Neighborhood Highlights
Strong National Museum of Play
It’s intergenerational fun! Explore the only collections-based museum devoted solely to the study of play. Although the Strong is a history museum, its hands-on, interactive exhibits are fascinating for the entire family. Play your way through video game and pinball history, leap into the world of American comic book superheroes, and take off in a rescue helicopter. Also, take a cross-country journey on a kid-sized train, stroll through a lush, tropical garden with hundreds of free-flying butterflies, and more.
Eastman Theater
Welcome to Kodak Hall, a prominent space for music performance. Kodak Hall was first opened in 1922 and features the extravagant décor of the 1920s, making the hall feel tastefully elegant and magnificently adorned in 1920s flair. Primarily, the theater is used for concerts of orchestras, wind, and jazz ensembles as well as chorale. Full-fledged operatic productions take place every spring.
National Susan B. Anthony House
Start your day by stepping into history at the national historic landmark home of the legendary American civil rights leader, and the site of her famous arrest for voting in 1872. Then visit Susan B. Anthony
square to view the “Let’s Have Tea” sculpture, which depicts Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony sitting down for tea. The famous abolitionist and suffragist were close friends who shared the common goals of social justice and civil rights. Now they share a proud place in Rochester's history.
A History of Rochester
Rochester is a city of many identities. Rochester was first known as "the Young Lion of the West" and then as the "Flour City." By 1838, it was the largest flour-producing city in the United States. Considered America’s first boomtown, the region's rich agriculture and natural landscape shaped by the Genesee River and raging waterfalls created the perfect environment for flour production. Mills lined the riverfront, and using the power of High Falls, a 96' waterfall in the center of the city, Rochester became the largest manufacturer of baking flour in the world. A claim to fame: Rochester is the birthplace of the graham cracker!
Rochester has played a pivotal role in civil rights thanks to two famous residents. Famed suffragist Susan B. Anthony lived and worked in Rochester for 40 politically active years. Fighting passionately for women’s rights, Anthony was also a staunch Abolitionist, working alongside her friend and fellow Rochesterian, Frederick Douglass.
Rochester also has a storied history of businesses founded in the city, including Eastman Kodak, Bausch and Lomb, Fanny Farmer chocolates, French’s Mustard, and Gannett Newspapers.
