In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Published Oct 1, 2026

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Elizabeth at the farm

Dana Binfet/Gothamist

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Published Oct 1, 2026

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This column originally appeared in the Looped In NYC newsletter. Sign up here.

Followers of our work know we’ve never shied away from going against the grain or standing by an unpopular truth. But hell, we’ll admit it: We love fall just like everyone else.

The sweaters. The apples. The start of bowling season. There’s no other time like it, and fallmaxxers looking for their fix can certainly find it in the heart of New York City. This year, though, we wanted a fall experience that was more earthy, away from the $7 lattes and the stoops adorned with gourds.

So Elizabeth went to Glen Oaks, Queens.

Watch this week’s video!

Below is a recap of her fall pilgrimage, as well as her guide to how to autumn in New York City.

James: Before we head to the “country,” what are some things you do like about fall in the city?

Elizabeth: Walking, biking, people watching, or really anything outside! I usually go to Prospect Park to do just that while surrounded by fall foliage, but this year, I’m going to try to explore more parks like Van Cortlandt Park and Alley Pond Park.

This is also my favorite time of year to visit my friend’s apartment near the George Washington Bridge just to take in the amazing view of the New Jersey Palisades in peak foliage. You can keep track of which trees are changing color here!

Here’s a list of my other recommendations for making the most of New York City fall weather:

For a quintessential farm fall experience that still keeps you within the city limits, I’d recommend heading to Queens County Farm Museum, which has the city’s only corn maze, hayrides, a pumpkin patch all October and farm animals you can feed and pet!
It’s also a good time to check out the different museums in the city for their new exhibits. Brooklyn Museum is hosting Fall Fete and there’s Fall at the Met.
If you want a pumpkin, one of the largest pumpkin patches you can find in the city is at Pumpkin Point on Governors Island. You can also check out the Queens Botanical Garden, Green Meadows Farm in Brooklyn and Decker Farm on Staten Island.
With many vegetables and plants like marigolds in full harvest, it’s a good time to visit botanical gardens. The New York Botanical Garden is doing a “fall-o-ween” in October and Brooklyn Botanic Garden is hosting a fall harvest festival.
The city’s parks department made a list of parks where you can enjoy fall foliage. You can keep track of which trees are changing color here.
You may not be able to pick apples in the city, but the freshest apple cider and doughnuts you can get in the city at your local greenmarket!
For Halloween lovers, some movie theaters are showing classic horror movies like Nitehawk Cinema and Alamo Drafthouse’s weekly Terror Tuesdays.
- You can also check out Luna Park Halloween Harvest in Coney Island and Twisted Trails on Staten Island.
- And just walk through neighborhoods that are known for their great Halloween decor like Ditmas Park, Dyker Heights, Park Slope, Astoria and the Upper East Side.

Oh, and with the cooler weather, I can finally use my oven again! That means baking apple crumble and hosting horror movie nights to prepare for spooky season.

James: You don’t turn the oven on in the summer? Because it overheats your apartment, or you just like to keep it a special fall tradition?

Elizabeth: Like many New Yorkers, I don’t have AC in my kitchen, so I’m usually trying to cook as fast as I can on hot summer days. I have a love-hate relationship with summer because I like the later sunsets but absolutely despise the feeling of being sweaty and sticky, and I’m willing to sacrifice homemade baked goods and oven-roasted potatoes for a few months if it means I don’t have to sweat more!

James: Tell us about the Queens County Farm Museum. I’m assuming based on the “Museum” part of the name that this isn’t a working farm, is that wrong?

Elizabeth: It’s actually one of the longest continually farmed sites in the entire state. (The “museum” part comes from their historic farmhouse from the 1700s, which is open for tours.) So, it’s very much a working farm, and even has farm animals you can feed and pet, a pumpkin patch the entire month of October, and hosts the city’s only corn maze, which is what drew me here in the first place.

I grew up braving through plenty of “haunted” corn mazes and hayrides on New Jersey farms each fall, so Queens County Farm reminded me of my childhood in that sense. I’d recommend it for anyone craving a more quintessential fall experience. It’s also part of the city’s park system, so it’s free to all, but the corn maze is $17 for adults and $10 for children.

James: Did you meet any other autumn enthusiasts? What else are they doing to enjoy the season?

Elizabeth: To no surprise, everyone I met at the farm loves fall.

Hua Huang recommends riding the ferry to really soak up that crisp, cool air. He also likes to go to live concerts because it’s physically more comfortable, unlike in the summer, when “it’s hot, it’s sweaty, it’s gross, it’s muggy outside, the vibes are never good, people are annoyed, there’s never water anywhere,” he told me. “[And] my hot take is you don’t look cool wearing shorts in the fall. Just wear some sweats, wear a hoodie, be comfortable, you know?” he said.

James: Wow, hating on shorts-year-rounders. He hasn’t met John Schaefer.

Elizabeth: I know, I bet John looks forward to feeling that crisp autumn air on his shins. Anyway, Martina De Buglio said she likes to go foraging in the fall, which is a great time to find wild mushrooms after all the summer humidity and rain. But she warned people to be careful and to do their research before taking random mushrooms home to eat. (A quick reminder that New Yorkers are not allowed to harvest anything from city parks! All other patches of grass with mushrooms are fair game.)

And Katie Graney, the livestock coordinator at Queens County Farm, says she likes to play with the farm’s only two pigs — aptly named Pumpkin and Spice — and to feed pumpkins to the goats during the autumn months.

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