Rochester, NY with Kids
Written: Jul 14 '02 (Updated Jan 15 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A fair amount for Kids and Families to do!
Cons: You have to drive everywhere!
The Bottom Line: Rochester is best enjoyed by kids and families.
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| marytara's Full Review: Rochester, NY |
People hear that I'm from NY and think I mean "the city" as in NYC. Boy, could they be far from wrong. Rochester, NY is a pretty small city located in Upstate, NY - or Western, NY depending on who you are talking to.
Rochester's known best for being the home to both Xerox and the Eastman Kodak Company as well as a few other fairly well known companies. Rochester is also the home to the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology as well as a few lesser known but well respected private colleges. As such, there's a fair amount of travel in and out of Rochester to support its small-sized, but recently renovated airport, the Greater Rochester International Airport.
If you happen to be visiting Rochester, be it for business or pleasure there's more than a handful of things to do all within driving distance and accessable via the local highway system. Once your in Rochester, you'll learn that most everything is within a 15-20 minute drive and there's pretty much no such thing as traffic (except for occasional rush hour, or rubber-neck delays).
As a parent of a young child, I'm always on the lookout for kid-friendly places to go. So, I thought it would be great to make a list of places in the area that I've found to be kid-friendly, fun and affordable. Of course, kids aren't a prerequisite to visit any of these places but a sense of adventure, a passion for fun and desire to learn and try new things is.
Ready?
Top Ten Places to Go with Kids in Rochester, NY
1. Strong Museum - Located in the heart of downtown Rochester, right off of the Inner Loop this is Rochester version of a children's museum. Admission is reasonable ($6 and under per person) and it is open year round. The museum has hands on interactive learning exhibits that are geared for children of all ages (adults included).
For more info:
http://www.strongmuseum.org
My Review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_69979508356
2. Seneca Park Zoo The zoo is located in the St. Paul area of Rochester, on the border of the city and the suburb of Irondequoit. This is Rochester's small but lively zoo, run by Monroe County. The zoo is best for younger children as its on the small side and there aren't a ton of animals. Over the past few years they have made waves to bring a new life to the zoo and have redone many exhibits including the penguin house, seals and sealions, polar bear, and more. This years visiting animals include a pair of brother giraffes that are quite spectacular.
For more info:
http://www.senecazoo.org
My Review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_23164325508
3. The Rochester Museum & Science Center is Rochester's main museum located on East Avenue in the city of Rochester. There are a variety of exhibits with a little bit for everyone here. My favorite exhibits include a whole floor dedicated to the Indians, who populated this local area. Located next door to the museum is the Strasenburg Planetarium. The planetarium holds a variety of shows, including giant screen movies, star shows and even laser light shows set to music. Plus, you get to sit in some pretty cool chairs in the dark! We recently took a trip here with our mothers group and some of the kids did get a bit scared. Run by the Rochester Museum and Science center, the Cummings Nature Center is about an hour away by car located in Bristol, NY. Pack your lunch, all terrain stroller, or backpack carrier and spend a day hiking on their many trails. My favorite trails include "The Beaver Trail" and "The Maple Sugaring Trail". If you go here, don't forget bug repellant, sunscreen and some cold beverages. The trails are for all ages and are not hilly or geared to experienced hikers.
For more info:
http://www.rmsc.org
4. Animal Farms - Lollypop Farm is run by the local Humane Society and is located in Fairport, NY. This is about a 25 minute drive into the suburbs of Rochester. There's a small outdoor farm area which includes goats, sheep as well as a petting zoo. Be forewarned though, that the indoor area of Lollypop can be quite heart-wrenching. If you have a warm heart for animals you are likely to come home with a new dog, cat, rabbit, or other small animal for a pet. We adopted our dog (rottweiler/lab mix) from Lollypop and many family pets over the years have come from here.
There's another farm which has become quite popular with the kids without the animal adoption to tear at your heart strings, and that is Springdale Farm. This farm is ran by the Heritage Christian Home, which is a non-profit agency for those with developmental disabilities. The farm is located in Spencerport, NY which is around 15-20 minutes away from Rochester, in the opposite direction from Lollypop. Springdale Farm is quite large and has all the typical farm animals including horses, ponies, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, cows, chickens and more. It can be a little stinky but everything is well maintained and fun for kids.
For more info:
http://www.lollypop.org/
http://www.springdalefarm.org/
Review of Sprindale Farm:
http://www.epinions.com/content_73219870340
5. There are many area parks worth checking out. My 2 reccomendations would be Mendon Ponds Park and Lake Ontario Beach Park. Mendon Ponds park is located in Pittsford about 20 minutes away from Rochester, itself - in the "country". The park has a Nature Center as well as several trails and picnic areas. Out of all the trails, I would recommend the Bird Song trail the highest if you have young children. There's lots to see and listen to. If you bring birdseed you can feed the birds and they will fly right up to you so you can get a very close look.
Lake Ontario Beach Park is also known as "The Beach". Found at the end of Lake Avenue and Beach Avenue in the township of Charlotte, which is about 15 minutes away from downtown Rochester. There's plenty of parking for Free, but it fills up early. Also, right now they are doing construction on the area so about 1/2 of their lots are not available. You might have to park and walk a bit, but its worth it. Bring your suit if you plan to brave the waters (often cold and a little murky). I prefer to bring a bite to eat and claim a picnic table for a simple lunch or dinner. Then, take a leisurely walk all along the paved path up near the shoreline and down a long pier to the lighthouse and back. There's usually sailboaters, fishing and plenty of sights to take in. A favorite spot to stop down at the beach is Abbott's which is a frozen custard place. They have great sundaes as well as frozen custard and sorbets. Try the chocolate almond or the peanut butter sundae, you won't be let down!
