10. Visit the Louis Armstrong House and Museum

The Louis Armstrong House and Museum is a place where visitors can have an intimate look at the man himself. This was the place he returned to, in between a year of about 300 concerts. The house, which was decorated by  Armstrong’s wife, Lucille, has changed very little over the years. Now a museum, it holds several collections of photographs, sound recordings, letters and instruments. It is, in fact, the largest publicly held archival collection devoted to a jazz musician. The Louis Armstrong House Museum was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and a New York City Landmark in 1988. After the passing of Lucille Armstrong in 1983, the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation gave the house to the Department of Cultural Affairs, arranged for Queens College to operate it, and gifted Armstrong’s personal collection to Queens College. The museum opened to the public in 2003. The Louis Armstrong House Museum is located at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, Queens. Check their website for guided 40-minute tours.