Museums Around Rochester

Within a day’s drive of Rochester, there are dozens of museums, galleries, historic sites, and cultural institutions. Some offer regular hours and docent-led tours, while others are seasonal, offer limited viewing times, or require advance appointments.

The city’s Neighborhood of the Arts spans several walkable blocks around University Avenue, Goodman Street, and East Avenue. This area is home to many museums, galleries, and artist studios that participate in First Friday events, when galleries and studios stay open late, and the community celebrates the arts. Rochester also has a dynamic street art culture featuring numerous murals, graffiti, and other forms of public art throughout the region. Public art ranges from commissioned murals by professional artists to works created by community members. Many murals depict historical events as well as current social and political issues. WALL\THERAPY supports local and international artists and coordinates festivals that create new public art across Rochester. For a map of the art produced during these events, visit their website. Keep an eye out for colorful murals as you explore the region’s cities, villages, and countryside.

City of Rochester

The Strong National Museum of Play houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of play-related materials. Interactive exhibits include a kid-sized Wegmans grocery store, historic pinball and arcade games, and a ropes course above the Skyliner Diner. The museum is also home to the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and collections from founder Margaret Woodbury Strong.

Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester features a permanent collection of art from around the world, along with traveling exhibitions, classes, and events, including third-Thursday DeTOURs. Outside, Centennial Sculpture Park combines large-scale sculptures with whimsical photo opportunities, several of which are best viewed after dark. Try to decipher the Morse code embedded in the red-brick sidewalk.

Rochester Museum & Science Center features a three-story science museum and the Strasenburgh Planetarium. Highlights include two singing Tesla coils in the Electricity Theater, where audience members can volunteer to stand inside a Faraday cage while the coils perform a lightning duet. The planetarium presents programs on our solar system and the visible universe, and its movable lounge chairs accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. On Saturday nights in summer, weather permitting, guests can climb the observation tower’s 60 steps to view planets, nebulae, and other celestial objects through telescopes. The tower entrance is outside the planetarium, near the back parking lot. The museum also manages the 900-acre Cumming Nature Center in Naples.

George Eastman Museum preserves the life and legacy of photography pioneer George Eastman. The museum houses one of the world’s foremost collections of photography and moving images. Visitors can tour Eastman’s 50-room mansion, explore permanent and temporary exhibitions, stroll through the gardens, and attend screenings at the Dryden Theatre, one of the few theaters in the world equipped to project original nitrate film.

Rochester Contemporary Art Center on East Avenue presents rotating exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists, as well as lectures and community programs. RoCo initiated and continues to organize Rochester’s monthly First Friday gallery night. The annual 6×6 fundraiser features thousands of original 6-by-6-inch artworks donated by local and international artists.

Image City Photography Gallery on University Avenue presents rotating photography exhibitions featuring the work of students, emerging photographers, and established professionals. New shows open each month, showcasing a variety of styles and subjects.

ARTISANworks combines large-scale installations, murals, found objects, and fine art into a maze-like environment spanning more than a square block. The collection features works by artists such as Picasso and Warhol, alongside pieces by local artists. Visitors can wander through interconnected rooms filled with color, sculpture, photography, and unexpected displays.

Susan B. Anthony Museum & House on Madison Street offers docent-led tours that bring to life Anthony’s mission to secure inalienable rights for all Americans and, most notably, women’s right to vote. Her Rochester home served as headquarters for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In Anthony Square, just down the street, a life-sized sculpture depicts Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass sharing tea. Although they did not always agree, they maintained a lifelong friendship and share Mount Hope Cemetery as their final resting place.

Edgerton Model Railroad Room showcases four seasonal layouts depicting 1950s Rochester scenes, with operating model trains running through each display. The detailed craftsmanship reflects both transportation heritage and Rochester history. Visit during open house tours on the last Saturday of each month, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and during special open houses in December.

