Each summer since 2005, KidsOutAndAbout has sponsored a survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids as a way our community can thank those who provide family-friendly fun and learning... and also help create your summer bucket list! Please take 2 minutes to help us by selecting your three favorites. If you'd like, you can also write in favorites in the following categories: Arts Education, Sports Education, STEM Education, Museums, Outdoor Fun, Indoor Fun, Farms, Nature Centers, Festivals, and a few other categories. An effective (and quick, and painless!) way to express your appreciation in a way that really matters to the people who make our community a vibrant place to raise families. Voting is live through June 20.

As part of Blue Star Museums, the RMSC is extending its gratitude to those currently serving in the United States Military and up to five of their family members, by offering free admission to all three of its locations from Armed Forces Day, May 16, 2026, through Labor Day, September 7, 2026. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

Saturday, June 13: Join the Rochester City LEGO User Group for a LEGO workshop in The Strong’s Play Lab. Experienced LEGO builders will teach guests how to create a miniature arcade machine using LEGO bricks inspired by the museum’s World Video Game Hall of Fame!

This summer, Seneca Park Zoo will transform into an immersive outdoor storytelling experience with a new traveling sculpture exhibit. Opening Memorial Day weekend and running through August 18, the Tales of Conservation sculpture exhibit includes 12 larger-than-life sculptures of animals that were brought back from the brink of extinction, all with the assistance of zoos. Running Memorial Day Weekend through August 18.

The Iceplex Skating 101 Program provides an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill while staying active during the winter. This program is an ideal starting point for those interested in ice hockey, figure skating, or recreational skating.

Over a professional life spanning seven decades, Edward Steichen (1879–1973) established himself as one of the most important figures in the history of photography. What is less known is that for much of that time Steichen also devoted himself to the nurturing of plants and gardens, an activity that sustained him and through which he developed ardently held beliefs regarding the relationship among art, nature, and creativity.

Walk the Destination Dinosaur trail to experience massive, moving dinosaurs like the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, the powerful Triceratops, the fierce Giganotosaurus and more than a dozen other life-size animatronic dinosaurs. Spot them flying overhead, hiding in the foliage and grazing along the dino path. Be sure to make memories with special photo opportunities, get hands-on with our fossil dig pit and enjoy our educational dino show happening daily at 12 and 2 p.m. at Center Stage!

In his seven-minute video, The Hikers (2019), Rashid Johnson presents a chance encounter between two Black men in an environment where they never expected to see each other. Two masked men—one ascending, the other descending—come upon each other in the mountains in Aspen, Colorado. They dance, and in an exquisite moment of recognition, they remove their masks that manifest anxiety. What unfolds is a narrative of connection, an exchange of platonic love, and independence.

This introductory course covers the basics of cat body language as well as how to have safe and successful interactions with cats of all temperaments. Cats are often misunderstood and at times, their behaviors can be difficult to understand, even for experienced cat owners. This course will explore the many ways in which our feline companions communicate and how we, as humans, can better understand them. This course will also discuss cat socialization and behavior modification.

Discover the incredible work of African American artist John Rhoden (1916–2001), one of the most prolific sculptors of the twentieth century. His first retrospective exhibition, Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, offers insights into his diverse creativity as well as his personal story.

Step back in time as you cruise along the historic Erie Canal. Live narration brings to life the bold vision that transformed a hare-brained idea into an engineering marvel that opened the American West. Travel through a working lock, soak in the scenery, and relax as history unfolds around you.

Join us in Brockport, one of New York’s iconic canal towns, and step back in time as you cruise along the historic Erie Canal. Live narration brings to life the bold vision that transformed a hare-brained idea into an engineering marvel that opened the American West. Learn the canal’s role in the establishment and growth of this charming university town. Soak in the scenery and relax as history unfolds around you.