Fantasy Forest Amusement Park is a modest amusement park that opened in Queens, New York in May 2013. It is located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The focal point of the amusement park is the historic Flushing Meadows Carousel. It contains four rows of figures, including 64 jumping horses, 7 standing horses, a lion, and 2 chariots. It was created to serve patrons of the 1964 New York World's Fair by combining two earlier carousels, both of which were carved in Coney Island in the first decade of the twentieth century by renowned carver Marcus Illions. The two historic carousels used for its construction were the Feltman's Carousel (1903) and the Stubbman Carousel (1908). While the 1964 World's Fair was going on, the carousel was located in the Lake Amusement Area. In 1968, the carousel was moved to its current spot which is adjacent to the Queens Zoo. In 2012, NY Carousel Entertainment was awarded the contract to operate the Flushing Meadows Carousel. The company made cosmetic repairs to the machine, repainting it, sanding and staining the historic wooden floor, and adding new fencing to the entire area. The following year, Fantasy Forest Amusement Park opened. The carousel was joined by additional rides which include the Corona Choo Choo, the Twirling Teacups, the Bouncy Baja Buggies, the Corona Cobra Coaster, and the Queens Motor Speedway. My family and I recently visited Fantasy Forest Amusement Park while we were spending the day at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. We spent the morning at the Queens Zoo and the small amusement park is conveniently located next to it. Although there aren't many rides at Fantasy Forest, the ones that they do have are very fun. We told our sons that they could pick any two rides to go on. First, they both accompanied me on the Queens Motor Speedway. My sons liked how the cars quickly zip around the corner during each course rotation. Afterwards they both accompanied my wife on the beautiful carousel. Overall we had a fun visit the Fantasy Forest and we hope to stop again on a future visit to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park! read more

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Being from the northeast Bronx, Queens is one of the best places to go for family fun days. There are so many locations to visit, with far lass travel time, traffic and parking conundrums, than heading into the Manhattan. During one of our homeschool field trip, we took our Little to historic Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is in close proximity to a few venues. This visit was to the Queens Zoo. On the way to the entrance, we passed by Fantasy Forest, and of course the kiddo begged to go. After our zoo experience, we headed right one over. It was still early so the lines were still manageable. I would suggest getting a few more tickets than you think you might need to avoid having to replenish because we literally needed two tickets and by that time, the lines was ridiculously long. This is a cute little permanent carnival fixture. They have a couple of covered, shady spaces that you can rent, for parties. I could definitely see hosting a small gathering for a kid's birthday. I would bring my own food, something easy, like pizzas, juice and cupcakes, to make life easiest. The ice-cream truck parks itself right outside so that's also an idea for treats after a party. Fantasy Forest has plenty of kid-friendly rides, many that parents can go on as well. It has been some time since we took ours to a place where she could go on rides. She was so psyched. Because of her size at the time, we had to accompany her on all the rides which was fun. On the carousel, they may or may not charge the adult a ticket also. I was able to ride next to her the first time and then when my husband went on with her, they made him stand up next to her for the ride. It was weird...same kid, same ride, same operator, different parent. Hubby ended up getting on a horse also because it didn't make sense. We rode the carousel with her a few times. She definitely loves it most. The rides are in pretty good condition and the place looks like they maintain it well. Just about every ride was operating. Don't let these rides fool you. Some of them are pretty intense, like the Queens Motor Speedway, Frog Hopper and Queens Himalaya, are all legit. I was holding on to my cap and my kid was laughing all the way. It was a fun experience. Despite it not being busy in the beginning, adults and their children, alike, get pushy. The lack of home training is apparent. I'm happy we went when we did. I would definitely go back but it would have to be a get in, get out situation. I value my personal space and level head too much. We didn't partake in any of the junk food but there's plenty around. As it began getting crowded, we decided to skidaddle. As I said earlier, we wanted to go on one more ride and the kid needed a parent with her but we were short one ticket and the line was crazy by this time so we got on the carousel one last time and headed out. read more

