Rainey Park

Astoria waterfront spot that just got an $8.5 million makeover mid-2025. New playground is legit—separate areas for little kids with rolling turf mounds and bigger kids with multi-level climbing stuff. Spray showers for hot days, adult fitness area, reconfigured paths, picnic areas. Views of Roosevelt Island and Manhattan skyline are the main draw. Bathrooms are actually clean and got acceptable marks in recent inspections. Can get crowded with BBQs and parties on weekends. Good for families, dogs, or just sitting by the water.

My daughter loves the park, everything is spanking new and plenty to do. Only thing is there is no shade over most of the park, as it gets hot this summer, folks are going to be sizzling like bacon.

Beautiful park. Great views and great setup. Bike racks, lunch tables and bbq stations for all to enjoy.

The park is lovely. It is right off Vernon Blvd so you'd think it would be loud due to traffic but it was surprisingly calm inside. There is a baseball field, you can set up a volleyball net, some were playing soccer. There were parties & the music was loud at times but it is always quiet by the water. The park attendants were lovely. The kiddie park is ATROCIOUS. The structures were broken & the kids were still playing on it!

Its A really nice, kid and bike friendly park. They have sprinklers and plenty of bench's. There aren't any picnic tables but it has a beautiful view of the river and the Manhattan sky line. the bathroom closes after a certain time just as a heads up. And there's no place with A bathroom near by.

It finally opened again after almost 2 years of construction. It was 3 stars before and has improved - I would give it 5 stars if the bathrooms were accessible more during the colder months.

Interesting things to see here. We enjoy with our dog walking and the view of Roosevelt Island and Manhattan are the best bonus ! Fresh Renovation - Just Go

Update: RAINEY PARK IS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MAY 07 2025. Very beautiful park which has apple trees, mulberry trees, cherry trees usually found in summer season 🙌 the Mulberry is so delicious! Very lovely for picnic 🧺 definitely recommended 🤍

So yes, this is definitely a smaller park but it is a park all the same. It's certainly more of a green space and less of a playground though it has a bit of both. There's a slide and climbing play area for kids, a swing set and a basketball court on the other side. There's a lovely esplanade with some benches and the park even has some lovely cherry blossom trees which are currently in bloom! This is a great place to go for a walk (and lots of pet owners come here as well), go for a bike ride or even a run! There are different lanes for biking and running/walking which are convenient. I love that it's by the water. I've seen folks come and BBQ here on the weekends and set up recreational sports on the grass! It's a great place to hang out and feels like a mostly low key space (though weekends can definitely be more crowded). I love coming through here for a run and it's nice for walks as well. Would definitely recommend!

Very nice small park with views, trees and nature. I like that there's a waterfront view where you can see a ferry I never knew about until a friend who lives near this park told me about it. You can also see Roosevelt Island across the water and apparently a mental hospital used to be in that area as well. It's definitely ideal for a hangout spot to have a picnic or if your dog or kid needs someplace to run around. No complaints here.

A Nice park by the river - often families are grouped together barbecuing and playing music. Lots of open space and dogs are allowed. Benches often get occupied quickly as they're facing the water. We will often enjoy time together, with some wine, enjoying the sun and view of the UES and Roosevelt Island.

Rainy park is a beautiful little oasis in the heart of Queens. Beautifully sculpture and exquisite, down to the last detail. It's charm is intoxicating and enchanting.

Great park but thanks to gentrifies that there's no more bbq. The view is decent. Low key and calm oberall

Rainey Park is a really nice park since it is right by the water (East River) and give you a view of Rossevelt Island. This is the first time I have been here but some of the facilities: children's playground looks nice. Not a bad place to have a stroll on a nice day when you are in the neighbourhood. But not special enough for a special trip.

absolute wonderful day at rainey park. recently it was overtaken by groups renting up tents, bbqs, and loud music. I have actually gotten attitude for trying to set up my small blanket with 3 kids. my husband just reported to me that their are to police cars and no signs of bars or blarihng music. I understand everyone likes a BBQ. but dont make our public park your very large party. recently saw a surprise baby party where the husband blocked off enough shade for 75 people 3 hours before party started! here's a few pics for proof. see pics. opps. cant figure out my phone

Needs a lot of work, terrible old bathrooms, chipping paint, many dogs off leash, not worth it at all. Grass needs to be mowed and seeded.

