By Jenna Bagcal
Head to the Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park for three days of free holiday fun during the winter break this month.
From Dec. 26 to Dec. 28, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., the museum — located at 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy. — invites families to their holiday open house to participate in crafts and informational tours while noshing on seasonal treats.
“The Adriance Farmhouse began as a family homestead when it was built in 1772 so it’s particularly nice to welcome our community to visit us here during the holidays,” noted Jennifer Walden Weprin, executive director of the Queens County Farm Museum. “The roaring fire in the original fireplace really sets the mood for a cozy day with friends and family down on the farm.”
The three days of fun will feature kid-friendly crafts, a walking tour of the historic 17th-century Adriance Farmhouse, hot cocoa, mulled cider and snacks. Guests are also encouraged to roam the farm grounds to meet the steers Jethro and Dexter, as well as alpacas Giorgio and Rocky.
In 1697, the Adriance family began farming the land where the museum currently stands, making it the oldest continually farmed site in New York State. The site features a 47-acre tract of farmland that showcases how agriculture has been a way of life in the city for the past 300 years. The Adriance Farmhouse was built in 1772 and represents the site’s evolution from colonial homestead to a bustling truck farm.
Currently, the farm grows more than 80 varieties of vegetables and over 75 varieties of flowers annually. Crops include 6,000 pounds of tomatoes, 4,000 pounds of zucchini, 2,500 pounds of eggplant and 1,600 pounds of winter squash. Just this past year, the Queens Farm sold over 2,800 dozen farm eggs and 1,000 pounds of wildflower honey from the farm’s hives.
The Queens County Farm Museum is a New York City Landmark, on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of the Historic House Trust of New York City.
No advanced sign up is necessary to participate in the holiday open house, but attendees are asked to stop into the farm’s gift shop to sign in upon arrival. For more information, visit queen
