Queens County Farm Museum - Visitors Guide

The Queens County Farm Museum is a working, educational farm on a 47-acre site on the edge of Queens, right on the Nassau County border. The events and activities at the farm make it a great way to spend an afternoon, especially with a few city-raised kids in tow.

You'll get a chance to meet sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens, and "talk" to the most mellow cow in the world. The animals, for the most part, are readily accessible to visitors. And the museum sells feed for young hands willing to get licked by sheep and goats.

• See for Yourself - Photos of Queens County Farm Museum
• More - History of the Historic Farm

The historic farmhouse at the museum is open for guided tours on the weekend, but the real reason to visit is the outdoors. Adults, leave your jaded edges at the entrance: you're not here to see art or the latest blockbuster. This is all about the animals and your kids.

The Queens County Farm Museum grows corn, veggies, herbs, fruit and even grapes. The museum's own gift shop functions as farm-stand during the summer and the fall. The first vintage of Queens-grown wine is expected in 2008. Explore the grounds and you'll find orchards of fruit trees, green houses, and those grape arbors.

The Farm hosts some 20 special events a year, from an Easter Egg Hunt to the Holiday Open House. Top picks have to be the Queens County Fair, with its great carnival rides and atmosphere, and the intense Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Powwow.

Most of the special events require an admission fee, and often additional fees for carnival rides and pony rides.

• Events - List of Annual Events at the Queens County Farm Museum
• Events at Queens Farm Museum (Official Site)

• Weddings and Your Special Events - See the farm's website about party rental.

The farm is on the edge of Queens and Nassau County, and difficult to reach by public transportation. The subway doesn't reach it, and the bus is long. Best bet is to drive. See below for directions.

• Map - 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy, Floral Park, NY 11004 (Google Maps)
• 718-347-3276

There's usually food to buy at the Farm, but you are always welcome to bring your own lunch. An afternoon at the Farm can get surprisingly expensive, and picnic tables can give you a nice break spot.

Wear sturdy shoes, and be prepared to do a good bit of walking. The site is spread out.

Hours

• Open year round
• Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (outdoor visiting only)
• Saturday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (tours of farmhouse and hayrides, weather permitting)

Admission

Cost to enter is usually free, except when you're most likely to attend: the Queens County Fair and other special events and classes. Then it's at least $6/adult, $3/child. Check the museum's website for latest admission details.

• Map - 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy, Floral Park, NY (Google Maps)

Directions by Car to the Queens County Farm Museum

From Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens

• Grand Central Pkwy East to Exit 24. Right onto Little Neck Pkwy and three blocks to museum on right.
• Long Island Expy (LIE) East to Exit 32. Right onto Little Neck Pkwy and drive 1.5 miles to museum on right.

From Long Island

• Northern State Pkwy West into Grand Central Pkwy West to Exit 24. Left onto Little Neck Pkwy and three blocks to museum on right.
• Long Island Long Island Expy (LIE) West to Exit 32. Turn left onto Little Neck Pkwy, drive 1.5 miles to museum on right.

From North

• Clearview Expressway south to Exit 1 (Or, Cross Island Pkwy to exit 29 East for Grand Central), Grand Central Pkwy East to Exit 24. Right onto Little Neck Pkwy and three blocks to museum on right.

From South

• Cross Island Pkwy north to Exit 29 East to Grand Central Pkwy East. Grand Central to Exit 24. Right onto Little Neck Pkwy and go three blocks to museum on right.

Parking is free at the museum. If it's the day of a special event, you might be directed to park on fields well past the entrance. Don't worry. You'll end up closer to the action.

Directions by Train and Subway

Train or LIRR
Little Neck LIRR Station. On the Port Washington Line. There's car service ($10) from the station for the 2.5 mile drive to museum. Or the Floral Park LIRR Station on the Hempstead Line, accessible from Jamaica. There's car service ($10) for the 3+ mile drive.

Subway
There's no point in taking the subway to the museum. You'd just have to transfer to a bus for a long ride.

If you insist, take the express E or F subways to Union Tpke/Kew Gardens and switch to the Q46 bus for a long ride east on Union. Get off at Little Neck Pkwy, cross Union, and walk north on Little Neck three blocks to museum on left.

Directions by Bus

Q46 Bus on Union Tpke. Get off at Little Neck Pkwy, cross Union, and walk north on Little Neck three blocks to museum on left.

Q79 Bus on Little Neck Pkwy. Ask the driver to let you off at museum. Or, go past it to Union Tpke, and walk back north the three blocks to the museum.