2012 survey - Top 20 Places to Take Kids in Greater Rochester

2012 survey results

In May 2012, thousands of local parents, grandparents, and caregivers weighed in on their favorite places to take kids in greater Rochester, NY. There are literally hundreds of wonderful places to take your kids in our area, so the venue ranked #20 is not last, it's simply the 20th most popular place per our survey. For other fantastic places to take kids, just click on any of the links that interest you on the left-hand navigation bar. (For the current results, click here.)

1. National Museum of Play at the Strong . Ranked by Child magazine as one of the top 10 children's museums in the country, the National Museum of Play certainly deserves the #1 spot in our poll. In addition to the many traveling exhibitions that make their temporary home at Strong Museum, the Museum features Can You Tell Me How To Get to Sesame Street?"; a restored carousel, a Wegmans Super Kids Market; their wonderful Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden; and Reading Adventureland.

2. Seneca Park Zoo. Seneca Park Zoo strikes the perfect balance for many of us parents: It's small enough to "do in a day" -- you can spend enough time in each area that the kids can really learn about the animals -- but it's inexpensive enough that you don't necessary feel the pressure to do "do it all" in one visit. So we can spend a couple of hours (a toddler's maximum) and then come back another day in the same season to focus on a different area. Another reason we speculate that the Zoo made the #2 spot is that it's enjoyable both in summer and in winter. The warmer seasons are unquestionably more popular with zoogoers, but we always go at least once in the winter: There are a several indoor areas that are popular with kids, especially if they love snakes.

3. Rochester Museum & Science Center and Strasenburgh Planetarium. Thanks to the efforts of RMSC Education Director Calvin Uzelmeier, Planetarium Director Steve Fentress, and many others, the Rochester Museum & Science provides unparalleled science education and opportunities to learn about the world around us. Wonderful exhibits, hands-on activities, camps, classes, shows and festivals, and traveling exhibits. Gorgeous giant-screen films about nature and space, many of them produced at the Planetarium, keep kids and adults coming back to learn more.

4. Kango Play Center. Opening only a few years ago, Kango Play Center, on Jefferson Road in Henrietta, vaults into our Top 5. Active indoor play focused on kids 10 and under, including climbing structures and a jungle gym, bounce houses (including one for the very youngest kids only), gentle roller skating and trike riding rink, a pizza cafe and some amusement games such as skee ball. Kango Play Center is adjacent to Kango Academy, a preschool. They have birthday parties and summer camp as well.

5. Lollypop Farm. Leaping up 5 places on our Top 20 list is Lollypop Farm. Lollypop Farm is maintained by the Humane Society of Rochester and Monroe County and located in Fairport (actually the Hamlet of Egypt) off of Route 31. It provides a special (and free) opportunity to introduce kids of all ages to all kinds of farm animals and pets. The Humane Society at Lollypop Farm is committed to building lifelong bonds between people and animals through education, community outreach programs, and the prevention of cruelty. Inside, Lollypop Farm houses dogs, cats, and other small animals that are ready for adoption, as well as a Family Learning Center where families can learn about pet care together. Outside, take a walk through the Farm's pastures of horses, llamas, goats, deer, geese, ducks, and chickens. Stroll to the nearby playround and have a picnic lunch!

6. TYKEs Theatre (Theatre Young Kids Enjoy). Inspiring families with best-loved fairy tales, favorite bedtime stories and children’s books... all seen through the magic of live theatre, TYKEs's season typically runs from November through April or May. Professional actors present great shows to families and also to schoolchildren. Performances take place in the Hart Theater at the JCC, 1200 Edgewood Avenue in Brighton. Co-founded by Gina Donohue and Freyda Schneider.

7. Seabreeze. Seabreeze is the amusement park and water park closest to home, located right on the shore Lake Ontario at the top of Route 590 to the East. Seabreeze has both thrilling adult rides such as the Jackrabbit (the fourth oldest operating coaster in the country), classic family rides such as the Carousel and Train, and some great rides for the under-8 set such as the Kiddie Swings. The waterpark section of Seabreeze has "liquid fun for everyone"--includes adult and kiddie slides, wave pool, lazy river, and more. It's not too big, and not too small, and it's a very good price (rates vary per ticket type; click here for current rates.

8. Local Library. Of course, the Monroe County Library is not really ONE place, it is MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication.

9. Bounce-It-Out. Bounce-It-Out, an indoor play center meant mostly for kids age 10 and under, is, as its name implies, filled with giant inflatable bounce structures. Features birthday parties, a cafe, and lots of relaxation for parents while kids play and play and play. Located across from Pittsford Plaza on the north side of Monroe Avenue. Go ALL the way around to the back of the "Blockbuster" building to find it.

10. Stokoe Farms in Scottsville. Stokoe Farms is a short hike to the southeast of Rochester, in Scottsville, and it is especially noteworthy that they made our Top 20 list when they are only open for fall family fun for seven weeks: From mid-September through the end of October. Stokoe Farms sure makes an impression on families, though: Hours of farm-fresh fun in the corn maze and a wide variety of outdoor active activities. Kids can play in the straw fort and slide down a huge slide, pet a large number of animals, and chomp on delicious cider donuts. Thousands of families then return the weekend after Thanksgiving to watch Santa parachute for the start of the Christmas Tree season.

11. Genesee Country Village & Nature Center. Genesee Country Village and Nature Center is located about a half-hour to Rochester's southwest in Mumford. The Village features 59 restored houses, businesses, and places of worship from the 19th century. A stroll through the village (especially on one of their event days such as Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, War of 1812 Encampment, and Civil War Reenactment) brings parents and kids alike back to the 1800s. The GCV's Silver Base Ball Park is the only place where you're likely to hear "Fine hurl, sir!" meant as a polite compliment. The GCVM also features a nature center.

