Rather than an escape, I prefer to think of these as transcending places, or transformative places, that help us to become more mindful people.
When I think of “transcendence” as it relates to travel, I think of destinations that move us into a reality that differs from daily life. I look for places that encourage us to transcend space, time, and state of mind, and also to be present and immersed in the experience at the same time.
Transcending Space
These destinations have been described as other-worldly, Narnia, Terabithia, Oz (or “not in Kansas anymore”), and hidden gems. You can’t go wrong with a place that has the word “glen” in its name!
Corbett’s Glen
Brighton
Nestled in between an express way and 2 highly trafficked roads near the Penfield/Brighton Town borders, Corbett’s Glen Nature Park is a glorious green space in a suburban jungle.
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Grimes Glen
Naples
There are few experiences like Grimes Glen around Rochester. The glen is public, free, and you are encouraged to walk in the water. Most people look forward to wading the creek to the first and second falls–both 60′ cascades.
Watkins Glen
Seneca Lake
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.
Little Rock City in Rock City State Forest
Salamanca
Little Rock City in Salamanca’s Rock City State Forest, not to be confused with Rock City Park in nearby Olean, is free to explore!
You could spend 20 minutes or two hours wandering through the boulders, some as large as houses.
Chimney Bluffs
Huron
The bluffs, rising 175 feet above Lake Ontario, are fragile drumlins, like all of the truncated drumlins along this section of shoreline.
Eternal Flame
Orchard Park
Once you’ve made it to the creek bed, you just keep following the water upstream until you hit the falls at the gorge’s dead-end.
Sunken Garden
Rochester
If you can get to the sunken garden behind Warner Castle when no one else is about, it’s a peaceful retreat, beautiful anytime of the year.
Akron Falls
Akron
Akron Falls Park is a linear park stretching along Murder Creek, with several places to park and walk down to access the gorge trail below. Even though the fall is the main attraction, the trial is a relatively flat walk through a lush, dense forest. Perfectly peaceful.
Havana Glen
Montour Falls
This is the best $2 you’ll ever spend! The 40-foot Eagle Cliff waterfall is a very short distance from the parking lot, but not at all accessible with a tight cliff-edge trail and a few sets of stairs.
Wade right in and stand under the fall. It’s so refreshing on a hot day, but it does get pretty crowded in there. Try visiting early in the day or during the week to fully appreciate the glen and take photos of the fall and dripping, moss-covered walls.
Tinker Nature Park
Henrietta
Tinker Nature Park has a series of trails and boardwalks that are great for folks of all abilities.
Wander through woodlands, wetlands, and meadows, or enjoy a good book on one of the parks many benches.
ARTISANworks
Rochester
I’ve heard ARTISANworks described as a walk-through kaleidoscope, a bombardment on the senses, a 360° canvas, a space that defies all boundaries, a place that can’t be described but must be seen, surprising, inspiring, and in some instances shocking.
Strasenburgh Planetarium
Rochester Museum & Science Center
The new technology allows you to explore the solar system and the entire visible universe from any perspective! The quality of the images and near-real-time data is extraordinary!
And, the chairs are no longer fixed to the floor making it accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.
Robert H Treman
Ithaca
An area of wild beauty, with the rugged Enfield Glen gorge as its scenic highlight scattered with 12 waterfalls, including the 115-foot Lucifer Falls.
Panama Rocks
Panama
The caves, crevices, and passageways that run through the rocks are likely the result of freezing and thawing: rocks cracking under pressure from the elements and their own weight; slowly and steadily pulled downhill by gravity in a process known as “creep.”
Transcending Time
These destinations transport you into the past to appreciate and to learn about how we developed the culture, values, and amenities we have today. Stepping inside is like entering a time machine.
New York Routes 5 & 20
Routes 5 and 20 is a beautiful 67-mile stretch of highway where NY-5 and US-20 converge.
The path it takes is a foot trail of New York’s first people from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, between the Adirondacks and the Catskills, and over a rolling drumlin field.
Genesee Country Village & Museum
Mumford
Walk through the historic village, including the early homes of Nathaniel Rochester and George Eastman.
Enjoy the themed weekend events, like 1812, Civil War, Highland Days, a Fiddler’s Fair, and Yuletide in the Country.
Old Country Stores
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.
Mount Hope Cemetery
Rochester
There is so much to learn on a walking tour of Mount Hope Cemetery — the story of various residents, the trees, the geology.
They are also helpful in assimilating you to the lay of the land, helping you to navigate it on your own.
Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve
Blasdell
Visitors can find and collect 380 million year-old animal and plant fossils that once flourished in an ancient tropical sea that covered WNY.
In 2011, The Geological Society of America ranked Penn Dixie as the No. 1 fossil park in the country.
Museum of the Earth
Ithaca
Museum of the Earth focuses on life beginning in the Cambrian Period, though it delves a little into our 4.5 billion year history.
The museum does a fantastic job of narrowing it down to large-scale events that are relevant to our place in New York State, and presented in a way that is engaging.
New York Museum of Transportation
Rush
Included with admission is a scenic 2-mile round-trip ride on an 90-year-old electric trolley car.
NYMT and the City of Rochester have arranged to feature 2 monorail cars from the now-demolished Midtown Plaza as a permanent exhibit. They are on public display-only—no monorail rides to relive those childhood memories. But what a thrill to see them all the same!
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Rush
Volunteers at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum actively acquire, restore and preserve New York’s largest collection of historic railroad equipment.
