High Falls/Brown's Race

(more photos)

We all have our favorite spots to take friends and family who visit Rochester. For us, they've included the George Eastman House, the Susan B. Anthony House, the overlook at Cobb's Hill, and Wegmans, to name a few. The last two times friends have visited, we've driven them around downtown for our own "guided tours." The one place we've stopped the car and explored each time, winter and summer, is High Falls.

Besides checking out the 94-foot falls from the Pont de Rennes bridge, you can walk down Brown's Race to the Visitor Center, where you'll find a Rochester-themed gift shop, exhibits about Rochester history, and an art gallery. I like the "Power of the People" interactive exhibit, which tells you a bit about the lives of many prominent Rochester figures, like George Eastman, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Kate Gleason, and Sam Patch, who met his end at the falls on November 13, (Friday the 13th), 1829.

To learn more about the area, check out the Center at High Falls' website, which has an "online walking tour" with photos of each spot and historical details about the area in the 19th century, when it was home to several factories (churning out shoes, tools, buttons, and more) and mills. Unfortunately, when it comes to current information about the area, the website is at least a few years out of date, but you can read a bit about what's in the works for High Falls on rochestersubway.com.

TIP: Check out the free laser/fireworks shows at High Falls. The next two take place tonight and Thursday, September 3.

NEARBY: Tribeca, Spin Caffe, New Unto Others