We’re so excited to reveal the results of our Best Day Trips Around Rochester survey—each recommended and voted on by you and others who love exploring the Greater Rochester region and beyond.
ad
1. Best Hidden Gem
Corbett’s Glen
Winner, with 24% of the vote
I am always surprised by how many people drive past Corbett’s Glen every day and don’t realize it’s there. Truly a hidden gem! The glen may have been a story of the past had it not been for this nature-loving community.
Runners Up:
2. Best Roadside Attraction
Hopkins Farm Sunflower Field
Winner, with 34.9% of the vote
Each August, neighbors of Hopkins Farm on Clover Street in Pittsford are treated to a field of golden sunflowers on their daily commutes. People from outside the immediate area start asking, “Are they blooming yet?” and “Where did they plant the field this year?” and word starts to travel.
There are several fields used in annual crop rotations, so the sunflowers move along Clover anywhere between Calkins and Lehigh Station Roads, alternating places with the soy beans, wheat and corn.
Runners Up:
The Windmill Farm & Craft Market
3. Best Place for People-Watching
City of Rochester Public Market
Winner, with 28% of the vote
With 40,000 visitors on a busy day, and an estimated 2.4+ million visitors annually, the Public Market seems like the perfect place to people-watch.
Runners Up:
Rochester, delivered
A weekly Substack newsletter, with periodic essays exploring behind-the-scenes work and reflections on traveling close to home. While the content is free, paid subscriptions support my ongoing research and writing.
4. Best Place to Take an Out-of-Town Guest
Letchworth
Winner, with 19.6% of the vote
Letchworth State Park comprises 14,350 linear acres along the Genesee River. The park offers a diverse experience for all visitors.
Relax beside a massive waterfall, hike the gorge and woodland trails, fish in the park’s pond, ride in a hot air balloon, whitewater raft, dine at the Glen Iris Inn, learn about the local history of the Seneca people and Mary Jemison, or the geology of Upstate New York.
Runners Up: Interestingly, all food & beverage experiences!
City of Rochester Public Market
5. Best Place to Enjoy Live Music
CMAC
Winner, with 58.7% of the vote
Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC) in Canandaigua offers a state-of-the-art stage for national talent, musical theatre, dance, and ballet in addition to being the summer home of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Runner Up:
6. Best Performing Arts Centre
RBTL and GEVA
Winners, both receiving 26.9% of the vote
Rochester Broadway Theatre League and Geva Theatre are the perfect complements. With RBTL, you get the 2,500-seat touring Broadway productions. With Geva, 550-seat intimate performances. Together, they offer a well-rounded year of entertainment.
Runners Up:
7. Best Scenic Drive
Between Canandaigua and Naples
Winner, with 36.6% of the vote
Enjoy any combination of NY-21, CR-16 West Lake Road, and CR-12 between Canandaigua and Naples.
Keep heading south a bit more on NY-21 to stop at Lynnie Lou’s for ice cream and the Olde Country Store and More in North Cohocton for a huge selection of candies and local flavors.
Wind your way through the Bristol Hills along CR-33 West Hollow Road, CR-34 between Bristol Mountain and Gannett Hill, and NY-64.
It’s one of our favorite drives, too, so we’ve put together a handy-dandy Google Map of places you can enjoy along the way. Also useful if you’re heading down for Naples Grape Festival.
Runners Up:
NY-89 between Seneca Falls and Ithaca
ad
8. Best Place to View Fall Foliage
Letchworth
Winner, with 57.6% of the vote
This is the best time to enjoy the entirety of Park Road, from Portage to Mount Morris, winding 16 miles through diverse tree collections and vistas. Each Genesee River valley overlook throughout Letchworth offers a stunning view of trees, trees, and more trees.
Runner Up:
9. Best Scenic Overlook
Letchworth
Winner, with 44.1% of the vote
As the winner for Best Fall Foliage, it was no surprise to see Letchworth taking Best Scenic Overlook as well.
