Long Island City Kids Neighborhood Guide

Back in 2010, we posted our first roundup of cool Queens party places, including favorites like Astoria Sports Complex and the Queens Zoo. But there are so many other awesome birthday spots in the borough—including a few that recently opened like Astoria's Kids Playhouse and Oliloli Studio in Forest Hills—that we decided to do a second post with 10 more options.

These Queens birthday party places cater to all kinds of kids, from active to artsy to animal lovers. And as a Queens mom with two children myself, I've been to many of these spots personally. You can find additional birthday inspiration in our Party Guide.

As a proud Queens native, I'm always looking for new ways to encourage others (including my own family) to explore my home borough. And since it's famous for being culturally diverse, a do-it-yourself food tour is a great way to get a taste of all the different neighborhoods.

Queens boasts some of the best kid-friendly restaurants in New York City—and I'm not just saying that because I was raised here. You can introduce your children to a wide variety of authentic cuisine at reasonable prices, and the portions are so big you always end up with leftovers to take home. Plus there are off-the-beaten path gems that have incredible kid appeal, like coffee house Waltz-Astoria and its family concerts and old New York soda fountains Eddie's Sweet Shop and Jahn's.

I thought about all of the places I've eaten in Queens over the years and came up with my personal list of the top ten restaurants, bakeries and ice cream parlors that are all worth schlepping the kids to, even if you live in another borough. See if your favorites made the cut and feel free to share your additions in the comments as I know there are many, many more.

Although we've raved about graffiti Mecca 5 Pointz Aerosol Art Center many times in the past, we've never actually devoted a post to it, not even when Long Island City was our neighborhood of the month. And since this New York City landmark will most likely be demolished next year, we figure now's the time to encourage families to take their kids to see this amazing, constantly changing outdoor art installation before it's just a memory.

Since 1993, aerosol artists have been coming from around the world to decorate this 200,000-square-foot warehouse, one of the few places in NYC where graffiti artists and taggers can legally show off their skills. 5 Pointz helped spark the transformation of Long Island City from an industrial area into an edgy arts community. Now, with the neighborhood changing again, 5 Pointz is slated to be replaced with a pair of residential apartment buildings. But there's still time to take your family to see this one-of-a-kind attraction.