Culture in Flushing

John Bowne's house, where he let Quakers meet in 1662 in defiance of Peter Stuyvesant's ban and was deported to Holland for it before the Dutch West India Company sided with him. Nine generations of one family lived here and the furniture and kitchen hearth came with them. Tours run forty-five minutes and you buy the ticket at the door.

Wed, noon to 4pm, with tours at noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3:15pm. Extra Saturdays on the events calendar

The oldest place of worship in New York City still used for its original purpose, built in 1694 and extended in 1716. It is a plain shingled building with wooden benches and no decoration, set behind a burying ground on Northern Boulevard, and the Quakers who meet here trace back to the 1657 Flushing Remonstrance. It was made a National Historic Landmark in 1967. Tours follow the Sunday meeting or go by appointment.

Sunday worship at 11am with tours after, around noon. Weekday visits by appointment only, arranged about two weeks ahead

The only comprehensive art collection in Queens, about six thousand objects held on the fourth floor of Klapper Hall at Queens College. It runs from ancient Egyptian and classical material through prints by Dürer and Rembrandt to twentieth-century work, and it mounts changing shows alongside the permanent holdings. Admission is free. It keeps university hours, which means weekdays and the academic calendar.

Mon to Thu, 10am to 4pm. Closed Fri, Sat and Sun, and closed during college recesses

Lewis Latimer drafted the patent drawings for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone and patented the carbon filament that made the light bulb last, and this Queen Anne house is where he lived from 1903 until he died. It was moved here from its original site to save it from demolition. The permanent exhibition is on the ground floor and admission is free.

Fri and Sat, 11am to 5pm

Built starting in 1694 and the oldest house of worship still standing in New York State, with a plain interior of benches and no decoration, the way Quaker meeting houses are built. It has been in continuous use by Flushing Friends for more than three centuries and became a National Historic Landmark in 1967. Visitors are shown round for half an hour after Sunday worship.

Open for tours Sun, noon to 12:30pm. Worship at 11am. Group tours other days by appointment