Top Landmarks in Elmont

Elmont, NY sits on the Nassau County side of the Queens border, and its identity as a destination is shaped almost entirely by one large, historic sports and entertainment complex. Unlike many hamlets its size, Elmont's landmarks are concentrated rather than scattered, which makes them easy to combine into a single outing. This guide walks through the well-known sites, explains why each draws visitors, and offers a practical sense of how they sit relative to one another so you can plan a route rather than a scavenger hunt.

For a broader overview of the area, including food and lodging context, see the Elmont Travel Guide: Things to Do, Landmarks, Food, and Itineraries. This page focuses specifically on the landmarks themselves.

Belmont Park

Belmont Park is the anchor landmark of Elmont and the reason many visitors first hear the town's name. Opened in the early twentieth century, it's a thoroughbred horse racing venue widely known as the home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. The grandstand and grounds are large enough that the property functions almost like a self-contained district within Elmont, with sightlines toward the track's signature turf course.

Even outside of major race events, the property is worth considering for its scale and architecture — the grandstand structure and the surrounding grounds give a sense of the site's long history in American racing. Because race schedules, gate access, and event-specific details change from year to year, it's best to check the official Belmont Park site before planning a visit built around a specific date.

UBS Arena

Directly adjacent to Belmont Park is UBS Arena, a modern indoor arena that opened in the early 2020s as the home of the New York Islanders NHL franchise. The arena also hosts concerts and other large-scale events throughout the year. Architecturally, it's a contrast to the century-old grandstand next door — glass, steel, and a contemporary sports-venue design — which makes the pairing of the two sites an interesting study in how the same patch of land in Elmont has been used across different eras.

Because UBS Arena and Belmont Park share a campus, they're commonly visited together. Event schedules, box office details, and any parking or entry policies are subject to change, so those specifics are best confirmed on the arena's official site rather than assumed in advance.

How the Landmarks Cluster

What sets Elmont apart from many similarly sized communities is that its most recognizable landmarks aren't spread across town — they're essentially next to each other on and around the Belmont Park property. This clustering is a practical advantage for visitors: rather than needing a car or multiple transit connections to see the highlights, you can often walk from one site to the other within the same visit.

The immediate area around Belmont Park and UBS Arena also includes pedestrian paths and plazas built to move large crowds between the two venues, since both can host events on the same day. Outside of event days, the same paths make for a quieter walk where you can view both structures without the density of race-day or game-day crowds.

Beyond the racetrack-and-arena core, Elmont's residential streets include smaller community landmarks such as the Elmont Memorial Library, a civic hub for the area, and Elmont Memorial Park, a local park space that includes a war memorial and serves as a gathering point for the community. These sites are more modest in scale than Belmont Park or UBS Arena, but they round out a fuller picture of the town beyond its sports venues and are reasonable stops if you're exploring on foot or by bike.

Planning a Landmark Walk

Because the primary landmarks sit close together, a single afternoon is generally enough to see Belmont Park and UBS Arena at a walking pace, with time to appreciate the exteriors and grounds of each. If you want to extend the outing to include the library or memorial park, budget additional time for the walk between the racetrack campus and the surrounding residential streets, since those sites are a short distance away rather than immediately adjacent.

Given that Elmont borders Queens, some visitors choose to combine a landmark walk here with time spent exploring nearby New York City neighborhoods before or after. If you're coming from elsewhere in the region, using the subway, buses, or trains with contactless tap-to-pay is a common way to reach the area, though it's worth checking current route and service information from the relevant transit agency before you go, since schedules and service patterns can change.

For a fuller sense of what else to do nearby, the Best Things To Do in Elmont page expands on activities beyond the landmarks covered here, and Where to Eat in Elmont offers an overview of dining options if you want to build a meal into your visit. If you're mapping out a longer visit, the Elmont 1-Day Itinerary and Elmont 3-Day Itinerary both incorporate these landmarks into a broader schedule.

When to Visit

Timing matters more here than in many towns, since Belmont Park and UBS Arena both host scheduled events that affect crowd size, noise, and general atmosphere in the surrounding area. A quiet weekday visit will feel very different from a day with a major race or a sold-out arena event. The Best Time to Visit Elmont page goes into more detail on seasonal considerations, and it's worth checking event calendars for both venues directly if you want to either catch — or avoid — a big event during your trip.

A Few Practical Notes

Elmont is a residential community first, with a median age around 38 and household income figures in line with surrounding Nassau County communities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS 5-year estimates. That context is worth keeping in mind: streets near Belmont Park and UBS Arena are otherwise ordinary residential blocks, and standard urban awareness — being mindful of traffic, sticking to well-lit and populated areas after dark, and being aware of your surroundings during large events — applies here as it would in any suburban area near a major venue.

If you still have questions about logistics, timing, or getting around, the Elmont FAQ covers common visitor questions in more detail.