Socrates Sculpture Park

Worth knowing this before you come. The quality of your experience here will vastly depend on what is being exhibited. Sometimes, what's on display is breathtaking, and other times, nothing much really going on. They do have a number of events that take place so worth checking the schedule.

They have a grilling area if you're looking to have a gathering. Bathrooms are port-a-potties, so keep that in mind. If you have a Costco membership, you could easily grab food and use their restrooms next door or better yet, there is a cute cafe across the street worth visiting.

I would say it's not a place to go out of your way to see, but if you're in the area or live in NYC, it may be worth checking out from time to time, especially for some of the events.

Socrates is a fairly small park that is mostly just filled with grass fields and sculptures. It's easy to find as it is located across from the Costco in Astoria. The main plus is that there is a lot of empty space to relax and it is located on the waterfront.

The sculpture themselves can be hit and miss. They actually switch out the sculptures periodically. When I last came, there were a fair amount of large and interesting works of art on display. Other reviews say they saw almost nothing.

Decided to take the ferry to Astoria with no definite itenirary so was pleasantly surprise to bump into this sculpture park.

I think the place was into transition we came so not much sculptures to see yet but still enjoy the place anyway.

Entrance is free & exhibit is outdoors. Lots of trees & some flowers with beautiful view of the East river & manhattan.

A good place for a quiet stroll, chat with friends, have a cup of coffee while enjoying the view.

Socrates is a small sculpture park. If you catch it at the right moment it can be quite whimsical. On the other hand it does undergo construction a fair bit when new pieces are being installed and it's in transition mode. The pieces aren't always labeled in the immediate vicinity so you'd have to look online for additional information (I'd recommend doing so since it can be hit or miss depending on whether the work has been fully installed or whether it's of interest).

In the Spring there are a few younger trees that have cherry blossoms which is nice as well. I'd say that the space feels like it's still growing and developing since it's very free form and casual. This is a very different space (size wise and approach wise) when compared to Storm King for example.

The great news is that it's free and open to the public! It's a great place to pass through. Whether that's a short walk, relaxing by the water (lots of people bring dogs and kids here), a run, etc. Poking around the exhibits while you're there is a bonus.

In addition, it also serves as a compost dropoff site which is great for those in the local community. I come through in passing and have seen several iterations. It's interesting to see the usage of the space. Sometimes I admit it feels a bit random (not as structured) but I do like that there's a space to show off different types of art work for public appreciation.

This park is a unique find on Astoria's east river waterfront. it's a relaxing place to watch the sunset and boats on the river. i just wish there were more actual benches in the parks.

Small free park with some open space and a few sculptures.

Arrived here at about 2pm on a nice Sunday and was able to get street parking about 2 blocks away.

A bunch of people laid out on the open space on beach/park towels or lawn chairs. Not too much else to do or see...unless they hold events there.

There is a lot of construction going on in and around the park. Definitely some nice views of the river and Roosevelt Island, but this is a "stop by if you are in the area" versus a destination park for me until they wrap up with construction.

What happened, Socrates? You're building a giant new admin building but the grounds are a mess--muddy and unkempt. It's supposed to be your big exhibit right now but you only have about five pieces up, one of which is a giant grill, so now in addition to the park being a glorified dog run (no one keeps them on leashes, btw), it's just another park for a bbq. And also--where did the chimes go?!

First time in Queens New York I researched online the top things to visit. Take a look at the pictures, extremely disappointed because no where did I read that the sculptures and artwork rotate every few months. I walked all the way over there to find Nothing!!!

Great park with amazing views. It is a great park that features amazing g sculptures. They also host amazing community events here that I very much appreciate! They also have communal grills where you can have an awesome picnic. It's a gem in Astoria