Low-Key Spots Near Bayside For Outdoor Fun On Memorial Day

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — This Memorial Day in New York City will look different from years past due to social-distancing measures in place to curb the spread of the new coronavirus: City beaches are closed, NYPD officers are being deployed to crack down on large gatherings and everyone is asked to wear a face mask.

With warm weather and partly cloudy skies in the forecast for Memorial Day, many New Yorkers will likely want to spend the holiday outside. That means many of the city's hotspots are bound to get crowded and make it hard to keep away from others.

So, Patch — and some readers — compiled a list of low-key places in northeastern Queens where it may be easier to enjoy the outdoors this Memorial Day without running into large crowds.

Check some suggestions out below:

(Keep up with coronavirus developments in Bayside by subscribing to Bayside-Douglaston Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Crocheron Park

This Bayside park is home to Golden Pond and is named for the Crocheron family that lived on the edge of Little Neck Bay for centuries.

The forests in Alley Pond Park

There's plenty of space to spread out in Queens' sprawling Alley Pond Park, but City Council Member Barry Grodenchik recommends heading to the forest in the upper region of the park, home to red maple-hardwood swamps in a series of kettle ponds. You might even catch the high-pitched call of the spring peeper, a small tree frog that can heard on spring and summer nights in the park.

Vanderbilt Motor Parkway

The Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, or Long Island Motor Parkway, was built in 1908 by railroad mogul and financier William K. Vanderbilt Jr. as America's first all-elevated road for cars. Now the greenway running from Cunningham Park to Alley Pond Park is popular among joggers and cyclists, some of whom are pushing the state to extend the trail to meet its Long Island counterpart.

Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

A 1.5-mile stretch of Meadow Lake Drive, which encircles this lake inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, is open only to pedestrians and cyclists under a citywide program to create more room for social distancing, making it a perfect destination for outdoor recreation.

Coronavirus In NYC: Latest Happenings And Guidance