Corona, Queens: Armstrong House Last Tour at 3 PM, Then Park Side Dinner
One Corona afternoon pairs the house Louis Armstrong would not give up with a red sauce restaurant four decades into the same stretch of Queens.
From 107th Street Down to Corona Avenue
🎺 Start at 2 PM for the exhibitions before the 3 PM house tour
For the 3 PM final house tour, the museum recommends arriving at 2 PM to explore the Louis Armstrong Center exhibitions first, including Here to Stay and Armstrong in Ghana, because the site closes at 4 PM. A guide leads groups of up to ten people through the preserved home Louis and Lucille moved into in 1943, left virtually intact from Lucille's era. The house tour lasts about 45 minutes and involves two steep flights of stairs and standing throughout, whereas the modern Center across the street is step-free. Adult tickets are $20 and include both the guided house tour and exhibitions; exhibition-only admission is $10, and eligible Corona residents pay $5. Advance ticket purchase is required.
🍝 Walk down 108th Street for an early dinner at Park Side
After the tour wraps up around 3:45 PM, walk to 37th Avenue, then south down 108th Street for roughly twenty minutes (1.4 km) to reach Corona Avenue. Park Side Restaurant has served classic Italian American fare on this corner for more than four decades; menu favorites include baked clams. Its doors are open Monday through Saturday from 12 PM to 10 PM and Sunday from 1 PM to 10 PM. While an early arrival puts you ahead of the prime evening rush, seating is never guaranteed, so calling ahead to reserve a table is strongly recommended.
🗺️ How the afternoon timing connects
Scheduling the house tour first anchors the entire afternoon. The museum opens Thursday through Saturday from 11 AM to 4 PM (closed Sunday through Wednesday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas week, and New Year's week). Pairing the 2 PM exhibition entry with the 3 PM house tour leaves you finishing at 3:45 PM, providing an unhurried walk to dinner right as evening service gets underway. The 7 train at 103 St–Corona Plaza sits just a ten-minute walk from the museum doors.
