk and accidentally end up watching track cyclists carve a wooden oval for an hour.
The historic grove is the reason to come
The east end of the park holds a stand of trees that NYC Parks calls a “historic tree grove,” with dozens of species described by the city as some of the most exotic in the world. The grove began as part of a 19th-century horticultural nursery for the New York region — the Parsons Nursery — which is why you’ll find labels on trees that nobody in Queens has any business growing. Cedar of Lebanon, dawn redwood, weeping European beech, and a working catalog of conifers and shade trees were planted as specimens and never moved.
Walk the Oak Avenue allee on the south side of the park, where the formal rows of trees still echo the old nursery layout. Late spring is the easy season — leaves are fully out, the grove is shaded and cool by mid-morning, and the trees are labeled, which turns a casual walk into a free urban arboretum tour.
Kissena Lake: weeping willows, slow water, no rush
The lake is the visual centerpiece. It’s compact, ringed by weeping willows that drape into the water, and almost always quieter than any pond in Central Park or Prospect Park. NYC Parks describes the lake area as “one of the most romantic parks in the city,” which sounds like brochure copy until you actually sit there on a Tuesday morning and watch the wind move the willow branches.
Walk the loop. It’s a flat, easy circuit and a smart place to bring a thermos and a book if you’re looking for a low-effort outdoor hour. Bring binoculars if you have them — the lake area attracts herons, egrets, and migrating songbirds in spring, and you’ll see more birds here than in most Manhattan parks.
The Kissena Velodrome: NYC’s only public bike track
Tucked into the north end of the park is the Kissena Velodrome, a banked outdoor cycling oval that’s the only public velodrome in New York City, per NYC Parks. You don’t need to ride to enjoy it — spectating is free, and on warm-weather evenings you can usually catch open training sessions and informal races. If you grew up watching Olympic track cycling and wondered where you’d ever see it in person without buying a ticket, it’s been here in Queens the whole time.
How to get there
Address: Booth Memorial Avenue, Kissena Boulevard, and Fresh Meadow Lane, Flushing, Queens.
By subway: Take the 7 train to Main St-Flushing. From there it’s a short bus ride on the Q25, Q34, or Q17 down Kissena Boulevard, or a roughly 25-minute walk south through downtown Flushing — a worthwhile detour if you want dim sum or hand-pulled noodles on the way.
By bike: Kissena sits on the Kissena Corridor Park greenway, which connects west to Flushing Meadows Corona Park and east toward Cunningham Park — one of the most underused long-distance bike routes in the city.
Pro tips
- Go before noon on a weekday if you want the lake area to yourself. Weekends fill up with neighborhood walkers and families.
- Pack a picnic from Flushing before you walk in. The food in downtown Flushing is among the best in the city, and there’s no on-park concessions.
- Bring water and sun protection. The lake loop has limited shade once you’re off the willow side.
- Stick to marked paths near the lake. NYC Parks has been managing invasive phragmites along Kissena Lake — some shoreline areas have active restoration work.
- Check the velodrome schedule if you want to catch a session. Activity ramps up through summer evenings.
Pair it with the rest of the borough
Kissena is the anchor of an underrated Queens green spine. If you’ve got a full day, you can walk west into Flushing Meadows Corona Park to see the Unisphere and the New York Hall of Science, or pair it with a weekend outdoor pick from Flushing Meadows. For more Queens spring picks, see our guide to spring park weekends across NYC.
Mid-May is the sweet spot. The grove is fully leafed out, the willows are at peak droop, the velodrome is warming up for its summer season, and the rest of the city is still queuing for the Conservatory Garden. Take the 7 to Flushing instead.
