Many of Manhattan's most famous museums, including MoMA and the Met, will be all but impossible to get to while Pope Francis is in town. But the Brooklyn Museum won't be, and its current roster of exhibits—including one on sneaker culture, a Kara Walker installation, and a retrospective of the innovative Brooklyn artists FAILE—is well worth the trip.

Thanks to the Papal procession on Friday (and the security leading up to it), Central Park will be a no-go this week. Instead, head to Queens and visit Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is even larger than Central Park, and has just as many cool things to do: check out the iconic Unisphere, wander around the dilapidated New York State Pavilion, or check out institutions like the New York Hall of Science and the Queens Botanical Garden.

While you're at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, be sure to take a detour to the Queens Museum. It's located in the former New York City Building, originally constructed for the 1939 World's Fair. At one point, the building was the headquarters of the United Nations (whose current complex will be a no-fly-zone because of the Pope); now, it hosts innovative, borough-focused exhibits. It's also home to The Panorama of the City of New York, a scale model of the five boroughs that's one of the most fascinating exhibits in the city. [Photo by Max Touhey]

It's no surprise that the recently-restored St. Patrick's Cathedral will be overtaken by Papal activity—and other popular houses of worship, like Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel, are also in Pope Francis's sphere of closures. If you're looking for a peaceful spot with religious (and historical) significance, go to Green-Wood: There are plenty of spots to explore, including the beautiful 1911 chapel; the grounds are serene; and there are more historical sites than you can count on both hands.

This is the final weekend that Governors Island will be open to the public, so make the most of it. On Thursday, there's a hard hat tour of the new hills being built, which will tower 70 feet over the island. Pro tip: Leave from the ferry landing at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park—thanks to the Pope's visit to the World Trade Center, downtown is going to be a mess.

Want to get as far away from the congestion of the Pope's visit as possible? Head to the Rockaways; swimming may be off-limits at this point, but there are still plenty of activities—tacos, shopping, people-watching—to keep you occupied. There's also a small park that pays tribute to Rockaways residents lost on 9/11, located near the Beach 116th Street subway stop. [Photo by Scott Lynch]

Both Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall are within the area that will basically be off-limits during the Pope's visit—and thousands of spectators will pack MSG on Friday for a papal mass. But the historic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, which reopened this February, is well outside of the Pope's purview and is just as historic as either of those Manhattan venues. If you're an Of Monsters and Men or Jackson Browne fan, you're in luck: they're playing on Thursday and Friday, respectively.