Located in Highland Park, Lamberton Conservatory is the perfect place to spend inside on a gray day. Many folks visit to seek a calm, colorful space warmed to tropical temperatures, filled with the sound of running water, and the scent of fragrant flowers.
Lamberton is also the perfect place to practice macro-photography. The details in each leaf and flower are more easily captured when there is no wind!
1. Visitor entrance
When you first walk inside, you enter a small visitor center with an admissions desk and pay a nominal admission fee. Sign up for an individual or family membership if you are able to visit a few times a year.
2. Seasonal Display House
Exhibits in the seasonal display house are changed five times throughout the year.
Starting around the first weekend in December, the Lamberton Conservatory Holiday Show welcomes you with holiday lights, greens and poinsettias. Enjoy evening hours (on Friday & Sunday from 10AM to 9PM) to appreciate the holiday lights after dark!. The show runs through the 2nd weekend in January.
The Lamberton Conservatory Spring Show opens around the first weekend of spring through the Lilac Festival in May. They feature hyacinth, daffodils, and tulips; the color and aroma make for a welcome awakening from the depths of winter!
3 & 4. Exotic & Tropical
Tropical plants need tropical temperatures, so visiting Lamberton Conservatory in winter is a welcome escape from the cold!
Continuing on, you feel the change in temperature as you move into the warmer, wetter biome, draped with Spanish moss. Peek around the trees at the details tucked away under lush greens.
You’ll find turtles lounging by koi ponds, tiny quail wandering about, and other random creatures like chipmunks who have come in from the cold.
5. Desert
Next is the desert environment, filled with cacti and a large range of plants that typically occupy an arid climate. It’s nice to sit for a while in this area, with plenty of benches to quietly look around and observe.
6. Houseplants
Complete with orange trees and an elevated turtle pond.
7. Courtyard Gardens
This outdoor space is accessible in the warmer months through the Tropical area.
Beauty in the Details
More information about Lamberton Conservatory
Constructed in 1911, the Conservatory was an addition to Highland Park, which was designed as an arboretum in 1888 by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Cost: Youth (0-5) Free, Adult (19-61) $3.00, Youth (6-18) / Seniors (62 and up) $2.00.
Located in the City of Rochester (get directions)
More information: monroecounty.gov/parks-conservatory
Lilac Festival in Rochester, NY
Highland Park draws crowds numbering in the thousands during Rochester’s week-long Lilac Festival in May, though the lilacs are not the only sights to see!
Rochester’s Olmsted Designed Parks
Rochester is fortunate to be one of a handful of American cities that have a park system comprised of Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks.
Monroe County parks are free, so take advantage of 12,000 acres of natural, zoological, horticultural, historical and geological experiences!
While the Ellwanger Estate is private, the garden is maintained by the Landmark Society and is periodically open to the public for special events.
The Flower City: Exploring Rochester’s Extraordinary Flowers and Trees
Rochester became a global center for flower and tree nurseries in the mid-1800s, fostering our identity as The Flower City.
When is your favorite time to visit Lamberton Conservatory?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Your insight and experience is invaluable!
Beautiful