Day trip: To Flushing for science and soup dumplings

Why not extend the holidays just one more day?

Gingerbread Lane is a whole gingerbread village on display at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, complete with miniature houses, trees, a skating rink, a hotel and even a subway station.

The 2 ¹/₂-ton, 480-square-foot village is on display until Jan. 11, when it will be dismantled and given away — on a first-come, first-served basis, so get there early!

Had your fill of gingerbread? The museum has permanent exhibits that explore the science of art, astronomy, light, mathematics and more. It's a very child-friendly place, too.

If you go

Take the Whitestone Bridge, bearing right at the end onto the Whitestone Expressway. Exit onto Grand Central Parkway eastbound. Take Exit 10, bearing right to follow the Midtown Tunnel signage. Right on Corona Avenue. Right on 111th Street. Right at 49th Avenue into the New York Hall of Science entrance drive. 4701 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718-699-0005, nysci.org.

Where to eat

On the other side of Citi Field and Flushing Meadows Corona Park, about a 10-minute drive or two subway stops away, you will find one of the best soup dumplings in New York City, at the Nan Xiang Dumpling House. This version blows the doors off any around here: gorgeous handmade pleats, delicate dough, delicious filling and a broth full of umami. Perfect for a cold winter day! 38-12 Prince St., Flushing. 718-321-3838.

Stay a while

You've driven past it a hundred times. Why not visit the Unisphere, the 140-foot globe built for the 1964 World's Fair by United States Steel. It's in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, as is the Queens Museum of Art and the Queens Wildlife Center. www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park