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The last two years we've held my daughters birthday party at Fantasy Forest and I have no complaints about last year, but I have to complain about what happened yesterday because it's so upsetting. The theme last year was Brown Bear, Brown Bear and my wife had me put on a brown bear costume, all the kids thought it was hilarious and everyone had a great time. This year the theme was Frozen, so my wife gave me an Olaf costume. All the kids loved it, my daughter who was dressed as Elsa and had a great time but when the bill came they gave us a $25 fee for outside entertainment, saying it was because I wore the Olaf costume. This is a ridiculous fee to be given to a member of the family, we weren't warned ahead of time and these kind of cash grabs have to be noted for future patrons planning birthday parties. read more

This place was right next to the zoo and my niece really wanted to ride some of the rides. We got there and there were a few rides. 2 of which were closed. We got 3 tickets as the prices looked a little to pricey for us. The place is small and there were many kids going on the rides. It was nice to have a little sit down rest. The rides were cute small and safe. read more

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Built nearly 60 years ago for the World's Fair, Fantasy Forest is one of the nation's smallest amusement parks in ironically the city's largest borough (#1). While it initially was in Coney Island, the Carousel made its way to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the lates 60s and has remained there ever since. The Carousel is obviously kid friendly and popular for little ones during good weather days. It is also an iconic landmark of sorts, especially for New York history buffs. Since re-opening to the public a decade ago, the current operators (#2) have restored much of the ride through a series of cosmetic repairs. In many ways, it looks like something that belongs in a museum. Because I'm not the prime target demographic, I've never been on the Carousel (#3) but all the youngins I've brought here previously have enjoyed immensely. Currently a weekday (M-F) wristband is $27 for unlimited rides with single tickets at $4+ each. This obviously includes all the other rides, such as the mini-roller coaster (Corona Cobra!), train ride (Corona Choo Choo), and few others like the Twirling Teacups, Queens Himalaya, and Fantasy Frog Hopper. There is no admission to get into the park. The parks people working here are usually a little too busy to provide exceptional service and the weekends are a bit crazy at times. Parking is free on 54th and 55th Ave and be sure to follow their social media for weather delays or closures. _____________ (#1) Queens. Reppin' to the fullest. (#2) NY Carousel Entertainment (#3) A grown man on a pony is not a visual you want. read more

This a very cute and very small amusement park geared towards younger kids under 7 or so. It's next to the Queens Zoo and very close to the New York Hall of Science. For $25, your child can go unlimited times on all of the rides. Otherwise, you can purchase individual tickets for each ride ($4). There are about 7-8 rides and one game booth. My two-year-old nephew loved the small trains ride. He's on the tall side and the staff made him go by himself since we didn't have extra tickets for the adults. If you have children under the height limit, then the adults can ride for free. There's also an old fashion carousel ride that goes very fast! It was a bit disconcerting how fast they make this carousel go. If you have young kids, I would suggest you place them go on one of the stationary horses or inside one of the carriages rather than on one of the horses that goes up and down. The only food option here is a hot dog stand and a Mister Softee van parked by the entrance of the amusement park. Overall, not a bad place to spend a couple of hours. There were just enough rides to keep my nephew happy. And we got to spend time at the park afterwards. read more

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I recently co-hosted a birthday party here, for my daughter my nephew, and other family members kids. Our host ,Tytianna was fantastic. Anytime we needed help, she was there. We forgot to bring tablecloths, and there she was with tablecloths in hand! All the staff at the park was attentive and helpful. Even when one of our kids got sick, staff was quick to come by and spread some powder over it. I did find that during the earlier hours, the park was a little understaffed. We would see one ride operator finish one ride, and then run over across the park to another ride since he would see a bunch of kids waiting in line. Our party was at 10 a.m., which I would recommend for parents since that's when the park just opens, and you will pretty much have the park to yourselves at least for an hour. Best part was that we were allowed to bring in outside prepared food, so it was great that we were able to save money on catering. Since some of the kids in our group had allergies, we didn't have to restrict them from eating anything. For just under $500, our group got unlimited ride wristbands, good for up to two hours. Most of the rides are geared towards the lower elementary school set, but our oldest kid, who was 11.5, had a blast riding all of the more thrilling rides, including a low coaster, and a drop ride. Our younger kids, that ranged from 1 to 6 years old, were entertained sufficiently with the choo choo train, teacups, and spinning cars. They didn't mind riding it 5 times in Rapid succession! The park also took care of all of the goodie bags, which included tickets for some of the carnival type games. (There are only 4 Carnival games,the water Shooters, ring toss, basketball,and hi Striker with the hammer.) We decided to extend the wristbands an extra half hour for only $40. Can't beat that. If you are picnicking in the park with kids, 2 hours is plenty of time. read more

