This weekend, I managed three “fests” in three days: Flour City Brewers Fest at the Rochester Public Market on Friday, Cake Fest at Highland Park on Saturday, and Rochester VegFest at Parcel 5 on Sunday.
That may have been good training for the upcoming ESL Rochester Fringe Festival—or a reminder to pace myself. Fringe returns September 15–26 with 12 days of theater, comedy, dance, music, and other performances. I’ll need to conserve some energy for that!
This weekend, I start a vacation from my 9-to-5 job. My main goal is to make the final edits to 104 Day Trips Around Rochester, New York, but I hope to fit in a few field trips, too. I may head to Niagara Falls to tour Prophet Isaiah’s Second Coming House, tour the Mount Morris Dam, visit Sonnenberg Gardens, explore Historic Palmyra, or stop at the Hoffman Clock Museum in Newark.
The possibilities are endless!
Most amusement and water parks near Rochester wind down around Labor Day, leaving just a few weekends for roller coasters, water slides, midway games, and carousel rides. Choose a full day at Seabreeze or Six Flags Darien Lake, cool off at Roseland Waterpark, or take a lakeside drive to the vintage rides at Olcott Beach or Sylvan Beach. Check each park’s operating calendar before heading out, as late-season hours vary.
Plan one more amusement-park day →
Green Lake and Round Lake are rare meromictic lakes whose deep and surface waters do not mix. A three-mile shoreline trail circles both lakes, passing clear blue-green water, old-growth forest, and the towering tulip poplars of the Tuliptree Cathedral. Swimming and boat rentals continue seasonally, weather permitting.
Walk the shore at Green Lakes →
The seven-mile Keuka Outlet Trail follows the water between Penn Yan and Dresden along a former canal and railroad corridor. Choose the paved village section, walk to Seneca Mills or Cascade Mills Falls, or follow the mostly flat gravel and crushed-stone trail beneath the summer canopy.
Choose a stretch of the outlet trail →
Sat–Sun | Aug 29–30
Memorial Art Gallery
More than 300 artists bring ceramics, jewelry, painting, photography, fiber art, woodworking, and other fine craft to the M&T Bank Clothesline Art & Fine Craft Festival. The museum’s largest annual fundraiser also includes live music, food vendors, family art activities, and gallery admission.
The Great New York State Fair opens Wednesday in Syracuse with exhibits, competitions, food, the Midway, and daily concerts. Closer to home, the Fairport Music Festival fills six stages Friday and Saturday, while the Rochester Red Wings face the Buffalo Bisons at ESL Ballpark throughout the weekend. At Genesee Country Village & Museum, Taste of History runs Friday through Sunday, and the Stone Tool Craftsman & Artisan Show brings flintknapping demonstrations, living-history encampments, and atlatl competitions to Letchworth State Park.
Late summer can bring a strong sense of urgency. There are festivals to attend, places still on the summer list, and only so many weekends left before the season changes. It is easy to feel as though every possibility deserves a yes.
But guarding our time and energy is not the same as finding joy in missing out. Missing something may still be disappointing. The choice is deciding which experiences deserve space—and leaving enough room to enjoy the ones we choose.
See you out there,
Debi
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