Been here a few times, for picnics and general hangouts. Always when the weather has been nice out, but definitely think it would be beautiful in the snow too. There's a lot of grassy space to sit around and hang out, some seating/walkways by the water to enjoy while you're there - nice for date day (or night, I presume), casual meet ups with friends, and generally as a park. The grass is pretty long, especially on the side close to the water and as someone with grass allergies it feels especially scratchy and uncomfortable to sit on. But it's a beautiful view and close to Costco - what more could you want?

Weird setup, for some reason they let a Costco split Rainey and Socrates Sculpture Park. Would have worked much better if they were one park. As it is now, both are too small.

so i realized that even though i grew up in nyc my whole life basically.. i crave finding the quiet outside the hustle and bustle of everything.. this place is my hidden oasis when i just want to be alone with my thoughts.. listen to music, enjoy the weather, enjoy an iced coffee from chateau le woof.. or want to get some work done.. i like sitting by the waterfront and watching the ferry boats pass by... i'm one of those ppl that crave alone time after a long week.. you will find ppl are usually having bbq or picnics.. it's quite small but it's not as crowded as astoria park.. i like to come in through the back alleyway behind the costco's.. not shady at all.. if i have a free random weekday with no plans, and the weather is amazing.. you know where i'll be..

a nice family park in the industrial part of astoria near costco.good amount of green space to picnic, play ball , for the kiddies to run and climb and for the lazy like me i can sit at one of the many benches while daydreaming facing the east river and the upper east side of manhattan. plenty of city garbage cans around so there is no excuse to throw your sh#t on the floor. overall a nice park to chill during the day or bring a group to picnic or play ball.

The best in Astoria! So peaceful and relaxing park. It also has a nice view of Roosevelt island. The area is pretty nice and the park is very green. Nice children area to play great for bbqs.

All around nice family park, sprinklers, swings, slides and climbing wall for the kids. Soccer field and basketball courts. Right off of the East River accross from Manhattan.

I am thinking this park just got a major overhaul. Mid January and there is full grass, nice paved walkways and bike lanes, benches facing the East River, and cool modern designed kids playground area. Nothing like the past review of dead grass and syringes...let's hope that's the case and it wasn't just a fluke. I hope I wasn't just there on a "clean" day or something?! There was almost no one in the park this afternoon, I get it, it's January...but was great to walk around the park and catch up with a friend without bumping into people every few inches - a rarity in NYC. I enjoyed the quiet and privacy. I was, however, not crazy about the owner who unleashed her two gigantic dogs to roam and run freely through the park and then didn't pay them any mind. I will definitely consider trips to this this park as an alternative to Astoria Park on the occasional spring and summer afternoon.

I remember, going back a ways, when this area was a no-man's, or woman's, land. Thankfully, this area has improved over the years, and this park got some much needed renovations. It is a nice park by the East River with a view of Roosevelt Island. There is a playground, and it is a good area to have a picnic. If I were a local, I'd definitely come here more often. That being said, I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.

The renovations to this has made it a really nice place to bring your children and nice view of the water. This park is always crowded. During the weekends a lot of families visit the park and for the most part leave a lot of garbage behind. Which makes the parks a little less attractive. They have added walking and bike trails.

Relaxing place to hang out with the family. Very nice view of the city and the river. Will return again for more fun.

Dead grass & syringes on the ground. Cops harass you when you're there past 9pm. Great view to sober up to, though.

Nice park with views or Roosevelt Island. Lots of benches and seems like it would be a nice place to have a picnic.