We’re always researching new ideas for your Rochester day trips! Planning your weekend? Feeling spontaneous? Guests visiting from out-of-town?
Filter our day trips by drive-time, direction, or season, and check out our maps and guides for inspiration! Bookmark this page and make it your first stop before you hit the road.
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Filter your Rochester day trip by season
Most destinations are great in any season! Some activities, like skiing, are limited to specific seasons.
Or, start with one our articles dedicated to each season.
There is no better way to usher in springtime in Rochester than with maple syrup, bird migrations, April showers, and May flowers!
Summer produce, fresh water, and 13,500+ square miles to explore. Enjoy everything summertime in Rochester has to offer.
Scenic train rides, leaf-peeping, bird migrations and ghost walks happen only in autumn in Rochester–take advantage of them while you can!
2021 Holiday-Themed Events Around Rochester
Rochester has many holiday-themed events to help you connect with your holiday spirit! Enjoy the stories and traditions this season offers.
It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s dark. It’s wintertime in Rochester! Here are a few suggestions to help embrace our winter season.
Find inspiration in our Rochester day trip maps
Our Google maps are open to the public for editing. That way if you know of a place others would like, feel free to add it. These are a few of the most popular:
Find inspiration in our annual day trips
At the end of the year, I look back and share all of the places we visited, highlighting several of my favorites. I started this tradition at the end of 2019 and look forward to writing it!
My favorite day trips in 2020 weren’t so different from our 2019 trips except they were a little less often, with less stops and less people.
I hope this list of my day trips around Rochester helps inspire your adventures! It’s amazing what you can see when you start exploring.
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Find inspiration in our guides
We have dozens of themed guides to inspire your next Rochester day trip. Pick a destination or a few places to see along the way. Some of our most popular include:
Routes 5 & 20 is a 67-mile stretch of scenic highway where NY-5 & US-20 converge, following an ancient foot trail of New York’s first people.
49 of the Best Ice Cream Shops Around Rochester
Ice cream, gelato, Italian ice, frozen yogurt, and custard—we love these shops’ outstanding atmosphere, taste, and innovation.
27 Craft Breweries in Rochester and Monroe County
These Rochester craft breweries show off their newest and most popular creations while giving you a complete food experience.
36 Places to Immerse Yourself in Green
I find the color green soothing, especially when surrounded by it. Enjoy some of my favorite places to go green!
Rather than an escape, I think of these as transcending places that encourage us to transcend space, time, and state of mind.
20 Paved, Gravel, and Boardwalk Pathways for Easy Strolls
These paved pathways and boardwalks are ideal for folks using strollers, walkers, wheelchairs, or managing other mobility challenges.
Trying various activities with your partner is a great way to connect, learn more about each other, and shake up your routine.
7 Spectacular Christmas Lights Around Rochester – 2021 Edition
In addition to our seven favorite neighborhoods for 2021, we’ve mapped out 100+ more extraordinary Rochester-area homes for you to enjoy.
49 New York State Parks Within a 2-hour Drive of Rochester
Venture into one of these New York State Parks within a two-hour drive of Rochester and discover what makes them unique.
497 Highly Recommended Restaurants Around Rochester
Some food destinations are well-established, while others quickly become favorites as Rochester’s culinary scene explodes.
Locally Grown Produce: Your Guide to Rochester’s Harvest Seasons
Find out which locally grown produce (fruits, vegetables, plants) are at their peak each month, and enjoy Rochester-area harvest festivals.
4 Old Country Stores Around Rochester
When you walk into one of these old country stores, you’re stepping back in time with aisles of old-fashioned toys, knickknacks, and candies.
42 Quirky Roadside Attractions
Have fun finding these quirky roadside attractions—shoe trees, a skeleton army, a metal dragon, a shark girl—within two hours of home.
🍁 Maple Weekends: 10 Sweet Sugar Shacks Near Rochester
During Maple Weekends March 19-20 and 26-27, 2022, producers open their sugar shacks to celebrate the process of turning sap into syrup.
76 Rochester Experiences that Make Great Gifts
The benefits of sharing Rochester experiences as gifts go beyond personal happiness. Less clutter, less waste, less stress—less is more.
The term street art means different things to different people. Here, we interpret street art to mean any outdoor, free, public wall art.
Geologic History of the Rochester Area
These day trips into Rochester’s geologic history, filled with drumlins, fossils, and a meromictic lake will leave you awe-struck.
11 Best Places to Rent Snowshoes Around Rochester
If you’re looking to spend time outdoors, give snowshoeing a try. There are places around Rochester to rent and learn how to use them.
9 Lake Ontario Lighthouses in New York
These lighthouses along Lake Ontario in New York are within a two-hour drive of Rochester. And where there’s a light there’s a sweeping view!
Rochester railfans are incredibly lucky that passionate preservationists before us saw the value in retaining structures we appreciate today.
95 Performing Arts Venues Around Rochester
Rochester has an excellent performing arts scene! Find plays and musicals by high school and college students, local professionals, and touring companies.
What resources do you use to plan a Rochester day trip?
Please share your thoughts and stories with us in the comments. Your insight and experience are invaluable!