12. Rochester Children's Theatre. Rochester Children's Theatre operates out of Nazareth College; all productions take place in the beautifully renovated Nazareth College Arts Center’s Callahan Theatre. The 2012-2013 season will be their 22nd season, and will include You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Seussical the Musical, Honk and And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank. RCT offers year-round (Fall, Winter & Spring Semester) Conservatory Workshops for ages 6-14 and a Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory for ages 8-12. Their Plays on Tour program brings literature and curriculum-based theatrical productions into Rochester area schools, providing access to arts education for students in grades K - 10.

13. Wickham Farms. A corn maze in the fall, a jumping pillow, mini-golf, batting cages, great ice cream, and a delicious farm market make Wickham Farms a popular family fun destination for an hour or two on a spring, summer, or fall afternoon. They host birthday parties and special educational annual events like CowapaMOOza, which celebrates National Dairy Month. In 2012, they started a new CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) from which participants receive weekly shares of produce and can even pick some of their own vegetables right at the farm. Wickham Farms is the only local venue where an employee has the title "Director of Fun." We approve!

14. Rochester Red Wings baseball. There's nothing like a baseball game for great, inexpensive, family fun. The Red Wings may be a minor league team, but Frontier Field — a deluxe and nicely contained facility—is a major league hit with parents. The Rochester Red Wings are the Triple-A team for the Minnesota Twins. A Red Wings game is not only great baseball, but it's an event that involves many different organizations in the community, as sponsors of inter-inning contests and fun.

15. YMCA. Like the libraries, we did not ask folks to vote for specific Ys. But knowing that the Y is very special to many families in our area, we merged all of the Ys into one category. Lots of readers wrote in comments about their local Y, however, especially Bay View in Webster, Eastside in Penfield, and Southeast in Pittsford.

16. Darien Lake. Darien Lake Amusement Park is a bit of a hike (about an hour west of Rochester, south of Batavia), a bit more expensive than closer amusement parks, and targeted to a slightly older crowd than the average KOA reader's kids. But there's no question that for a day or two (overnight accommodations are available in a hotel and campground) of excitement, stimulation, and variety, nothing beats Darien Lake. It is a theme park and water park that also brings top-notch performing artists each summer. They're also open weekends in October for a frightful good time at Halloween!

17. Mendon Ponds Park. Mendon Ponds Park is the largest Monroe County Park with 2,500 acres of woodlands, ponds, wetlands and glacially created land forms. Its unique complex of glacial features helped to make it a National Natural Historic Landmark in 1969. There is a 550 acre nature preserve with the wild bird education and rehabilitation center Wild Wings adjacent, with seven miles of self guided trails, full of wildlife, plants, and hand fed chickadees. Parents take their kids there both winter (great sledding, nicely groomed cross-country ski trails) and summer (we always bring a kite).

18. Brown's Berry Patch. Once again, Brown's Berry Patch, located 40-50 minutes the west of downtown Rochester, makes the KOAA Top 20 list. It's a bit of a trip, but apparently the "delicious fun" of the place triumphs over travel time for lots of families. Late spring, summer, and fall, it has lots to offer kids and families for several hours of low-cost fun. Pick-your-own fruit: Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, apples, pumpkins, and more! Then for a small additional fee, play in the Barnyard Adventure. My kids' favorites? The huge slide that parents and kids go down together. And the pedal carts (grown-up and kid-sized) that you can pedal through the corn maze. And the jumping pillow. And the goats. And the bunnies. And...

19. Jump Club. Another newcomer to the area is the indoor PLAY center in Brighton, at Winton Place (at the east end of Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road). We put PLAY in capitals because it is extremely ACTIVE, BOUNCING play, with large inflatable jumping and climbing structures. Fantastic exercise, guaranteed to tire kids out. Jump Club also opens up at special times for play exclusively for kids with autism and other spectrum disorders, and their families. Birthday parties are their specialty, and the facility also features a cafe and a separate enclosed area for toddlers. High-speed internet and comfy chairs for parents to use while their kids are playing.

20. Roseland Water Park. Get ready to get WET! Roseland Water Park, located in Canandaigua, is a vibrant and pleasant water park for all ages. Toddlers and preschoolers love the Splash Factory while older kids and adults can shoot down the Speed Slides or ride the waves in their Giantwave Pool. The beautiful landscaping combined with the cheerful professionalism of the staff are reminiscent of a Disney Park: Right in our own back yard overlooking Canandaigua Lake.

Winners in Special Categories

In the second part of our survey, we asked readers to select their favorites in seven categories. Here were their choices.

Favorite Kid-Friendly Museum	National Museum of Play at the Strong
Favorite Nature Center	Mendon Ponds Park / Wild Wings
Favorite Children's Theater	TYKEs Theatre
Favorite Indoor Recreation Center	Kango Play Center
Favorite Farm (agri-entertainment)	Lollypop Farm
Favorite Amusement Park	Seabreeze
Favorite Professional Sports Team	Rochester Red Wings

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Over 60 of the most BEAUTIFUL places to take kids in greater Rochester

Get some wonderful ideas from our 3-minute music video Build Myself in Rochester NY. Which are new to you?

Here are some other wonderful places to visit in greater Rochester, which were nominated for our survey. Though they didn't quite make the KidsOutAndAbout.com Top 20 list this year, they may well be #1 in your heart!

Adventure Landing

Braddock Bay Raptor Research

Buffalo Bills

Clubhouse Fun Center

Cracker Box Palace/Alasa Farms Animal Haven

Cumming Nature Center