In the beginning of the 1930s, the 1,255-acre site which is now Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was still just a swampy marshland with little prospect for development. It was not until New York City’s powerful parks commissioner, Robert Moses, envisioned reclaiming the site for the 1939 World's fair that the area was transformed into a famous fair ground and recreation site. The park has hosted two World Fairs, the first in 1939 and the second in 1964. The structures that remain from these two fairs have become the foundation for the growing park. In particular the Unisphere, left from the 1964 Fair and now designated as a city landmark, has become a well-known symbol for Queens.

The current shape of the park is an oval stretching from Flushing Bay to Union Turnpike. Within the park, there are many places for relaxation and recreation. Among the 124 acres of natural areas are Flushing Creek and Bay, Willow Lake and expanses of meadow and marshland. The park is also home to New York City's largest lake: the 84-acre manmade, freshwater Meadow lake.

Aside from the New York Hall of Science, the Queens Museum of Art, Queens Zoo, and Queens Botanical Garden, the park also houses two professional sports facilities: Citi Field (Mets Stadium), home to the New York Mets, and the USTA National Tennis Center, available for public play and home to the US Open.