Beautiful year-round, overlooks throughout the park offer visitors a glimpse of the Genesee River Valley far below and the fertile countryside beyond.
Runners Up:
10. Best Place to Watch the Sun Rise or Set
Anywhere Along the Lake Ontario Shore
Winner, with a combined 71.3% of the vote
“Anywhere along the Lake Ontario Shore” was one of our top answers, but when combined with other suggestions—Chimney Bluffs, Hamlin Beach, Marge’s Lakeside, Charlotte Pier and Webster Pier—it was a landslide.
Great news if you’re driving along the Lake Ontario Seaway Trail as the sun skims the horizon. Stop anywhere and enjoy the view
Runners Up:
11. Best Place for Stargazing
Hemlock Lake
Winner, with 33.6% of the vote
Hemlock Park offers a place to sit under one of the darkest skies in our part of the state.
Free from buildings along the lake shore—to protect the source of Rochester’s municipal water—and far enough south of the city, light pollution is a non-issue.
With the wide-open view of the Universe, it’s the perfect place to gaze into the Milky Way and view 2,000 suns beyond our own solar system.
Runners Up:
Cobb’s Hill (I was actually surprised by this one, given the light pollution overlooking the city…)
Ontario County Park (Gannett Hill is also home to C. E. K. Mees Observatory)
12. Best Waterfall
Taughannock Falls
Winner, with 21.6% of the vote
Even though Taughannock lacks the power and grandeur of Niagara Falls, at 215 feet, it’s actually taller—the tallest free-falling waterfall in the northeastern United States.
The photo above shows the view from the observation area outside the state park, which is free to stop and enjoy from afar.
Head into the park and walk the relatively flat 3/4 mile gorge trail to the base of the fall.
Runners Up:
13. Best Spot to Enjoy the Genesee River
Genesee Brew House
Winner, with 28.2% of the vote
With balcony and rooftop seating, Genesee Brew House provides the perfect spot to enjoy a meal and a cool beverage while looking out over Rochester’s unique skyline beyond High Falls.
Located within walking distance of Frontier Field—home to Rochester Red Wings baseball—it’s the perfect place for a pre-game brew with a view.
Runners Up:
14. Best Place to Access the Genesee
Genesee Waterways Center
Winner, with 49.5% of the vote
Located in Genesee Valley Park, explore the river and the canal with a half- or full-day kayak rental.
Runners Up:
15. Best Water Trail
BayCreek Paddling Center
Winner, with 29% of the vote
Rent canoes, solo kayaks, tandem kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards by the hour to explore from their docks on Irondequoit Creek and Bay.
Most paddlers head up-creek into the wetlands of the Secret Wilderness.
They also offer a shuttle service that takes you and your rental from I-Bay to Ellison Park, where you can explore 4-5 miles of the creek, floating back toward the bay.
Runners Up:
Black Creek (also Black Creek Park and Churchville Park)
Canadice Lake and Canadice Lake Outfitters
16. Best Spot to Enjoy Lake Ontario
Hamlin Beach
Winner, with 24.4% of the vote
Hamlin Beach State Park has seven miles of beautiful biking and walking trails.
There are plenty of shaded picnic areas perfect for reading a book with your toes in the sand or to rest after a swim at one of the guarded beaches.
Runners Up:
17. Best Finger Lake
Canandaigua Lake
Winner, with 29.7% of the vote
Canandaigua Lake is home to the smallest island—Squaw Island—one of only two islands in the Finger Lakes (the other is on Cayuga).
Take a walk on the Canandaigua City Pier and check out Boathouse Row. Interesting fact: Homeowners are prohibited from actually living in these boathouses—they are for daytime use only.
You can drive around the entire lake in 60 minutes, but take your time and enjoy the view.
Runners Up:
18. Best Lake Other than a Great Lake or Finger Lake
Green Lake
Winner, with 39% of the vote
Green Lake, along with Round Lake, is part of Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville.
