Day Trips Around Rochester, NY

On a hot day, you can sit under a waterfall, swim in a lake, or jump in a creek at one of these refreshing natural swimming areas.

We drive past some of Rochester’s most unique features every day, completely unaware that these hidden places are just minutes away from where we live.

Here are a few places you can pick your own cherries near Rochester. The season runs mostly in July, but start checking in late June and call before going.

Venture into one of these New York State Parks within a two hour drive of Rochester and discover what makes them each unique!

Here are a few less populated, rustic, or unusual trails around Rochester that will inspire you to take a hike. A diverse collection of rail-trails, waterside trails, and inland trails.

Ice cream, gelato, Italian ice, frozen yogurt, and custard—we love these shops for their outstanding atmosphere, taste, variety, and innovation.

Water trails are either formally marked routes along a navigable waterway, or simply any waterway suitable for kayaks and small motorized watercraft.

When you walk into one of these old country stores, you feel like you are stepping back in time with aisles of old fashioned toys, knickknacks and candies.

Rather than an escape, I prefer to think of these as transcending places that encourage us to transcend space, time, and state of mind.

These boardwalks are incorporated into larger trail systems to help people meander through wetlands, or to help preserve wildlife.

Spend a day checking out these unique and unusual roadside attractions, like shoe trees, a skeleton army, and a metal dragon, within 2 hours of Rochester.

These lighthouses along Lake Ontario in New York are all within a two-hour drive of Rochester. And where there is a lighthouse there is a sweeping view!

It can be overwhelming to consider all of the craft beverage artisans that call Western NY home. So, let’s focus on the ones we have in our backyard.

The term street art means different things to different people. Here, we interpret street art to mean any outdoor, free, public wall art. 

Gorge trails call out to us from their deep, dark, and cool caverns. If you haven’t already, check these five spectacular trails off your list!

Here are a few places around Rochester you can pick your own raspberries, starting in July with the early varieties. Fall varieties ripen in late August.