Not so big that you can’t see and ride everything in a single visit, and not so small that you feel like you’re at the local fireman’s carnival. Seabreeze has everything from kiddie rides to thrilling adult and family rides. And don’t forget the waterpark! Pro tips: Bring a wagon, bring a well-stocked cooler, and arrive early enough to snag a table in one of the picnic areas to use as home base.
Genesee Country Village & Museum | Hamlin Beach State Park | Letchworth State Park
Nestled between cherry orchards and Lake Ontario in the heart of Niagara County’s fruit belt, about an hour’s drive west from Rochester, this tiny amusement park is a vestige of a bygone era with bygone prices. The nonprofit park bills itself as a “vintage kiddy park” and is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The park features about a dozen lovingly-restored pint-sized rides and games from the 1920s through the 1950s that recall the heyday of homey seaside resorts before sprawling theme parks drove them to the brink of extinction. In the background, a 1930s Wurlitzer band organ hoots out tunes as repetitive as the surf. The attractions cater to children no taller than 52 inches, and each costs just 25 cents to ride or play. There is no entry fee. Take little ones with $20 in your pocket and you will be a richer person by the end of the day. — DAVID ANDREATTA
There were once several outdoor rinks in the area, but of those that remain, the kidney-shaped ice surface at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park is a gem.
Great bike shops don’t just sell bikes. They’re run by a knowledgeable staff of cycling enthusiasts who build community with classes and host events to get people rolling.
This bridal boutique in the heart of Webster prides itself on stocking the largest inventory from the wedding gown industry’s top designers and its own private collection.
Consistently ranked atop the list of Rochester’s tourist attractions, The Strong, as the museum wants to be known, is a wonderland for kids and kids-at-heart.
At Mount Hope Cemetery, the dead have a lot of tales to tell. Hearing them is best done with the aid of people who know the history the cemetery holds.
Mad Hatter’s in Irondequoit offers an impressive array of hemp, CBD, and cannabis products, a mind-boggling selection of pipes, bongs, bubblers, and bowls, as well as boutique cigars and loose-leaf tobacco.
From personal training programs to childcare, camps, and classes for all ages and myriad interests, the 12 local Y branches probably have something for you.
Durand Eastman Park Golf Course's undulating landscapes, tree-lined fairways, and creeks and ponds are no walk in the park (although playing the course literally is).
Founded and owned by stylist Erika Sorbello, Gallery Salon has more than a dozen stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists offering a dizzying array of beauty services.
Mayer’s is about 5,000 square feet of hardware, power tools, paint, snowblowers, grills, and just about anything else anyone might need to get the job done.
Lift Bridge Bookshop in Brockport has two floors of current bestsellers, novels, books by local authors, magazines, and reference books to keep curious browsers busy for a while.
With 11 pristine lakes nestled between breathtaking bucolic hillsides, waterfront hotels, world-class wineries and breweries at every turn, and dining options that range from fine to farm-to-table low-key, there’s plenty to love about the region.
One of the oldest auto mechanic shops in Rochester, Browncroft Garage has been in the same spot on Atlantic Avenue since before most American households had cars.
Meteorologist Scott Hetsko is an affable guy who has endeared himself to viewers across the region with his upbeat and trustworthy delivery of all things weather.
Trudging down the slope of Cobbs Hill Park by foot is one way to get back to civilization. But in the winter, when snow blankets the ground, the hill is ideal for tobogganing.
When the sun sets and the lights of the city are twinkling far below, there is nothing but darkness between the water and the heavens, making the elevated hilltop at Cobbs Hill Park the perfect spot to take in the night sky.
The six tennis courts, which were renovated with upgraded lighting in 2013, are some of the most used among the three dozen or so in the city. Getting on a court, especially early on a pleasant summer morning, often requires a wait time.
The Erie Canal has been called “the nation’s first superhighway.” It is only apropos that CITY readers recognize its namesake recreation trail as the best place to hop and bike and move.
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.
The Fleet Feet stores in Rochester and in Victor have become the hub of the running community and a go-to for casual athletes looking to comfort their soles.
A hardcore punk vocalist-turned caffeine purveyor, Rory Van Grol is one of those seminal Rochester characters that makes the city special, and is as much a conversationalist as he is a barista.
In the 15 years that Tony Hayward has tended bar at Lux, he has become an essential and beloved part of the community there, providing not only great service but also fostering a safe space to unwind.
This upscale spa located within the DelMonte Lodge offers a full menu of treatments from massages and manicures to body scrubs, as well as haircuts and color, of course.
Beers of the World is a shop whose name speaks for itself. Whether your tastes lie in the Costa Rican mainstay Pilsen or a Russian Imperial Stout from Saint Petersburg’s Baltika Brewing, there’s a little something for everyone here.
Ugly Duck began in 2015 as a pop-up espresso bar but has since grown into a popular brick-and-mortar coffee shop where you can get everything from an excellent cup of plain black coffee to The Snug.
The brainchild of three of the most distinctively Rochester characters you can find, Three Heads broke into the Rochester craft beer scene in the early 2010’s with its flagship The Kind.
Founded in 2012, Black Button Distilling is the first grain-to-grass craft distillery to open in Rochester since the end of Prohibition, and it uses only locally-sourced ingredients.
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.
Jill and Jeremy Wolf built the wedding and private events venue in Hilton when they wanted to get married in a barn but couldn’t find one that checked all their boxes.
Living Roots makes a variety of wines from sparkling pet nats to a shiraz made from Australian grapes. The establishment is as popular for its wines as it is for its classes and tastings.
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.
Founded in Henrietta, Tai-Chi is now a national chain. It first introduced Rochester to the sushi burrito, or sushirrito, a San Francisco-originated treat representing the sheer audacity of American cuisine.
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.
Stromboli’s calzones are available in mini, 12-inch (small), and 16-inch (large) sizes. How much golden dough and melted cheese you can handle is up to you.
The Rochester Brainery, a community classroom and event space in the Neighborhood of the Arts, offers a wide variety of culinary courses with local chefs.
You’d be hard-pressed to not find exactly what you’re looking for, no matter how esoteric, in the Public Market’s wide array of fresh local produce, meats, dairy, eggs, and high-quality fresh seafood and imported goods.
Known as founders of Rochester’s food truck scene, Le Petit Poutine serves its classic Canadian combination of fries, gravy, and cheese curds with a sprinkling of thyme to thousands of hungry customers every year.
The Pittsford Farms Dairy was founded in 1888 and was once best known for its scientific agriculture and prize-winning Jersey cattle. Today, the dairy is best known for its delectable, made-from-scratch ice cream.
Specializing in Detroit-style pies, Pizza Wizard serves square pies that hit all the notes a native Michigander would look for and that Rochester obviously wants.
Good Luck specializes in rustic fusion dishes drawing influence from Italian, French, Japanese, and virtually every other culinary tradition under the sun
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.