For more info:
http://www.co.monroe.ny.us/parks/mendonponds.html
6. Just about every weekend once the nice weather sets in there is a festival going on. Probably the most famous is the Lilac Festival which takes place in May of every year at Highland Park in the city of Rochester. There are over 1000 lilac bushes and hundreds of varieties of lilacs at the park. They aren't all in bloom each year at the festival though depending on the weather. When they are in bloom its absolutely breathtaking. Load up on any antihistamines you might take, or allergy meds and head out to the park. Area artisans, vendors, dealers and restaurants set up booths - so be sure to have money with you. Other fun festivals are the East End Festival, Park Ave Festival, and Corn Hill Arts Festival.
For more info:
http://www.lilacfestival.com/
7. We are lucky to have a wonderful art gallery right in the city of Rochester. The Memorial Art Gallery is located on University avenue, and you can't miss it. The building is gorgeous, and made of stone. A lesser known secret (now the word is out!) is that there is reduced price admission on Tuesday nites from 5pm to 9pm for only $2 per person. Also each year, MAG runs the Clothesline Arts Festival where local artists sell their artwork in all price ranges.
For more info:
http://mag.rochester.edu/index_flash.html
8. High Falls is in downtown Rochester located at 60 Browns Race. This is a historic district of Rochester which is known for a fairly sizable water falls and the High Falls Brewing Company (Formerly Genesee Brewery). The area has a huge bridge that you can walk across to view the falls and Genesee River Gorge in an up close and personal way. There are also several restaurants, a small museum, some boutique type shops and several night clubs in this area. One of the highlights to this area is a 30 minute laser show that takes place most evenings in the summer. Best of all, its FREE.
For more info:
http://cityofrochester.gov/8525656C0065941F/0/D853867559DBA459852565710009948C?Open
9. If you are looking for a place to cool off, there are a few water parks in the area. Sea Breeze is the closest, located on Lake Ontario. Also nice is the newly renovated and re-opened Roseland Water Park out in Canandaigua, NY. Or, for a slightly longer drive (about 45 minutes) you can go to Six Flags Darien Lake. Lots of sunscreen is a must. Smaller kids will probably enjoy Sea Breeze the most since its much smaller in size, with shorter lines, too. Its also the most inexpensive of the 3 parks but it has less rides and more older rides. They have added a few new roller rides in the past few years and have done a good job and bringing the park up to date.
For more info:
http://www.seabreeze.com/
http://www.roselandwaterpark.com/
10. Rochester's a city that is full of history. Two of the historic houses offer tours which are quite popular spots for families to visit. These are the George Eastman House and the Susan B. Anthony House. My recommendation would be first to check out the Eastman house which is former estate of the founder of Kodak. His home is a mansion in the city of Rochester, on East Avenue (the historic district) near the RMSC. Here you can tour his home and also a museum full of info all about photography, basically anything and everything you wanted to know about photography. Children 4 and under are free, and there are some kids activities set up around the museum. This museum is very stroller friendly.
Susan B. Anthony also hails from Rochester, NY. Her home is located on Madison Street in the city of Rochester. This is not in the best of neighborhoods but the house is quite nice and full of antiques. Its important to note that the Susan B. House is not stroller friendly at all, so this is not a good place to bring the littlest of children unless you have them in some sort of carrier. Some of the best "stuff" is on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the house. There is a virtual tour available and a program if you can't climb the stairs.
For more info:
http://www.eastman.org/
http://www.susanbanthonyhouse.org/
Day Trips of Interest
Rochester is also within close driving distance to Buffalo, Syracuse - both just over an hour away. This makes the area an ideal central place to visit if you want to take some smaller day or side trips to surrounding areas. Two popular side trips to take would be a drive either to the Fingerlakes region, or to Niagara Falls, Canada. The fingerlakes is known for its gorgeous scenery and many wineries. Or, grab your passport and travel to a different country to see one of the world's seven wonders - Niagara Falls.
Finger Lakes Region:
http://www.epinions.com/content_27430129284
Niagara Falls:
http://www.epinions.com/content_26449120900
Quick Warning on Weather
If you are in the area in winter, prepare yourself. In other words, dress warm and drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We get A LOT of snow, as in usually several feet of it. Other than that the rest of the seasons in Rochester are quite pleasant. We have a definite Spring and Fall and a very pleasant and sunny summer. Weather is mostly mild but can change on the dime so you'll want to always be prepared for the worst.
Overall
Whether you are in the area for business or pleasure, you won't be at a loss for things to do. Living here, its another story. All these things are nice to have but you can only see them so many times. I do find Rochester to be a fun and friendly place to live. I'm not so wild about the freezing weather though!!
For more info on Rochester, NY:
http://www.rochesterny.com
http://www.kidsoutandabout.com
Happy Travels in and around Rochester, NY with your Kids and Family
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
marytara
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 in Education, Kids & Family |
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Member: MT
Location: Jersey Shore
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