Fantasy Forest at Flushing Meadows Carousel - Ticket booth, and souvenir stand. - Carousels Near Me - Corona, New York

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I'd really say 3.5 stars. It's a small amusement park place for kids. I'm not a parent, went with my niece, but I would say 10 and under? Everything is geared toward younger kids. There's probably half a dozen rides with the Carasoul being the biggest ride. There's a roller coaster, mad tea cup ride, the Carasoul, a train ride, cars on a track, a ride that went straight up and did short drops and a few more. Again everything is geared toward kids so don't think Great Adventure or anything. There is a height requirement to go by themselves and if a parent has to go it doesn't cost anything extra. There are also games like the water cannon, basketball, a ring toss on bottles, and I think one or two more. Everything is off of a ticket system. Each ride is one ticket and you can buy bundles of 10, 30, etc. They also had a wristband option that was good for only the rides. The games still cost tickets. Depending on your kids preference. My niece was about 50/50 on the games and the rides so I just went with the tickets. She loves winning prizes, mostly teddy bears, and she went on the roller coaster and the short drop ride a few times each. I forget the exact prices but I thought it was a little pricey for what it was. It was worth it because she had a blast but still pricey. There were food carts right outside the entrance for snacks and drinks. Hot dogs and some basic hot food. Of course ice cream as well. Between the Zoo and this place I thought it was a good day to spend a few hours with the young ones. read more

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Square credit card skimmer CONFIRMED. Use cash only, beware. Someone is skimming from this place's square devices/system. I visited here on 6/19/2021 and used my card here. 2 Days later on 6/22 and even today (6/23), I started seeing random charges coming from other square-based vendors and my card issuer froze my account for fraud activity. There were 20+ charges, very desperate. For the record, I haven't used this particular card at any other square merchants/vendors, EVER, so this pretty much confirms the fraud origin. As for the kiddie rides themselves, nothing to write home about. The place is dated. read more

A small amusement park in Queens just by the Queens Zoo. Carousel, some games, etc. All take tickets you can pay for upfront. 3-4 tickets/game or ride. $1 per ticket or cheaper if you get a bunch more. The carousel is busy and lots of people on it - some stationary and some move up and down, so make sure you know which one is which before you get on a horse to ride. Interesting for the little one. They also do birthdays. read more

It is cool. It is historical. It is historical. It is right there! The Flushing Meadows Carousel is an amusement park located not far from the Queens Zoo. Did you know? This carousel houses items from two early 1900s Coney Island attractions: the Charles Feltman and Stubbman carousels! It made me look at it differently... This carousel was installed at its current home for the 1964 World's Fair. Features 70 horses and a lion. In 2013, this carousel has served as the heart attraction of Fantasy Forest. Features a picnic area set with tables and seats available also for parties and family or social gatherings. Excellent customer service, operators are really friendly and knowledgeable. Amusement park is well kept, well-maintained and regularly cleaned. I appreciate the city for keeping it here and in such great condition. I love it! read more

Nasty nasty nasty the people who work here are mean and unfriendly.....the unlimited band is only for weekdays and not weekends written in fine print and not on the ticket sales board read more

