Best Camp for Kids: Rochester Museum and Science Center

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RMSC's "Expedition Dinosaur" exhibit features life-sized animatronic creatures and interactive games. - COURTESY ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTER

COURTESY ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTER
RMSC's "Expedition Dinosaur" exhibit features life-sized animatronic creatures and interactive games.

Rochester Museum and Science Center
657 East Ave. | 585-271-4320
rmsc.org

Do your curious youngsters love building robots? Conducting experiments and tinkering with science problems? Engineering forts? Learning wilderness skills? Outdoor team-building activities? Playing with animal babies!? Of course they do! Rochester Museum and Science Center hosts Curiosity Camp, led by experienced educators throughout the summer at the main museum on East Avenue and at the museum’s Cumming Nature Center in Naples.

Finalists: Girls Rock Rochester | Genesee Country Village & Museum

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Best Family-Friendly Attraction: The Strong National Museum of Play

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Best Outdoor Swimming: Hamlin Beach State Park

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Best CBD Shop: Mad Hatter’s Hideaway

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Best Corner Store: Bodega

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Best Place to People Watch: Rochester Public Market

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Best Fitness Service: YMCA of Greater Rochester

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Best Florist: Kittelberger

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Best Garden Center: Garden Factory

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Best Public Golf Course: Durand Eastman

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Best Haircut: Gallery Salon

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Best Hotel: The Strathallan

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Best Housewares Store: Mayer Paint and Hardware

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Best Independent Bookseller: Lift Bridge Bookshop

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Best Public Park: Highland Park

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Best Local Radio Personality: Evan Dawson

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Best Mechanic: Browncroft Garage

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Best Tobogganing: Cobbs Hill Park

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Best Neighborhood Garden: 490 Farmers

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Best Record Store: Record Archive

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Best Secondhand/Thrift Store: Greenovation

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Best Shoe Store: Fleet Feet

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Best Barista: Rory Van Grol (Ugly Duck)

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Best Social Media Account: The InnerLoop Blog

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Best Bartender: Tony Hayward (Lux Lounge)

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Best Beer Selection (Bar or Restaurant): Rochester Beer Park

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Best Beer Selection (Store): Beers of the World

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Best Bloody Mary: The Revelry

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Best Cidery: Schutt's Apple Mill

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Best Cocktails: Restaurant Good Luck

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Best Tattoo Parlor: Love Hate Tattoo

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Best Coffee: Ugly Duck Coffee

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Best of Rochester

Best Craft Brewery: Three Heads Brewing

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Best of Rochester

Best Toy Store: Millennium Games

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Best of Rochester

Best Distillery: Black Button Distilling

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Best of Rochester

Best Vintage Clothing Store: Little Shop of Hoarders

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Best of Rochester

Best Smoothies/Juices: Just Juice 4 Life

Health-minded customers order power tonics, smoothies, and juice flights at the counter, or choose from the juices and fermented items in the grab-and-go coolers. A set of juices ideal for a cleanse can be custom ordered.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Wedding Venue: Pomona at Blue Barn

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Best of Rochester

Best Winery: Living Roots

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Yoga Studio: Breathe Yoga & Juice Bar

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Food

These are the places CITY readers head when they have a hankering for burgers, baked goods, and food of all kinds.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Plate: Dogtown

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Sports Bar: Jeremiah's Tavern

What goes great with Jeremiah's award-winning wings? Watching football, of course. And baseball, and hockey, and soccer, and basketball, and anything that involves athletes running, jumping, and throwing things in ways impossible for us mere mortals.

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Best of Rochester

Best Tea House: Tai Chi Bubble Tea

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Comfort Food: Dogtown

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Late-night Eats: Dogtown

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Wine Selection (Bar or Restaurant): Apogee

The wine list at Apogee is carefully curated. Patrons won’t find a book of pages and pages listing vintage bottles that sit in a dusty cellar here.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Bakery: Savoia Pastry Shoppe

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Wine Selection (Store): Marketview Liquor

The moment you walk into the doors of Marketview Liquor, cases of wine piled chest high stare you down.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Barbecue: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

You can’t go wrong with this award-winning menu rooted in the traditions of Southern barbecue and slathered in spices and sauces that give Dinosaur’s dishes their own flair.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Bread Bakery: Amazing Grains

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Breakfast: The Original Steve’s Diner

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Burger: Good Luck

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Calzone: Stromboli’s

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Candy Shop: Stever’s

The candy business never goes out of style. Stever’s, purveyors of homemade chocolate and candies, is a testament to that.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Caterer: The Meatball Truck