Spend a day riding the train and checking out their Rochester-centric collection!
Arcade & Attica Railroad
Arcade
You’ll enjoy roughly 45-minutes of bucolic scenery on the way to Curriers, and the same scenery on the way back. You’ll travel through farmland, wetland, and woodland ecological communities.
Sam Patch Packet Boat
Pittsford
Sam Patch Erie Canal Tours are a great way to immerse yourself in the canal’s history and operation during your narrated cruise.
Erie Canal Towns & Villages
The Erie Canal spans 100-miles between Lockport and Lyons, with Rochester located right in the middle making it easy to get out there and explore! To enjoy every moment, choose just 15 miles on the canal to explore in a day.
Pick a town like Brockport or Fairport to spend a few hours. Choose an entry point like Greece Canal Park or Meridian Center to walk or bike the trail. Stop at one of the canal locks and watch the boats go through.
Transcending State of Mind
I find that these places demand that you become absorbed in your surroundings. They have a way of closing off the world behind you as you explore. They convey peacefulness, serenity, beauty, and connection with nature.
Rochester’s Hidden Sidewalk
Charlotte
I have lived in Rochester my whole life, with my childhood years spent in West Irondequoit, and I only found out this public sidewalk exists a few years ago. Rochester’s hidden sidewalk may be it’s best kept secret!
Turning Point Park
Rochester
Turning Point Park is located on Boxart St, off Lake Ave near Charlotte Furniture & Appliance. The trail’s most striking feature is a 3,572 ft-long bridge over the Genesee River Turning Basin.
Highland Park
Rochester
Frederick Law Olmsted designed this park in 1888, along with Genesee Valley, Seneca, and Maplewood, to be enjoyed year-round. Every pathway, every tree, every vista and every relationship between the land and water is intentional.
Lamberton Conservatory
Rochester
Tropical plants need tropical temperatures, so visiting Lamberton Conservatory in winter is a welcome escape from the cold!
Letchworth
Castile
Relax beside a massive waterfall, hike the gorge trails, fish in the park’s pond, take a ride during the hot air balloon festival, 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.
Sonnenberg Gardens
Canandaigua
Sonnenberg Gardens is an exceptional example of the lavish wealth and philanthropy of the Gilded Age.
Public Gardens
Gardens are historically places of rest and reflection; of focus and attention to detail. Botanist Luther Burbank said, “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
Enjoy a peaceful afternoon at one of these arboretums, labyrinths, or botanical gardens, all within a 2-hour drive of Rochester.
The Jump Off
Naples
Spectacular any time of year, my favorite time to visit is in the Autumn during peak leaf changing season.
You’ll overlook CR-33/West Hollow Road and the backside of Bristol Mountain. This section below (CR-33-34-64-12-21) is my favorite scenic loop in the fall.
Harriet Hollister
Springwater
Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area is a New York State Park located in the hills six miles south of Honeoye Lake, and affords one of the most beautiful scenic views in the Finger Lakes region.
Lily Dale Assembly
Lily Dale
Lily Dale is a lake-side hamlet of Victorian homes and cottages. It is both quirky and peaceful; a spiritual community like nowhere else on Earth.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is beautiful year round, and I highly recommend going at different times throughout the year to witness the uniqueness of each season. With a natural wonder this close, there’s no reason not to go more than once!
Taughannock Falls
Ulysses
Taughannock Falls is one of the most accessible waterfalls in our area’s state parks, second only to Letchworth State Park whose High and Middle Falls can be appreciated from several observation points throughout the park.
What I love about Taughannock Falls is that the most accessible view from the overlook is also the most impressive. Plus, the view from here is free!
Channing H. Philbrick
Penfield
Irondequoit Creek passes through 3 Monroe County Parks, from its origin just outside Powder Mills Park, then through Ellison Park and Lucien Morin Park on its way to Irondequoit Bay.
Along the way it picks up more water from tributaries like Thomas Creek, Mill Creek, and Allen’s Creek.
Where are your favorite transcending places around Rochester?
Your insights and experiences are valuable. Please share them in the comments.
If I could arrange a merger of any kind I wanted, I would merge you and
John Kucko.
That is hysterical. He and I share many of the same interests, it’s possible we were once merged and have split to cover more ground!
The word you want here is “transcendent,” not “transcending.”
Can you explain further, Jenn?
Thanks so much for the wonderful list!
Thanks you. Lived in Rochester until 1951 and most of these sites are new to me.
Thank you for this list. We are waterfall enthusiasts and have planned a month in the Finger Lakes Region to visit/hike/see as many waterfalls as possible. You added at least two that weren’t already on our list. This is our first time to the Northeast and we are very excited to start hiking.
Susan, I hope you have a wonderful adventure!!!!! You can’t go wrong with any waterfalls in the Finger Lakes. I’d love to dedicate a month to exploring them all.
Treman State Park in Ithaca is missing. This place is amazing!
Oh, yes! Treman is an excellent recommendation! I’ll be sure to add it, Candy, thank you!
This is an amazing array! Have lived here all my 75 years and have have been to almost all, but to see them collected and highlighted in one place is breathtaking! We are so blessed to live in an area of such natural beauty!
Kathy, I’m so happy you enjoy the list!! I loved putting these places together. They are special on their own, but together they are elevated. They are places that make you think, but let you forget about the daily grind long enough to internalize their message. And you take that with you. They help change your perspective on the world we live in.