Cunningham Park is one of the great underappreciated Queens parks — 358 acres of woods, ballfields and shaded picnic groves that most of the city has never set foot in — and its colour-coded barbecue areas are where northeast Queens actually spends its summer. A fitness community picnic here is the reward end of the training year, held under real tree cover. If you only know the park from the expressway, an afternoon in one of these groves is a better introduction than any trail map.
What to expect
A reserved picnic grove with tables, grills and a group gathering through the afternoon, surrounded by the park's normal summer traffic of ballgames, cyclists and other picnic parties. The groves have genuine shade, which sets them apart from most city picnic areas. Cunningham's mountain-bike trails and tennis courts are nearby.
Good to know
- Cunningham Park runs along Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows; the Q46 bus and driving are the practical options
- Picnic groves here are permitted spaces, so the reserved area belongs to the group that booked it
- The colour-coded grove system means knowing which area you want before you arrive
- Tree cover in these groves is genuinely good — one of the cooler places to sit in August
- Bike trails, tennis courts and ballfields are all within the park if you want to make a day of it
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Common questions
How does the picnic grove system work?
Cunningham Park's picnic areas are colour-coded and can be reserved through NYC Parks permits. Unreserved groves stay open on a first-come basis.
How big is Cunningham Park?
Roughly 358 acres in northeast Queens, spanning woodland trails, ballfields, tennis courts and picnic groves on both sides of the Long Island Expressway.
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