Monroe County

Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford is a living history museum featuring 68 historic structures on 700 acres. The 19th-century village includes frontier homesteads, Victorian mansions, churches, schools, shops, and taverns, relocated from across the region beginning in 1966. Costumed interpreters share each building’s history and demonstrate 19th-century trades and daily life. Throughout the year, the village hosts events such as the Celtic Faire, Independence Day, Fiddle & Folk Festival, the Agricultural Fair, Spirits of the Past, and Yuletide in the Country.

New York Museum of Transportation in Rush preserves historic trains, trolley cars, buses, and two surviving Midtown Plaza monorail cars, along with signs, photographs, and model railroad displays. During special events, visitors can ride a restored electric trolley car on a scenic two-mile round-trip.

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush preserves and restores historic railroad equipment, with volunteers continually expanding the collection. Visit the restored 1930s Industry Depot to buy a ticket, then board a train for a 1.5-mile round-trip ride to the restoration shop, where volunteers work on locomotives and railcars. Sit back and relax or enjoy an open-air view from the caboose.

Stone-Tolan House in Brighton preserves Monroe County’s oldest surviving home, built in 1792 beside a Seneca trail that later became a stagecoach route and, eventually, East Avenue. Guided tours interpret frontier life, early settlement, and the families who lived there before Rochester’s founding.

The Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum interprets the history of the Erie Canal, the railroad, and the village through exhibits housed in the community’s restored 1908 trolley depot, which also serves as the welcome center for canal visitors.

Greater Rochester

Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor preserves the original location of a major 17th-century Seneca town and is New York State’s only historic site dedicated to Native American history. Today, visitors can explore the Seneca Art & Culture Center, tour a full-size replica of a bark longhouse, and enjoy miles of woodland and meadow trails.

Antique Wireless Museum in Bloomfield preserves radios, early television technology, amateur radio equipment, military communications gear, and other artifacts that trace the history of wireless communication from the 1800s to the present.

Foster Cottage Museum preserves the home of Dr. Henry Foster, whose water-cure treatments helped establish Clifton Springs as a nationally known health spa in the 19th century.

Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum in Canandaigua preserves an 1816 Federal-style mansion built for Gideon Granger, the longest-serving U.S. Postmaster General. Guided tours highlight period furnishings, decorative arts, and rotating exhibits, while the carriage museum explores horse-drawn transportation and regional history.

Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park in Canandaigua preserves a 50-acre Gilded Age estate featuring a Victorian mansion, formal gardens, and a Lord & Burnham-designed glass conservatory. Paved routes connect the entrance, mansion, and formal gardens, and a limited-service tram may be available for visitors with mobility challenges. For a more intimate experience, a winding, uneven footpath leads through the Tea Garden and Rock Garden, while the mansion’s second-floor porch overlooks the gardens below. Complete your visit with a tasting at the Finger Lakes Wine Center.

Historic Palmyra preserves the village’s history through five museums: the Historical Museum, Erie Canal Depot, Alling Coverlet Museum, Phelps General Store, and Print Shop. Together, they explore 19th-century commerce, transportation, printing, textiles, and daily life in one of the Erie Canal’s early communities.

The Hoffman Clock Museum in the Newark Public Library showcases hundreds of clocks from the 17th century onward, illustrating the craftsmanship and evolution of mechanical timekeeping.

The Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum explores the maritime history of Sodus Bay through lighthouse exhibits, shipwreck artifacts, and panoramic views from the property.

The National Warplane Museum in Geneseo preserves aircraft, military vehicles, artifacts, and personal stories from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. During the warmer months, visitors can experience flights aboard historic aircraft, including the C-47 Whiskey 7, which carried paratroopers during the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

The American Red Cross, Clara Barton House Chapter #1 in Dansville tells the story of the organization’s first local chapter, founded in 1881, through exhibits on Barton’s humanitarian work and the history of disaster relief.

Arcade & Attica Railroad in Arcade offers scenic train excursions through the Wyoming County countryside aboard historic equipment. Most trips include a stop at Curriers Station, where passengers can explore the depot, see historic railroad equipment, and purchase refreshments before returning to Arcade. Seasonal offerings include Murder Mystery, Great Train Robbery, and Santa’s Wonderland Express rides.

