Rochester Things to Do

Rochester has several Festivals but the 2 must go sees are Corn Hill Festival held in July and Park Ave. Festival held in August. Here you can find some of the best arts and crafts for sale from some very talented artists.

It is a 2 day affair with music and food located right in the heart of Cornhill District in downtown Rochester just past the Blue Cross Arena. Many of the houses here are landmarks.

Rochester is the home of the Eastman Kodak campany .

The picture is the home of George Eastman founder of Kodak who lived from 1854 to 1932. The house was built between 1902 and 1905 , 35000 sq. ft and with 50 rooms. It is a very nice house. George Eastman is heralded as the father of modern photography and the inventor of motion picture film.

It now houses the International Museum of Photography and Film and is the worlds oldest photography museum.

Kodak Inc.'s claim to fame , other than it was a very successful company, was the creation of cameras and films that made photography available to the general public .

There is a house tour and both temporary and permanent exhibits are on display.

Quality place to relax and take pictures if you like. Big man made lake in the middle. Many people come to swim in the pond during the summer and X-Country Ski in the winter. Mendon Ponds park has some nice XC skiing trails that are well marked and also have races throughout the year. Mendon Ponds also host some winter festivals that are popular during the cold season.

Walk along and visit on the Erie Canal.
The canal was built in 1825 and has been a major contributing factor to Rochester growth and expansion during this time. As the canal was being built, new roads had to be constructed to bring in new supplies. The canal stretches about 363 miles.

When the canal was finished, it helped push the Western movement of American settlers. Just by looking at a map of New York State, one can see all the major cities that sprang up around it.

1 more image

The Erie Canal runs through Rochester and through Rochester's history.
A non-profit organization, Corn Hill Navigation, provides guided tours on boats on the Erie Canal and Genesee River.
On the tour, you will hear about the significance of the waterways in making Rochester the metropolis it is today. You will see where the canal and river still meet with Rochester buildings. The tours are endorsed by the Rochester Historians Office and the Museum and Science Center. So take a tour, have fun and learn something, all at the same time!

The company provides group rates, special event tours (for weddings and anniversaries) and has special theme cruises on holidays.
Rates are about $15 or less per person and the excursion lasts about 2 hours. Some of the tours provide meals at added cost.

4 more images

This whole self-guided tour is about one mile.
Start at the Times Square Building at the corner of Broad and Exchange streets and note the unique artichecture. Looking south you see the Gannett Newpaper Building which is done in a more-modern tradition.On the east side of Exchange and Broad is the War Memorial which is inside the Blue Cross Arena complex. Pay honor to Rochesterians who have served their country. Walk south on Exchange St. one block to Court St. Enjoy the view of the Genesee river as it flows under several of the Rochester bridges. At the northeast end of the Court St. bridge is the distinctive Rundell Library with its Greek facade and tall windows. Take a moment to go inside to see the fine details of the structure. The Lehigh Station is on the southeast side of Court and it spans the old Erie Canal network.
Continuing east on Court St., you find Washington Square at the corner of Clinton Avenue (not named after the latest U.S. President). It is the city "green" where there are monuments to honor U.S. Civil War veterans. On the east corner of Court and Clinton is the headquarters of the Xerox company. It now incorporates an indoor business plaza and is called Xerox Square.
You have reached the end of this tour and can either backtrack west on Court to Exchange and then north to the starting position or travel one block north on Clinton and then go west on Broad St. to where you started.

We just had half a day to visit Niagara Falls from Rochester. We took the Ridge Road to get there (see a separate travelogue about the Cobblestone Museum). It takes about 1.5-2.0 hours to get there by that route. Basically, we just had time to park on Goat Island and tour the attractions at the north end of the island. The views from the Canadian side are better but we did not know whether we would need a passport to get back, so we stayed on the American side.

The picture shows Horseshoe Falls from the Terrapin Point overlook. They are the main falls. The sign said...
Crestline 2500 ft (762 m)
Height 167 ft (51 m)
Summer daytime flow is 675,000 gal/sec (2,555,000 l/sec)

You can also see one of the Maid of the Mist boats near the base of the falls. See also a separate travelogue on Niagara Falls.

The Niagara Falls State Park is on the American side. It has an excellent website with a map (shown here) and what to do. The Niagara Scenic Trolley is a best buy. All day fare for an adult is $2.00. You can get on and off at different stops as you wish and re-board at your convenience. If you plan to do everything, save 30% with the Passport to the Falls. Parking at the Discovery Center and on Goat Island is $8.00. I assume the same in the other lots.