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Chef: Margherita Smith aka The Saucey Chef

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Chinese Restaurant: Han Noodle

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Cooking Class: Rochester Brainery

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Deli Sandwich or Sub: DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Doughnuts: Ridge Donuts

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Farmers Market: Rochester Public Market

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Fish Fry: Captain Jim’s

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Food Truck: Le Petit Poutine

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Global Foods Market: Rubino’s Italian Food Market

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Ice Cream: Pittsford Farms Dairy

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Italian Restaurant: The Pasta Villa

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Lunch Spot: Magnolia’s Deli & Cafe

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Mexican Restaurant: Neno’s

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best New Restaurant: Strangebird

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Outdoor Dining: Genesee Brew House

From their perch on the patio, diners can soak in a panorama of the historic High Falls District and the Rochester skyline.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Pizza: Pizza Wizard

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Restaurant: Good Luck

Good Luck specializes in rustic fusion dishes drawing influence from Italian, French, Japanese, and virtually every other culinary tradition under the sun

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Restaurant for Desserts: Phillip’s European

No need to save room, just go straight for the desserts at Phillips European.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Restaurant to Dine Alone: Highland Park Diner

Housed inside the iconic 1948 dining-car at the corner of South Goodman Street and South Clinton Avenue, the Highland transports diners back in time.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Ribs: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Dinosaur serves its ribs St. Louis style, which means they're flat, fatty, sweet, and juicy.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Sushi: Plum House

Plum House has been a Monroe Avenue institution for nearly 20 years, and it has rightfully earned its place as Rochester’s premier sushi stop.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Sweets Bakery: Savoia Pastry Shoppe

Savoia has become well-known regionally for its wedding cakes and seasonal Italian tea cookies, but its pastries are the star of the show.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Thai Restaurant: The King & I

There’s no shortage of spots offering Thai cuisine in Rochester, but this year the mainstay The King & I wears the crown.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant: The Red Fern

Andrea Parros opened The Red Fern in September 2013 and the restaurant's menu of vegan comfort food was a quick hit. Its popularity has only grown since.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Wings: Jeremiah’s Tavern

Jeremiah's knows what makes a wing a winner.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Bouncer: Lori Lippa (ROAR)

She’s an Avon makeup and skincare sales representative (yes, as in “Avon calling”) who moonlights as a bouncer at one of Rochester’s hottest nightclubs.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Bar: ROAR

There’s a neon sign over the door at ROAR: “A DJ and a Drag Queen Walk Into a Bar.” It’s the premise for Rochester’s reigning gay-owned nightclub, which scooped up six “Best of Rochester” awards.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Karaoke: ROAR

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Trivia Night: ROAR

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Pickup Bar: ROAR

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best LGBTQ+ Bar: ROAR

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Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Dive Bar: Lux Lounge

If Lux's "Pabst Smear" — a $3 order of a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a well liquor shot of your choosing — doesn't scream dive bar, we don't know what does.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Arts & Entertainment

Nightlife, music, theater, and art, CITY readers know them by heart . . .

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Actor: Penny Sterling

Penny Sterling burst onto the local performing arts scene in 2016 with “A Spy in the House of Men: A One-Woman Show With Balls,” recounting her decades-long journey of transitioning from a man to a woman.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Art Gallery: Memorial Art Gallery

Visiting the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, better known by its nickname “The MAG,” means journeying through 5,000 years of art history.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Artist: Shawn Dunwoody

Shawn Dunwoody needs no introduction. The prolific muralist and all-around creative is widely considered the face of the city’s art scene.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Arts Event: Rochester International Jazz Festival

For nine days in June, this international event draws an estimated 200,000 people to downtown Rochester. And yes, music is the draw.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Band (Cover): Something Else

Sometimes you just want to hear the hits, let your hair down, and let your feet loose. Rock trio Something Else can help you get there.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Club DJ: Mighty Mic (ROAR)

With DJ Mighty Mic in charge, expect a fun evening with plenty of energy.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Comedian/Comedy Troupe: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson stomped into stand-up after being goaded by friends who liked his Facebook and Instagram quips.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Theater Company: Geva Theatre Center

Rochester has a lot of good theater, and not just “for a city of its size.” But Geva Theatre Center is in a league of its own.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Drag Performer: Dee Dee Dubois

After 24 years on Rochester’s stages, DeeDee Dubois has moved from a “Best of Rochester” runner-up in this category to top queen.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Published Poet: Chen Chen