The Jell-O Gallery in Le Roy explores the story of “America’s Most Famous Dessert” in the community where it was invented. Exhibits trace its invention, marketing, and cultural impact. Admission also includes the adjacent Historic LeRoy House, which interprets early 19th-century architecture and domestic life.

Fun fact, Cool Whip, which is still made by Kraft Heinz in Avon, was first created by General Foods in 1966. This has earned Avon the nickname “Cool Whip Capitol of the World.” The dessert topping is often enjoyed with JELL-O, which was invented only fifteen miles away in LeRoy in 1897.

The Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia occupies the original 1815 land office, where settlers in Western New York purchased property, and interprets regional history through exhibits on settlement, the War of 1812, and local industries.

The National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls was established in 1969 to recognize the accomplishments of American women. Exhibits highlight inductees whose work has shaped history, culture, science, government, athletics, education, the arts, and social reform.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park preserves the site of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, where attendees adopted the Declaration of Sentiments, calling for equal rights. The park includes the Wesleyan Chapel Visitor Center, the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House, and other historic buildings that interpret the early women’s rights movement and the abolitionists, reformers, and suffragists who shaped it.

It’s a Wonderful Life Museum celebrates the classic film with memorabilia, recreated sets, costumes, and exhibits that explore Seneca Falls’ connection to the story.

The Cobblestone Museum in Albion preserves the largest collection of cobblestone buildings in North America, showcasing one of Western New York’s most distinctive architectural traditions. Guided tours explore several restored 19th-century buildings, including a church, schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, and farmhouse, and explain how glacial fieldstones were transformed into finely crafted masonry.

The Cobblestone Museum documents historic cobblestone structures throughout the region. Use their interactive Google site map to enjoy a self-guided driving tour of these exceptional structures; each as unique as the stones themselves.

The Medina Railroad Museum occupies a 1905 New York Central freight depot and features an extensive HO-scale model train layout, along with exhibits of railroad and freight-related artifacts. Seasonal excursions include the popular Polar Express Train Ride.

Surrounding Counties

Buffalo AKG Art Museum showcases one of the nation’s leading collections of modern and contemporary art. Visitors can view works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo, along with changing exhibitions and large-scale contemporary installations. Outdoor sculptures and public spaces extend the experience beyond the galleries.

Burchfield Penney Art Center, across the street from Buffalo AKG, houses the world’s largest collection of Charles E. Burchfield’s works and features rotating exhibitions alongside selections from its permanent collection celebrating the art and artists of Western New York.

The Buffalo History Museum is housed in the only surviving building from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. Its permanent collection and rotating exhibits explore the people, events, and innovations that shaped Buffalo and Western New York. Exhibits cover topics ranging from Indigenous history and the Erie Canal to the Pan-American Exposition and the history of the Buffalo Bills. Outside, a monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln overlooks Mirror Lake.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House in Buffalo is a significant example of his Prairie-style architecture. Guided tours showcase the interconnected main house, pergola, conservatory, and carriage house, with extended tours also including the Barton House and Gardener’s Cottage.

Buffalo Museum of Science features four floors of interactive exhibits exploring natural history, insects, biodiversity, paleontology, and health. The museum also manages the nearby Tifft Nature Preserve at Buffalo’s Outer Harbor.

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site preserves the Ansley Wilcox House, where Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential oath of office after President William McKinley’s assassination in 1901. Interactive exhibits and guided tours explore Roosevelt’s life, the unexpected transition of power, and Buffalo’s role in American history.

Explore & More, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Children’s Museum, features seven interactive play areas designed primarily for preschoolers and elementary-age children. The exhibits draw inspiration from Western New York’s culture, geology, innovation, farming, sports, and waterways.

Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park is the nation’s largest inland naval park. After exploring the museum’s exhibits, aircraft, artifacts, and videos, visitors can board four decommissioned military vessels either independently or on a guided tour: the guided missile cruiser USS Little Rock, the destroyer USS The Sullivans, the submarine USS Croaker, and the patrol boat USS PTF-17.

Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village preserves 10 historic buildings that tell the story of 19th-century life in the Buffalo Niagara region. Guided tours explore restored homes, a schoolhouse, a church, a blacksmith shop, and other village structures.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff in Derby is a lakeside estate overlooking Lake Erie, showcasing Wright’s organic architectural style. Choose from a variety of guided tours of the grounds and historic residence, then enjoy a picnic on the lawn with lake views.

Roycroft Campus in East Aurora preserves the birthplace of the Roycroft artisan community, a leading center of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Visitors can explore nine historic buildings—including the Roycroft Inn, chapel, print shop, furniture shop, and copper shop—and tour the campus museum, which displays rotating exhibits and rare artifacts. Nearby, the Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum interprets the founder’s life and work through original furniture, publications, and other objects connected to the movement.

The Millard Fillmore House on Shearer Avenue in East Aurora is the only known home built by a U.S. president. Fillmore constructed it in 1825 with help from friends for his bride-to-be, Abigail Powers.

Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda preserves the history of one of America’s leading carousel manufacturers in its original factory. Visitors can ride several historic carousels, tour restoration workshops, and explore exhibits featuring hand-carved carousel animals, band organs, and amusement park history.

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area features the One More River to Cross exhibit in the historic 1863 U.S. Custom House at the Niagara Falls Amtrak Station. The exhibit shares the stories of freedom seekers who crossed the Niagara River into Canada and of the abolitionists who helped them reach freedom.

Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site preserves a 300-year-old military complex at the mouth of the Niagara River. Guests can explore the grounds, buildings, artifacts, and visitor center, with military demonstrations throughout the day. On select summer weekends, the site hosts major battle reenactments. Built by the French in 1726, the Castle is the oldest building on the Great Lakes. The fort is part of Fort Niagara State Park, which offers views of Toronto’s skyline on a clear day.

The National Comedy Center in Jamestown celebrates the art and history of comedy through interactive exhibits featuring stand-up, television, film, radio, cartoons, and comedy writing. Personalized experiences, multimedia displays, and hands-on activities invite visitors to discover legendary comedians and even test their own comedic skills. The center also hosts programming for the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.

The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum in Jamestown celebrates the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz through recreated sets, costumes, props, and memorabilia from I Love Lucy and their groundbreaking work at Desilu Studios. Visitors can recreate the famous Vitameatavegamin commercial and learn how Desilu Studios helped shape early television through productions such as Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center, Seneca Iroquois National Museum, in Salamanca shares the history, culture, and living traditions of the Seneca Nation through exhibits, artwork, photographs, and archaeological collections.

Corning Museum of Glass houses collections spanning 3,500 years of glassmaking history, from early Venetian artisans to Tiffany, Chihuly, and Pyrex. Live hot-glass demonstrations and hands-on workshops let visitors watch artists at work and create their own glass art.

The Rockwell Museum in Corning, a Smithsonian Affiliate, houses American art spanning the Old West to contemporary works, with galleries featuring paintings, sculpture, photography, and Native American art.

The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport celebrates its namesake’s contributions to transportation and early aviation through exhibits featuring historic aircraft, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, and other innovations.

The Finger Lakes Boating Museum in Hammondsport preserves the boating heritage of the Finger Lakes through historic wooden boats, racing craft, sailboats, canoes, and exhibits that explore the region’s maritime history. Rotating exhibits and restoration projects highlight the craftsmanship and recreational traditions that shaped life on the Finger Lakes.

The National Soaring Museum in Elmira preserves the history of motorless flight through exhibits featuring gliders, sailplanes, and the pioneers of soaring. While visiting Harris Hill, you can also take a 15-minute sailplane ride with the Harris Hill Soaring Corporation, weather permitting.