Enjoy a swim at the guarded beach, a walk around both lakes, or find a nice spot to relax and take in the water’s unique color and clarity.
Runners Up:
19. Best Swimming Beach
Hamlin Beach
Winner, with 36.8% of the vote
Areas 3 and 4 offer a guarded swimming beach and concessions.
Runners Up:
20. Best Hiking Trail
Letchworth
Winner, with 27.2% of the vote
There are 28 marked trails on the Letchworth State Park trail map (north and south), including the Finger Lakes Trail that extends across southern New York State.
The most popular is Trail 1—the Gorge Trail—that guides hikers for seven miles along the meandering Genesee to waterfalls and scenic overlooks.
You’ll see quite a bit of this trail as you drive along Park Road between St. Helena and Upper Falls.
Runners Up:
21. Best Gorge Trail
Watkins Glen
Winner, with 34.3% of the vote
Watkins Glen State Park is located in the heart of the small town of Watkins Glen, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The glen is two miles long—perfect for a day trip.
Though the park features a well-maintained walking path, it’s not an easy stroll, nor is it accessible. The gorge trail can be wet with spray, and the majority of the walk is up 800 rock stairs if you go the entire length. The elevation rise from the Main Entrance to the Upper Entrance is 520 feet.
That said, it’s also one of the most transcending, awe-inspiring, and wondrous displays of nature’s beauty on Earth.
Runners Up:
22. Best Biking Trail
Erie Canalway Trail
Winner, with 55.8% of the vote
Enjoy active and historic sections of the Erie Canal, as well as rural, suburban, and city communities along the Canalway Corridor. The 365-mile trail between Albany and Buffalo is mainly off-road.
Runners Up:
23. Best City Park
Highland Park
Winner, with 42.1% of the vote
Frederick Law Olmsted designed this park in 1888—along with Genesee Valley, Seneca, and Maplewood—to be experienced year-round.
Highland Hill is part of the greater Pinnacle Range that defines the southern border between the City of Rochester and Brighton.
Every pathway, every tree, every vista, and every relationship between the land, the water and you is intentional.
Runners Up:
24. Best Town or Village Park
Corbett’s Glen
Winner, with 35.6% of the vote
Most folks are familiar with the Allens Creek area of the park. But Corbett’s Glen is actually divided into two distinct areas—Corbett’s Glen North and Corbett’s Glen South.
Start your exploration of Corbett’s Glen from the north, parking in the eight-car lot located off of Penfield Road, across from Forest Hill Road.
Corbett’s Glen North encompasses roughly 34 acres of land. The trails are relatively smooth, with portions that cut into the creek valley and down toward the glen and Allens Creek.
Follow the trails as they lead you through Corbett’s Glen South to find Tunnel and Postcard Falls. The pathways are easy to navigate, and they crisscross and loop each other, allowing you to choose your own adventure.
Runners Up:
Channing H. Philbrick (Linear) Park
25. Best Monroe County Park
Mendon Ponds Park
Winner, with 43.4% of the vote
Mendon Ponds Park is the largest Monroe County Park with 2,500 acres of woodlands, ponds, wetlands, and glacially created landforms.
In 1969, it was listed on the National Registry of Natural Landmarks for its geologic history and the presence of significant kames, eskers, and kettles.
Visit each and every season to appreciate the bold-blue ponds in summer, the reflection of colored trees in the Devil’s bathtub in autumn, the bright-white hills in winter, and the rebirth of Sharon’s Sensory Garden in spring.
Runners Up:
26. Best New York State Park
Letchworth
Winner, with 47.3% of the vote
There are several entrances into Letchworth from the north, south, and west.
Visitors use the Castile entrance as the most direct route to Lower, Middle, and Upper Falls, Glen Iris Inn, Visitor Center, Council Grounds, Trout Pond, and the Nature Center.
To give you an idea of how large this park is, it takes 30 minutes to drive 16 miles from the Mount Morris entrance to the Glen Iris Inn. And what a lovely drive it is!
