Queens · Queens County
Cunningham Park
Major Park
- Location
- Union Turnpike, Francis Lewis Boulevard, 193rd Street & 73rd Avenue, Fresh Meadows / Bayside
- Size
- 358.00 acres
- Hours
- 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Type
- Major Park
Cunningham Park is a 358-acre park in the Fresh Meadows, Bayside, and Oakland Gardens neighborhoods of eastern Queens, making it the fourth-largest park in the borough after Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Alley Pond Park, and Forest Park. Named for W. Arthur Cunningham, a decorated World War I veteran who went on to serve as New York City Comptroller, the park provides extensive athletic and natural recreation in a largely suburban area.
The park's diverse landscape includes dense hardwood forest, open meadows, wetlands, and athletic facilities. The forested sections contain some of the best hiking trails in Queens, with paths winding through mature oak, hickory, and beech trees that provide habitat for hawks, owls, woodpeckers, and other woodland species.
Cunningham Park features baseball and softball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground, and barbecue areas. The park also hosts a popular weekend farmers market and a variety of community events throughout the year.
The park is a hub for organized youth athletics in eastern Queens, with multiple sports leagues using its fields for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and football. The park's scale allows it to host several simultaneous games, creating a lively athletic atmosphere on weekends during the playing season.
Cunningham Park's combination of wild forest, open recreation space, and organized athletic facilities makes it one of the most versatile parks in Queens, serving the eastern borough's suburban communities with the kind of large-scale green space that anchors the quality of life in this part of the city.