The Museum of the Earth in Ithaca explores Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history through fossils, dinosaurs, minerals, and interactive exhibits, with a special emphasis on New York State’s geologic past. A highlight is the Rock of Ages, Sands of Time installation, where fossils are displayed along a timeline marking when each organism lived.

Sciencenter in Ithaca offers hands-on exhibits designed primarily for preschoolers and elementary-age children. Interactive exhibits explore weather, space, engineering, and animals, with highlights including a saltwater Tidepool Touch Tank, the expansive Curiosity Playground, and an outdoor 18-hole miniature golf course.

Seward House Museum in Auburn preserves the historic home of William H. Seward, who served as Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Guided tours showcase the family’s original furnishings, artwork, and personal belongings, and highlight Seward’s role in the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia and his lifelong commitment to abolition. The museum also highlights Seward’s friendship with Harriet Tubman, whose home and church are nearby.

Harriet Tubman Sites in Auburn preserve the places where Tubman lived, served her community, worshipped, and was laid to rest. At the Harriet Tubman Home on South Street, guided tours include the Visitor Center and Home for the Aged, which she established to care for elderly African Americans, as well as exterior views of her residence. Advance reservations are recommended. About 1.3 miles away, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park includes the Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church, where Tubman worshipped, helped raise funds for its construction, and where her funeral was held in 1913, along with the adjacent parsonage. The church and parsonage are open seasonally for self-guided visits. Across Parker Street, Fort Hill Cemetery is Tubman’s final resting place.

The Cayuga Museum of History and Art in Auburn occupies the historic Willard-Case Mansion, where rotating exhibitions explore local art and the history of Cayuga County. The campus also includes the Carriage House Theater and the Case Research Lab, where the first successful sound-on-film system was developed.

The Ward W. O’Hara Agricultural & Country Living Museum in Auburn preserves antique farm equipment, tools, household items, and other artifacts that illustrate rural life in the Finger Lakes region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Howland Stone Store Museum in Sherwood preserves an 1830 stone mercantile building and features exhibits on local history, abolition, and the nearby Cayuga Lake region.

Fort Ontario State Historic Site in Oswego preserves a star-shaped military fort overlooking Lake Ontario. Visitors can explore five historic buildings that interpret the fort’s role from the French and Indian War through the War of 1812. In 1944, Fort Ontario became the only refugee center in the United States established specifically for nearly 1,000 Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust.

The Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse is housed in the only surviving weighlock building, where canal boats were once weighed to calculate tolls. The original Erie Canal passed through downtown Syracuse before being rerouted north through Oneida Lake in the early 1900s. Visitors can explore replicas of a canal boat, tavern, general store, and weighmaster’s office.

Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse was the first museum designed by architect I. M. Pei. The Brutalist building features angular concrete forms, soaring interior spaces, and a dramatic spiral staircase leading through galleries of American art, including one of the country’s leading collections of American ceramics. Outside, the museum grounds include a reflecting pool and a grove of Tree of 40 Fruit trees, a living work of art.

Fun fact: Artist Sam Van Aken created Tree of 40 Fruit by grafting dozens of stone fruit varieties onto individual trees. Depending on the season, each tree may produce apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, almonds, and other fruits.

Onondaga Historical Museum explores the history of Syracuse and Onondaga County through exhibits covering industry, immigration, transportation, military service, and community life.

The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) in Syracuse features hands-on exhibits for visitors of all ages. Highlights include the Lockheed Martin Flight & Space exhibit, a walk-through human heart, a life-sized dinosaur exhibit, a climbing maze, and the National Grid ExploraDome planetarium and giant-screen theater.

The Stickley Museum in Fayetteville occupies the second floor of the original L. & J.G. Stickley factory above the Fayetteville Free Library. Enter through the library to reach exhibits on Gustav Stickley, the American Arts and Crafts movement, and the company’s furniture-making legacy.

All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango celebrates L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz through books, memorabilia, costumes, and exhibits that explore the beloved story’s enduring legacy.

Which are your favorite museums around Rochester?

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