If you see a sign for a scenic overlook, stop! You won’t regret it.
Runners Up:
27. Best Forest or Woodland
Mendon Ponds Park
Winner, with 65.6% of the vote
Finding yourself surrounded by trees is healing and regenerative. According to the NYS DEC,
“…research is showing that visiting a forest has real, quantifiable health benefits, both mental and physical. Even five minutes around trees or in green spaces may improve health.”
The ten marked trails through Mendon Ponds guide you through the woodlands over rolling hills, and vary in length and intensity. Download the trail map before you head out.
Runner Up:
28. Best Spot for Bird-watching
Mendon Ponds Park
Winner, with 38.2% of the vote
Not only a great place for bird-watching, along the Mendon Ponds Birdsong Fairy Trail you can feed them, too!
Come with plenty of black oil sunflower seeds, especially during winter and early spring when food is scarce—the chickadees and nuthatches will land right in your hands.
Runners Up:
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area
29. Best Garden or Arboretum
Lamberton Conservatory + Highland Park
Winner, with a combined 61.9% of the vote
Because Lamberton Conservatory is actually in Highland Park, we combined the votes to crown both winners, though they would have taken first and second place separately.
The vast and diverse collections of flowers, bushes, and trees throughout the park offer surprise-and-delight in every season.
Runners Up:
Want to explore Highland Park more deeply?
Highland Park
by Debi Bower
Now available—just in time for spring in Highland Park. Explore Frederick Law Olmsted’s living landscape in Rochester, New York.
Prefer digital? Get the ebook on Amazon or Kindle Unlimited. By April 26—Frederick Law Olmsted’s birthday—the hardcover and paperback will be available through more booksellers.
30. Best Nature Center
Mendon Ponds Park + Cumming Nature Center
Winners, each receiving 38.4% of the vote
Wild Wings Inc. includes a bird of prey facility and the Mendon Ponds Park Nature Center. They care for over 30 permanently injured, non-releasable birds of prey, as well as non-releasable songbirds, a bobcat, and two red foxes. Next door at the Nature Center, you’ll find non-releasable native small mammal, reptile, and amphibian species.
Cumming Nature Center in Naples is managed by the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Enjoy the Visitors Center and hike more than 15 miles of trails through diverse habitats. A must-see is the iconic 90-year-old “cathedral” of red pines.
Runner Up:
Genesee Country Village Nature Center
31. Best Destination Village, Town, or City
Ithaca
Winner, with 20.7% of the vote
Ithaca offers all of the amenities of a city—food, beverage, shops, entertainment, museums—while also showcasing some of the Finger Lakes region’s most exceptional waterfalls and natural spaces.
Ithaca—as with the runners up—can be explored in a day, but you’ll need to be intentional. There is so much to do, with so much that can tempt you away from a carefully-curated itinerary.
So plan well, or plan to spend a long weekend immersing yourself in everything Ithaca. A three-day getaway sounds like a good idea.
Runners Up:
Niagara-on-the-Lake (Canada)
32. Best Canaltown
Fairport
Winner, with 40.8% of the vote
What makes Fairport a great canaltown is that it’s a walkable village with Main Street amenities and services that are vital to the community and tourists alike.
Whether you live here, biked here, drove here, or docked here, enjoy a wide range of food, beverage, entertainment, and recreation opportunities.
Runners Up:
33. Best Festival in the City of Rochester
Rochester Lilac Festival
Winner, with 33.9% of the vote
Lilac Fest is the largest free festival of its kind in North America. Every May, it’s the blooming of 500 lilac varieties across 1,200 shrubs that is the cause for celebration.
But it’s the free nightly concerts, food, beverage, and family-friendly activities that make it fun.
Lilac Fest kicks off Rochester’s festival season after the long, cold winter. Even more cause for celebration!
Runners Up:
Rochester International Jazz Festival
34. Best Festival Outside the City of Rochester
The Great New York State Fair
Winner, with 25.9% of the vote
New York’s is the oldest state fair in the United States, established in 1841, settling in its current Syracuse location in 1890.
