When I plan a family vacation, I don’t always look for the “tried and true”. I enjoy venturing to places we haven’t been to before, but still offer fun for our whole family. That can be tricky with our family of 5. Zach is a history buff, Rachael enjoys shopping and thrill rides, Blake has a heart for animals, my husband likes to see how things are made, and I want to soak up some glorious sunshine.
Rochester has it all!
For my daughter, Rachael, who loves thrill rides and me who wants to soak up some sun, Seabreeze Amuseument Park is a great place to visit. This 138 year old park is the oldest family-run amusement park in the country, set in a picturesque, welcoming family-friendly setting bordering Lake Ontario. There are thrill rides for those who like a little more zoom to their ride, like the Jack Rabbit, Bob Sled and Sea Dragon, or you can slow things down a bit and enjoy family rides like the Train or Tilt-a-Whirl. Seabreeze Amusement Park also offers a waterpark area with a wave pool, soak zone, waterslides, and my favorite, a lazy river! Of course, no amusement park would be complete without a Carousel, and the one here is a beauty! All the horse are carved by hand.
If you prefer to take a step back in time to learn about history in the Rochester area, you’ll definitely want to visit the Genesee Country Village & Museum, which is the largest living history museum in New York State, and the 3rd largest in the country. Here you can explore the 68 historic structures on site where you’ll find a tin smith, cooper, blacksmith, a working 19th century brewery, art gallery, potter, and more. My husband, Jason, would find this area fascinating because he would see how things were made many, many years ago. Genesee Country Village & Museum also offers hands-on classes, summer camps and special events. As you explore the village, you will see how times changed through the three different time periods represented here, and if you’re lucky, you may even be able to stop to watch a 19th century base ball game. (Base ball was two separate words back then!)
Learning about the history of Rochester wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Susan B. Anthony House. Susan B. Anthony saw something that wasn’t right and wasn’t fair and she worked hard to change that. She was very engaged in the labor movement, was passionate about health & education, and of course, is probably most famous for getting people to believe that women were just as important as men, and was a big influence on women getting the right to vote. Women in New York were given the right to vote in 1917, and the rest of the United States followed in 1920. This historic site is where Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in 1872, and was the headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. There is lots of history to learn about in Rochester, which would make my son, Zach, a very happy guy!
For animal lovers like my son, Blake, visiting the Seneca Park Zoo is a must. This zoo’s mission is to inspire the community to connect, care for and conserve wildlife and wild places. The Seneca Park Zoo is the #1 zoo in the country for breeding African penguins with over 90 chicks hatched there since 1999. The Seneca Park Zoo has a wide variety of animals you can enjoy seeing, like an African Elephant, Ball Python, Bald Eagle, Sea Lion, Spider Monkey, Hedgehog, Polar Bear, and many more. Personally, getting to watch their lion, Chester, being trained was the highlight for me.
My favorite place that we visited during our trip was the The Strong: National Museum of Play. I had never even heard of this place before, but it’s huge (100,000 square feet) and so much fun! The museum is named after Margaret Woodbury Strong. Margaret’s family viewed the world as her classroom and her playground, and Margaret liked to collect things, especially dolls and toys. In fact, you can see her very favorite doll, Mabel, displayed in the museum. This is the museum where you don’t have to be afraid that your kids will touch something - they’re supposed to! And you get to feel like a kid again! Some of the fun areas to play include Sesame Street, American Comic Book Heroes, Pinball Playfields, and the Wegmans Super Kids Market.
Speaking of Wegmans, I was welcomed as a guest at their research and development store. Unique to this Wegmans is a Mexican Bar (which may be making debuts in other Wegmans locations soon), and a mill to actually mill the flour from local growers. There are just under 800 employees in this 135,000 square foot store, and they take care of their employees. Since 1984, there have been over $110 million in scholarships awarded to part-time and full-time employees and their children. If you haven’t visited Wegmans before (or even if you have), this is a great place to stop and enjoy lunch in their Burger Bar.
If you are looking for a family vacation that has everything for everyone, Rochester should be your next vacation destination!
*Visit Rochester hosted Macaroni Kid for a 4-day press trip. Accommodations and most meals and activities were complimentary. No other compensation was received in consideration of this article, and all opinions are my own.