It’s fitting that Chen Chen is back, living in Rochester, the place where his career as a successful published poet first began to take off.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Film Festival: Rochester International Film Festival

Three days. Dozens of short films. The Rochester International Film Festival is a celebration of movie-making brevity.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Published Author: Justin Murphy

Years of pulling thread on the troubled Rochester public school system led to D&C reporter Justin Murphy publishing his first book.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Place to See Comedy: Comedy @ The Carlson

Finding a place to see solid standup in Rochester is no joke. Comedy @ The Carlson is an exception.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Rock Artist or Group: Joywave

These homegrown rockers won this category by a ridiculously large margin and deservedly-so — even in a city blessed with many great bands.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Photographer: Jim Montanus

Photography is in the blood of this perennial “Best of Rochester” winner, who is perhaps best known for his images of area landscapes.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Music Festival: Rochester International Jazz Festival

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Rochester International Jazz Festival, which promises 325 shows spread across nine stages.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Instrumentalist: Herb Smith

Trumpeter Herb Smith is as affable as he is stylistically versatile.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Museum: Strong Museum of Play

Many people think of museums as stodgy institutions where touching exhibits is off-limits and fun goes to die. The Strong National Museum of Play is the opposite.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Live Music Venue (Small): The Bug Jar

Most live music fans in Rochester have a fond memory of the Bug Jar. Part live-music venue, part quasi-punk bar, the Bug Jar is a local gem.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Movie Theater: The Little

The Little Theatre is no mere art deco movie house, it's a beloved icon of Rochester's East End that has stood for more than 90 years.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Live Music Venue (Large): CMAC

The large outdoor venues are where the most enticing summer shows are found, and CMAC is the best of them.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Band (Original): Danielle Ponder

It’s easy to make the case that R&B-soul artist Danielle Ponder won 2022 — and not just because she won five “Best of Rochester” categories.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Blues Artist or Group: Danielle Ponder

It’s easy to make the case that R&B-soul artist Danielle Ponder won 2022 — and not just because she won five “Best of Rochester” categories.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Jazz Artist or Group: Danielle Ponder

It’s easy to make the case that R&B-soul artist Danielle Ponder won 2022 — and not just because she won five “Best of Rochester” categories.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Solo Musician: Danielle Ponder

It’s easy to make the case that R&B-soul artist Danielle Ponder won 2022 — and not just because she won five “Best of Rochester” categories.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Vocalist: Danielle Ponder

It’s easy to make the case that R&B-soul artist Danielle Ponder won 2022 — and not just because she won five “Best of Rochester” categories.

Jan 1, 2023

It’s easy to make the case that R&B-soul artist Danielle Ponder won 2022 — and not just because she took five different “” categories.
Best of Rochester

Best Country Artist or Group: Zac Brown Tribute Band

Live-music lovers know exactly what they’re getting with this good-vibin’ septet devoted to interpreting the songs of the Zac Brown Band.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Dance Company: Garth Fagan Dance

The world-renowned dance company is known for captivating audiences with dazzling choreography.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Folk Artist or Group: The Honey Smugglers

You can call The Honey Smugglers an Americana band, or even a jamgrass group. CITY readers call the sextet Rochester’s best folk group.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Hip-Hop Artist or Group: Moses Rockwell

Moses Rockwell's songs are observational. If he has an odd conversation or experience, he mines it for comedy and rhymes it in a song.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Mural or Public Art: Murals at MLK Jr. Memorial Park

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park is a year-round artistic backdrop with the vibrant Roc Paint Division murals

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best Media Outlet (Other Than Us, Of Course):13 WHAM

WHAM-TV (Channel 13) has been the dominant local news affiliate for the better part of 40 years.

Jan 1, 2023
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: The winners . . .

This year, some 10,349 discerning CITY readers cast 426,656 votes to determine the Best of Rochester winners across 110 categories. Here, we present the top picks of the people, places, and things that make Rochester home.

Oct 1, 2021
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Arts & Entertainment

Nightlife, music, theater, and art, CITY readers know them by heart . . .

Oct 1, 2021
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Food & Drink

Hankering for burgers, baked goods, or beer? CITY readers come here . . .

Oct 1, 2021
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Recreation

From first dates to dancing and shooting stick to shooting hoops, CITY readers have the scoop . . .

Oct 1, 2021
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Goods & Services

Whether you're looking for flowers, a haircut, or that special gift for a four-legged friend, CITY readers recommend . . .

Oct 1, 2021
Best of Rochester

Best of Rochester: Who we are

They rise above the crowd, they make CITY readers proud . . .

Oct 1, 2021