Ours is also one of the largest, with roughly one million visitors annually, and some days see over 100,000 people.
The fair runs annually, beginning on the 3rd or 4th Wednesday in August and ending on Labor Day.
Runners Up:
Fairport Music and Food Festival
35. Best Harvest Festival
Naples Grape Festival
Winner, with 30.4% of the vote
It was no surprise to see that Naples Grape Fest took first place here. The scenic mid-September drive into the heart of grape country, the bucolic view from the festival site, every grape-themed novelty from pie and ice cream to home decor, and, of course, wine.
Bookending the Lilac Fest in May, Naples Grape Fest signals the end of festival season and the beginning of autumn.
Runners Up:
Wickham Farms Sunflower Spectacular
Stokoe Farms Pumpkin Harvest Festival
36. Best Cultural Heritage Festival
Rochester International Jazz Festival
Winner, with 33.8% of the vote
Not only an energetic community event, Jazz Fest is a celebration of African-American culture and the birth of a music style that melded the tribal songs with field-work songs of generations of enslaved African people.
Jazz musicians come from all over to perform for free on Rochester’s streets, with ticketed headliners performing in surrounding theaters.
The nine-day festival shows begin in the late afternoon, kicking off each new day with talented local high school bands and music educators, and ending with heart-pounding, window-shaking, everyone-on-your-feet performances.
Runners Up:
Genesee Country Village Celtic Faire
Ganondagan Indigenous Music & Arts Festival
37. Best Living History Museum
Genesee Country Village & Museum
Winner, with 80.7% of the vote
No surprises here! GCVM is the largest and most comprehensive living history museum in New York State, and the third-largest in the United States.
Runners Up:
38. Best Museum or Gallery in the City of Rochester
Strong National Museum of Play
Winner, with 39.8% of the vote
The Strong National Museum of Play offers a wealth of interactive experiences for toddlers, school-aged children, and adults.
The Strong houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play. And it all started with a little girl whose love of collecting mirrored her parents, who happily encouraged her—Margaret Woodbury Strong.
At her death, Strong was the largest owner of Kodak stock in the world! She willed $100,000,000, plus 300,000 collected items, to the expansion of her “Museum of Fascination” to a new location at One Manhattan Square.
The butterfly garden has a separate admission fee and is the only year-round indoor butterfly garden in upstate New York. With a rainforest environment, it’s the perfect retreat from winter.
Runners Up:
Rochester Museum and Science Center
39. Best Museum or Gallery Outside the City of Rochester
Corning Museum of Glass
Winner, with 67.1% of the vote
CMOG is the perfect destination for a day trip. Roughly 90-minutes south of Rochester, the museum showcases over 50,000 objects representing more than 3,500 years of history.
Kids under 17 are admitted free with a paying adult and can learn about glass through hands-on exhibits in the Innovation Center, 20+ glassmaking demonstrations every day, and Make Your Own Glass sessions.
Runner Up:
Baseball Hall of Fame (at 3+ hours away, this is a stretch of a day trip, but can be done)
40. Best Historic Place or Home
Genesee Country Village & Museum
Winner, with 36.8% of the vote
The Genesee Country Village campus includes the historic village (mansions & homesteads, merchants & services, churches & schools, taverns & town halls), the John L. Wehle Gallery, green spaces, a ball field, and an expansive nature center with miles of walking trails.
Runners Up:
41. Best Place to Create
Corning Museum of Glass
Winner, with 64.2% of the vote
There aren’t many places where you can make your own glass, especially for beginners. But you can sign up for a “Make Your Own Glass” session at CMOG with absolutely no experience.
Try your hand at hot glassworking, fusing, or sandblasting with the help of experienced museum glassworkers.
Sandblasted projects can be taken home the same day, but you’ll need to have your glass-blowing creations shipped to you after they go through a slow-cooling process.
