Boro Rated Top U.S. Tourist Destination
Queens is now the No.1 travel destination in the entire United States according to the Lonely Planet Travel Guide.
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. said, “When the Lonely Planet Tour Guide named Queens the ‘Best U.S. Destination for 2015,’ they told us something we already knew-that we live in the best borough of the city!”
Queens is New York’s true melting pot, with more than 2.3 million citizens coming from over 120 countries who speak over 135 different languages.
Borough President Melinda Katz stated, “our diversity is a natural and tremendous asset to the international capital of the world.”
Queens is home to a wide array of tourist sites including an emerging culinary scene, updated museums, renovated beaches, high-quality hotels and much, much more.
Katz has made tourism a top priority since she took office last year, “Queens is hot and on the move,” Katz said. “We’re thrilled by the growing attention and interest that the rest of the world has in its borough.”
Over the last few years Queens has seen a rise in microbreweries that have put a brand new spin on beer.
Finback Brewery opened earlier this year in Glendale and has been serving up inventive craft beers to Queens. One such beer is the Strachild, a sour ale brewed with grapefruit peel.
SingleCut Beersmiths, located in Astoria, even has a beer named after the city, the Queens Lagrrr!.
Lonely Planet praised the cuisine of Queens with its tremendous ethnic diversity. “The incomparable array of world cuisines makes Queens a destination for food lovers from all parts of New York City,” states Lonely Planet’s editorial in its Best in the US list for 2015.
Queens also boasts one of the best art scenes in the city, with several museums, art fairs and events throughout the year, such as the Emerging Artists Festival in Long Island City, or the new, 24-block arts district in Astoria.
The newly expanded Queens Museum is a top spot to visit. With a 9,335-square-foot miniature New York City Panorama.
Fresh off of a $65 million upgrade, the Museum of the Moving Image is now one of the top film, television and video museums in the world. The museum’s collection features over 130,000 television and movie props, a wide variety of vintage televisions, cameras and arcade video games, and even get some hands-on fun with the film editing exhibit.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan has a younger brother in MoMA PS1 located in Long Island City, which focuses exclusively on contemporary art.
Beach-goers can enjoy the many different areas around Rockaway Beach. From the sand and water of the beach, to playgrounds and skate parks, to the only legal surfing beach in the city.
“Don’t miss the prime eating and drinking scene that has popped up around the boardwalk,” Lonely Planet also touted. Rockaway Taco serves up some succulent fish tacos, the pizza from Roberta’s is sizzling, and The Rock is a wine bar that serves tapas, craft beer and wine on tap.
For those visiting New York who don’t want to spring for a hotel in Manhattan, Queens has a lineup of hotels that won’t the bank.
Rooftop bars, unique restaurants, and stunning views of Manhattan are just a few of the amenities Queens hotels have to offer.
The Paper Factory is a boutique hotel built from an actual paper factory.
Seth Bornstein, executive director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation said, “I have always argued that we have the best hotels, restaurants, cultural organizations, parks, sporting events, and residents in the world … It’s simply wonderful that Lonely Planet agrees.”
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 cities in Lonely Planet’s “Best in the US 2015” list are: Western South Dakota, New Orleans, the Colorado River region, North Conway in New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Greenville in North Carolina, Oakland, Duluth in Minnesota, and the Mount Shasta region in California.