A MUST DO! 4 & 1/2 STARS! THIS IS THE HOME OF THE 1964 WORLD'S FAIR CAROUSEL THAT WAS CREATED BY COMBINING TOGETHER 2 FORMER CONEY ISLAND CAROUSELS! It is Very COOL! I would have given this place a 3 & 1/2 STARS but you got to bump it up a point for the Vintage Way Cool Merry go Round! Fantasy Forest is a small Old School Amusement Park that is mostly geared towards younger children with The one exception being he Carousel that is for both Adults & Kids. They have Rides like The Twirling Teacups, Queens Motor Speedawy, The Carona Choo Choo, The Fantasy Frog Hopper, The Bouncing Baja Buggies, The Queens Himalaya, The Corona Cobra Coaster. These rides all speak well to younger Kids. The Vintage Carousel appeals to both Adults & Children. Adults will enjoy seeing the hand carved horses. Remember to scope out the whole ride; you'll find pictures all around the inside of the ride from Both the 1939 & 1964 World's Fair. Yes there were 2 World's Fairs here. It's pretty amazing that an attraction that closed down over 50 years ago, still has a ride that people can go on from that era. Most people don't even know about it. You can ride the Carousel just like they did Back in the Day more than 50 years ago. You can purchase just the 1 ride ticket for The Carousel or buy an Unlimited Pass for all the Rides. They also have Free Shows & other events going on here in the warmer months. People also do rent the place for Birthdays Parties too. There are benches & green grass to picnic too. This is located in the beautiful huge 897 acres of Corona Park in Flushing Meadows. Be sure to check out some of the other cool & fun things to do here like play multiple Sports, The Rec Center, Pool, Lakes, Hiking Trails, The Zoo, The Queens Museum. There are still remnants from The 1964 World's Fair including statues, The Lookout Tower, & others. The Ginormous 1964 World's Fair Unisphere is also here & has been featured in numerous movies including Independence Day. The Admission to the Park is FREE & there's FREE PARKING here too. FREE PARKING IN NEW YORK! YOUVE GOT TO BE KIDDING! NOPE! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really rich to have The Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've Been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like A King On A Limited Budget! read more

The ride is rather expensive for this. But the real problem is staff training. It could cause serious injury. They do not always check sefety devise. I think now they have serious shortage of staff, and they have to fly one ride to another to operate. However, it does not justify when they do not help guests get off (as most of they are toddlers) and yell at the guests literally "get out, hurry hurry!" as the staff has to close the ride and operate another ride. This would be the first and last time to be there...awful experience as a small children's park. read more

Such a cute little place tucked in flushing meadows park. Small enough to not exhaust us parents while having enough attractions to keep the little ones entertained. I believe I counted 5 or 6 rides and about 2 or 3 carnival games. My almost three year old had an absolute blast. She woke up the next morning asking to go back to the fantasy park and ride the dragon coaster! All of the staff members were super friendly. we never had to wait more than one ride cycle to get on anything. My daughter is just about 36 inches and was able to ride everything with me. They have a cute area sectioned off and covered from the sun with picnic tables - especially for people who reserve the space in advance (birthday parties and gatherings I assume) wish it weren't too cold on my girls birthday! Will definitely be back! read more

Fantasy Forest at Flushing Meadows Carousel - Dragon coaster. - Carousels Near Me - Corona, New York

I bought $10 ticket from the window, the girl charged me $30 didn't even show me the amount and signed it with her signature by herself. They refused to give a receipt also. I found out they over charged me $20 from my credit card and called Their customer service. Believe me! They can do nothing for you and yes! This is a scam!! Better don't go this place!! read more

We held our 3 year old's birthday here. Mervin, the sales manager, makes every efforts to make the parents and the child feel comfortable to make sure the day goes without any issues. Staffs work well with each other and with customers to make sure our needs are met. Next to our tent, the other party's music volume was high and our staff organizer was attentive to ask us if we needed to ask them to turn down the volume. Parking directions for our guests could improve some as some guests took a bit to find parking space but that should be expected. The carousel rides and games were great for the kids! read more

Pretty good little carnival for the spring, summer and fall season. Has a few toddler specific rides and a carousel. Also has two or three little games like basketball and water shooter race to give the kids the opportunity to win a prize. No true carnival food options but it's a great quick option for toddlers to have a little carnival fun. #ToddlerDriven #Not4Teens #Not4Adults read more

Overall, this place is a good value for the money. Each game and ride only cost 1 ticket. The ride attendants were polite. I took a star off because the parking is terrible, the guy at the concession stand gave me an extremely small serving of onions on my hot dog (like 1/4 teaspoon), and the pretzel was stale. read more

