Forest Park and beyond: how to spend a day in Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill is the kind of Queens neighborhood people pass through without realizing how much is packed into it. You've got one of the biggest parks in the borough sitting right on top of it, a food scene that runs from Guyanese roti to Punjabi sweets, a historic carousel, free summer concerts, and a long, unbroken retail avenue under the elevated train — all within a short walk or a stop or two on the J/Z. This is a local's version of a full day here, built around Forest Park and the streets below it.

It works as a lazy weekend loop or a piece-by-piece list to pick from. Everything below is close enough together that you can string it into one afternoon without a car.

What is there to do in Forest Park?

Forest Park is the headliner, and it's bigger than most people expect — roughly 538 acres running along the northern edge of Richmond Hill and into Woodhaven and Kew Gardens. It was laid out in the 1890s with input from Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind Central and Prospect Parks, and its centerpiece is a long, wooded ridge that holds one of the largest continuous stands of oak forest left anywhere in Queens.

The park is less manicured than the famous Manhattan and Brooklyn parks and more genuinely wooded, which is the appeal. A few ways to use it:

• Walk the trails. A network of hiking paths threads through the oak ridge on the western half of the park — real dirt-and-tree-canopy walking, not just paved loops. It's the closest thing to a forest hike you'll get on the J train.
• Circle Strack Pond. A restored kettle pond near the Woodhaven side, ringed by a short, flat path — good for an easy stroll, a bench, and some birdwatching.
• Play a round. The Forest Park Golf Course is an 18-hole public course open to anyone who books a tee time.
• Bring the kids or the sneakers. Victory Field has a running track and athletic fields, and there are playgrounds and tennis courts scattered along the park's edges.

Should you ride the Forest Park Carousel?

If it's running, yes — it's one of the genuinely special things in the neighborhood. The Forest Park Carousel is a New York City landmark, built around hand-carved wooden horses attributed to the master carver Daniel Müller, and it's one of only a handful of Müller carousels left in the country. It sits on the eastern side of the park near Forest Park Drive and runs seasonally, generally spring through fall, with a small snack stand alongside it.

It's a five-minute ride and pure old-fashioned fun — the kind of thing that's easy to overlook because it's been there so long. Hours are seasonal and weather-dependent, so it's worth checking before you make a special trip for it.

Are there free concerts in Forest Park?

In the summer, yes. The George Seuffert, Sr. Bandshell, near the carousel on the park's eastern end, hosts a long-running series of free outdoor concerts through the warm months — everything from oldies and Latin nights to community and cultural programming. People bring folding chairs and blankets, stake out the lawn, and settle in for the evening.

It's one of the best free things to do in this part of Queens on a summer night. Line-ups and dates shift year to year, so check the current schedule before you head over — but the format is dependable: show up, sit on the grass, listen.

Where should you eat in Richmond Hill?

This is where Richmond Hill really distinguishes itself. The neighborhood is one of the great Indo-Caribbean enclaves in the country, and Liberty Avenue — a few blocks south of Jamaica Avenue, in the stretch known as Little Guyana — is the heart of it. Expect Guyanese and Trinidadian cooking: flaky roti wrapped around curried channa or potato, doubles, pholourie, boneless "chicken in the rough," and a bakery case of black cake, pine tarts, and cheese rolls.

It doesn't stop there. Richmond Hill also has a deep South Asian and Sikh community, so between the Caribbean spots you'll find Punjabi restaurants and sweet shops. And Jamaica Avenue itself — the retail spine under the J/Z tracks — is lined with everyday counters: takeout, coffee, bakeries, quick lunches. A few ways to think about it:

• For a sit-down plate: head to Liberty Avenue for Guyanese/Trinidadian roti and curry.
• For a grab-and-go snack: doubles or pholourie from a Liberty Avenue counter, or a pastry from a Jamaica Avenue bakery.
• For something sweet: a Punjabi sweet shop or a Caribbean bakery — both are easy to find in the neighborhood.

What does a full day in Richmond Hill look like?

Here's one way to string it together, all reachable on foot and the J/Z:

1. Morning: Walk north from Jamaica Avenue up to Park Lane South and into Forest Park — do a loop of the oak-ridge trails or circle Strack Pond while it's quiet.
2. Midday: Head down to Liberty Avenue in Little Guyana for roti and a couple of doubles, then grab something sweet for later.
3. Afternoon: Ride the Forest Park Carousel if it's the season, or play a round at the golf course.
4. Evening: In summer, catch a free concert at the Seuffert Bandshell — bring a blanket and settle in on the lawn.
5. Along the way: Browse Jamaica Avenue under the elevated tracks for coffee, snacks, and the everyday shops that make up the neighborhood's main street.

How do you get around Richmond Hill?

You don't need a car. The J/Z train runs on elevated tracks directly above Jamaica Avenue — 111 St and 104 St are the two closest stops, and both drop you onto the avenue within an easy walk of Forest Park's southern edge. The Q24 and Q56 buses run along Jamaica Avenue too, and the Q11/Q21/Q52/Q53 lines skirt the park's other sides. Standard MTA fare is $2.90 by OMNY or MetroCard.

Coming from farther out? Transfer to the J at Jamaica Station, which also connects the LIRR and the JFK AirTrain, and ride a few stops west. There's a full breakdown in the guide to getting to Cannabis Cowboy by train or bus.

Where does a dispensary fit into the day — and can you use it in the park?

If you're 21 or older, a licensed dispensary is just another stop on the avenue. Cannabis Cowboy is on Jamaica Avenue in [Richmond Hill](/dispensary/richmond-hill), under the J/Z line — a licensed New York adult-use shop (OCM-RETL-24-000068) where everything on the shelf comes through the state's regulated, lab-tested supply chain. You can browse the live menu or order ahead, and the menu price is the final price, since New York's 13% cannabis tax is already built in. Bring a current 21+ photo ID either way.

One important thing for a day out, though: you can't consume cannabis in Forest Park. Smoking of any kind — tobacco or cannabis — is prohibited in New York City parks, and public consumption rules apply on the streets and transit too. A licensed New York purchase is for adults 21+ to use later, in a legal private setting — not on a park bench, the bandshell lawn, or the train. Enjoy the park for the park; keep the rest for home.

The quick rundown

• Forest Park: ~538 acres of oak-ridge trails, Strack Pond, an 18-hole golf course, Victory Field, and playgrounds — enter from Park Lane South.
• Carousel & bandshell: a landmarked seasonal carousel and free summer concerts at the Seuffert Bandshell, both on the park's eastern end.
• Food: Liberty Avenue's Little Guyana for roti, doubles, and pine tarts; Jamaica Avenue for everyday eats.
• Getting there: J/Z to 111 St or 104 St; Q24/Q56 buses along Jamaica Avenue.
• If you're 21+: a licensed dispensary on Jamaica Avenue — but no cannabis use in the park or in public.

That's a day in Richmond Hill without ever leaving the neighborhood. Cannabis Cowboy is a licensed adult-use dispensary on Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, serving Woodhaven, Ozone Park and the rest of the surrounding area. Browse the live menu or just stop in with a 21+ ID.