Rochestera brainy city

Founded in 1888, the city’s first public park was designed by renowned landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted and is host to the world-renowned Lilac Festival and home to a conservatory, Vietnam Memorial, several pavilions, a historic Castle, a winter ice-skating rink, hiking paths and an outdoor amphitheater. In 1898 Rochester held the first of its annual Lilac Festivals for 3,000 people. Today more than a half a million people make the pilgrimage every year to see the 1,200 trees compromising 500 different varieties of lilacs. But it’s not all lilacs. Highland also boasts azalea, magnolia, and cherry blossom trees; forsythia and rhododendron shrubs; wildflowers and sunflowers; and an evergreen filled rock garden. Be sure to visit the Lamberton Conservatory, which displays exotic flowers and foliage plants from around the world and the Warner Castle with its library and sunken garden. And if your there in the summer, don’t miss the Rochester Community Player’s annual Shakespeare in the Park performances.