Runners Up:
42. Best Guided Tours
Mount Hope Cemetery
Winner, with 52.5% of the vote
The Friends of Mount Hope offer a wide variety of themed walks, sharing the stories of the people who reside here as well as the history of the land and the cemetery itself.
Mount Hope Cemetery tour themes include Civil War Stories, Underground Railroad, Twilight, The North Section, Geography, Mourning Rituals, Fall Foliage, and Mischief, Murder and Mayhem.
Download the map and legend of the grounds of Mount Hope Cemetery.
Runners Up:
43. Best Farm
Wickham Farms
Winner, with 32.1% of the vote
Wickham Farms in Penfield hosts harvest-themed events throughout the year, depending on what’s in season. Pick your own lavender, sunflowers, apples, and pumpkins or just have fun with all the farm-themed activities.
Wickham Farms CSA produce is grown on site. Inside the Big Barn Store you’ll find local products including cheese, maple, honey, kettle corn, fudge, and freshly-made donuts.
Runners Up:
44. Best U-Pick Farm
Green Acre & West Wind Fruit Farms
Winner, with 21.7% of the vote
You may be familiar with Green Acre Farm and Nursery on Latta Road in Greece, and their Front Porch Ice Cream Shoppe. But you may not be aware that they have multiple u-pick locations.
Green Acre offers blueberries and stone fruit like apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums.
West Wind on Manitou Road, where you’ll also find Blue Barn Cidery, also offers blueberries and stone fruit, plus currants, gooseberries, blackberries, apples, and raspberries.
Runners Up:
45. Best Christmas Lights Display
Lights on the Lake
Winner, with 35.3% of the vote
I was a little surprised that Lights on the Lake took the top spot. Located on the east side of Onondaga Lake, a 90-minute drive from Rochester, and enjoyed at night in the month of December, it must be a phenomenal experience for Rochesterians to go out of the way for.
And it is!
The description from their website reads, “Lights on the Lake is a two mile long drive-thru show featuring towering holiday displays, larger-than life Land of Oz, a twinkling fantasy forest, colorful section arches, memorable animated scenes and a fairy tale magic grand finale.”
Runners Up:
46. Best Place to Get Into the Holiday Spirit
Neighborhood Christmas Lights
Winner, with 36.9% of the vote
It shouldn’t surprise you that exploring all of the neighborhood lights in December is our favorite way to get into the holiday spirit.
These homeowners and communities go all out to celebrate the season, so let’s get out there and celebrate with them. May your nights be merry & bright!
Runners Up:
George Eastman Museum Sweet Creations Gingerbread Display
47. Best Sledding Hill
Mendon Ponds Park
Winner, with 23.9% of the vote
I grew up sledding at Durand Eastman, but experience, research, and testimony have convinced me that Mendon Ponds has the best sledding hills around Rochester.
Runners Up:
48. Best Place to Cross-Country Ski
Mendon Ponds Park
Winner, with 55% of the vote
Are you sick of seeing Mendon Ponds? Me neither!
Runners Up:
49. Best Winter Waterfall
Niagara Falls
Winner, with 35.2% of the vote
I’m always surprised that Niagara Falls doesn’t take top spot in more categories. Maybe it’s the crowds that dissuade Rochesterians from frequenting more often. More likely it’s the commercialism.
I try to visit at least once a year, if not twice. We stick to the American side, roaming Goat, Luna, and Three Sisters islands.
For me, Niagara Falls is awe, wonder, power, and beauty.
In winter, especially after sustained freezing temperatures, Niagara Falls seems otherworldly.
Runners Up:
50. Best Place to Enjoy Fresh Maple and Pancakes
Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn
Winner, with 44.7% of the vote
It would have surprised me if Cartwright’s wasn’t the number one choice. A trip to Angelica, NY in March is as nostalgic as it is delicious.
Runners Up:
Don’t see your favorite day trip around Rochester?
Feel free to share it in the comments below! The list is meant to inspire all of us to keep exploring, and we welcome all new ideas.