Hang on tightly else centrifugal force may spirit you away from your pony! And you wouldn't want to miss a second of this ride. The ponies here aren't the delicately painted beauties of Jane's Carousel, nor the artistic piscine wonders of the Sea Glass. But these boldly painted horses(and even lion), at this 65 year old carousel, offer one of the fastest rides in its class. One of the operators told me it has a top speed of 53 mph, though they keep it at 40 mph. Wouldn't want the parents crying as their kiddies tumble off as they twirl around, despite substantial future college savings. Wouldn't want the parents flying off either. The ponies themselves are big and some, when the ride ends, don't come all the way down to the ground. A few were at least three feet high from the ground! Getting on one can feel like a climb. On the day I went, all the kiddies had just gotten off and no one else was on line but me. I was ecstatic to be the queen of this carousel. Even the operator said, "Hey, you gotta have some fun." Right on dude! The weather wa so nippy the metal pole froze my hands, and I swear I never had more fun on a carousel--which was just fast enough to make you a little nervous, not dangerous enough to make you think you were in Something Wicked This Way Comes. I was enthralled, I was enchanted. If it weren't so cold, I would have taken another ride. A must for any visitor to Flushing Meadows Park and lover of merry-go-rounds. read more

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Great miniature amusement park located in the heart of Flushing Meadows Park and perfect for young children. Ride tickets are reasonably priced. My daughter loves the Motor Speedway Ride and now is brave enough to ride the Snake Mini Roller Coaster. From last year, they feature a cute, entertaining magic show every Sunday and play great music by a DJ afterwards. This park continues to improve itself by adding a new ride, the Baja Bouncing Buggy. My daughter is 5 years old and I've been bring her few times every summer since she was 2 years old and never gets tired of it. What's great about this amusement park that it is minutes away not hours away. read more

They have a couple of rides for the kids. My daughter loved all of them. Love flushing meadows park in corona queens . Wish I didn't live far from it! Lol! I'll definitely be passing by again when I'm in the area. Just wish the public bathrooms had soap in their dispensers ! :( read more

Had a great time. Best part is that the it's in a zoo and it's not to expensive it's cute for little kids and exciting.

Last summer i was here at least one time a week. My girls loved it i even had fun! Mon-thur i belive they have a wrist band for unlimited rides n great price read more

4 years later I go back. 3 staff juggling all the rides ... turning off one ride leaving some irritated parent on that line to tend to my kids who asked for another ride. Same staff laughs the the girls with headscarves. Not nice. Then yelled ... screamed... like she was about to get into a physical fight ... with my 4 yo niece. Thank God my niece quickly gave her the ticket that she had in her hands that she had not because she ran in so excited. Geez. I spend so much money on the ice creams at the truck... the zoo... but this amusement park... I don't know what to say... Go ahead, go... if you are passing by... but don't make it a place to aim for... seriously, I actually felt bad for the staff... she was so stressed that she told me that the rides were under staffed... but then she lost it on other patrons... on my niece.... My son is 6 yo now. 4 years later... this place is the same. read more

It's a great little amusement park right next to the queens zoo that's perfect for kids 6 years and under. I really have to say I was extremely impressed with the customer service I received here. Myra was so extremely helpful with my questions and can't say enough good things about her. read more

I have had 2 birthday parties at the park in the last two years and looking forward to more before the kids get too old to enjoy it. Both parties were perfect. Great hostess, good price and lucked out with the weather both time. read more

We love going to this amusement park, its perfect for my 5yr old. The staff are very friendly and accommodating to the children.

Took my son for his 10th bday party, both my son and his friends had a great time. The female that hosted the party was great, friendly and patient. My questions, and concerns were all answered by Mervin who kept me informed. He was both professional and kind. Everything went smoothly. I wish there was a camera person on site taking pics of the party, of coarse parents would pay additional fees but this would free up the parents time to enjoy the party with the kids and take the pics home with them. I'm old school, I know lol! My only negative was that the outside of the park and the parking lot, there was garbage everywhere. A park should be clean and smell grassy and it smelled like garbage, and we were dodging garbage from the ground. This was not the case in fantasy forest where the party took place, but In order to get to that area we had to pass the main entrance to the park by the parking lot which as I mentioned was dirty. The park should hire a cleaning crew and ppl should be cleaning up after themselves. I do recommended fantasy forest to parents for parties, we all enjoyed it! read more