What you can expect when visiting Rochester is that you’ll be greeted with lush natural beauty in the city. Depending on where you go, Rochester’s ability to transform educational facts into beautiful ideas is truly remarkable. Places not to be missed when visiting Rochester for sightseeing is the Highland Park and Cobbs Hill Park. And if you’d like something more interactive and educational, the Rochester Museum & Science Center is the place for you.
1. Highland Park
Highland Park is a great start to get in touch with the beautiful flora that Rochester is blessed with. Rochester’s Highland park is popular for the gorgeous landscape that spans for more than 150 acres with a mixture of scenic hills and gullies. Visitors can take a sightseeing trip here among the different mix of signature plants, such as lilacs and Japanese Maples. Other than that, Rochester’s Highland Park is not only a great place for sightseeing, but there is also an annual flower festival held among the historical monuments.
Name：Highland Park
Address：180 Reservoir Ave, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://www.highlandparkconservancy.org/
2. Memorial Art Gallery
Dating from 1913, the Memorial Art gallery first opened with 12,000 pieces of art from all around the world. The gallery is a suitable place for people to relax and have a little sightseeing around the gallery. The Rochester Memorial Art Gallery is built on a land spanning 14 acres and has offered the local community of Rochester endless opportunities to explore different art pieces from the region. Other than sightseeing art pieces, visitors will also be able to spend their day finding interactive exhibitions and other events such as a musical concert.
Name：Memorial Art Gallery
Address：500 University Ave, Rochester, NY
Related Site：https://mag.rochester.edu/
3. RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium
While there are many other science museums around the country, Rochester has its own special museum known as the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium. The Planetarium is an amazing place for both adults and kids to have fun especially with their great shows that brings you on an incredible sightseeing adventure of the solar system. One of the popular shows at Rochester’s Strasenburgh Planetarium are the star shows that uses a large projector to show which and where the planets are located in the night sky. There are telescopes available for use around the planetarium as well.
Name：RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium
Address：663 East Ave, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://www.rmsc.org/strasenburghplanetarium
4. Seneca Park Zoo
Other than Rochester’s beauty in presenting stars and planets, the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester is where people who’d like to go sightseeing and interact with exotic animals should come together and explore this 15 acre wide zoo.The Seneca park Zoo is popular for their exotic species of wild animals, such as the orangutans, rhinos, African elephants, and polar bears. Rochester’s Seneca Park zoo has more than 90 different species from around the world. Visitors can also sign up for a sightseeing tour that usually lasts from 30 to 40 minutes.
Name：Seneca Park Zoo
Address：2222 St Paul St, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://senecaparkzoo.org/
5. Artisan Works
Art lovers visiting Rochesters should not pass up the opportunity to visit the city’s Artisan Works. Artisan Works is a unique art space that is made to show the diverse talent of Rochester’s local artists entirely on a non-profit basis. The special part about the Rochester’s Artisan Works compared to other art exhibitions and galleries is that the artists work everyday creating new art to be seen before the public’s eyes. There is a guided tour available for the Artisan Works for a more insightful sightseeing trip along with art workshops as well.
Name：Artisan Works
Address：565 Blossom Rd # L, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://artisanworks.net/
6. Cobbs Hill Park
Rochester is known for its lush flora and fauna species, especially when it comes to sceneries and hiking trails, Rochester could easily take the place of becoming one of the best places to live in for having the prettiest natural surroundings. Cobbs Hill Park in Rochester is a bright example of Rochester’s natural beauty. The park sits on a 109 land with trails made to be explored or you can relax and go for a sightseeing stroll among the old oak trees and bountiful collection of flowers. There are also reservoirs available for fishing. During the winter, the lake turns into a skiing rink.
Name：Cobbs Hill Park
Address：80 Culver Rd, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589935129
7. The Strong-National Museum of Play
If you’re travelling as a family with little ones with you, the Strong-National Museum of Play would be the one spot that will really make your children happy. Rochester’s Strong-National Museum of Play is filled with showcases displayed the best toys and board games made for children over the years. You can expect to find galleries that are dedicated to popular childhood favourites such as Sesame Street, Monopoly, and the Wizard of Oz. Other than sightseeing toy galleries, you can also check out their indoor butterfly garden known to be as the only kind in the entire region.
Name：The Strong-National Museum of Play
Address：1 Manhattan Square Dr, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://www.museumofplay.org/
8. Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse
The Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse was built in 1822 and then restored in 2014. Towering at 40 feet high, the lighthouse is still continuously working today by keeping the vessels safe at Lake Ontario. Rochester’s Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse is open to the public for sightseeing visits, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can join a sightseeing tour that will require you hike through many steps to reach the summit of the lighthouse where the reward will be the amazing landscape views that overlooks Lake Ontario.
Name：Charlotte - Genesee Lighthouse
Address：70 Lighthouse St, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://www.geneseelighthouse.org/
9. Rochester Museum & Science Center
Rochester is known for their ability to transform educational facts into something beautiful and well captured. The Rochester Museum & Science Center perfectly resembles that. The Science Museum and Center shares the joys of science with their visitors through many exhibits waiting to be interacted. Popular sections include a space simulator, lasers, and you can also learn how to create your own robot as well. The Rochester Museum & Science Center is the ideal place for families to relax and have fun as their are more than 200 games to play with. Visitors can also go through a sightseeing tour along the rotating galleries of their own theme.
Name：Rochester Museum & Science Center
Address：657 East Ave, Rochester, NY
Related Site：http://www.rmsc.org/
10. Ontario Beach Park
The Ontario Beach Park in Rochester is known to be a great mixture of being both a park and a beach. The sands of the Ontario Beach Park stretches at 39 acres that are great for a sightseeing stroll and exploring during the summer or winter. Other than that, there also a wide collection of activities to participate in that includes swimming, fishing, and boating. The park is also popular for sporting activities as well. There are volleyball and basketball courts available at the park. For a more relaxing trip to Ontario Beach Park, you can pack yourself some food and have a picnic there overlooking the ocean.
Name：Ontario Beach Park
Address：50 Beach Ave, Rochester, NY
Related Site：https://www2.monroecounty.gov/parks-ontariobeach.php
◎ Closing
Rochester is a fun place for family vacations. Whether it’s sightseeing, museum tours, or picnics by the beach, you won’t regret visiting Rochester if you’ve been to one of the places listed. There is no doubt that Rochester is a beautiful city to live in, and with just one visit, it is an obvious reason why.