Best known for its annual Lilac Festival, Highland Park is an essential part of Rochester’s reputation as the “Flower City.” Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who created New York’s Central Park, to take advantage of the varied glacial terrain, it functions both as a public park and an arboretum, home to countless species of plants. Take time to smell the roses, as well as the lilacs and magnolias, as you while away the hours in this urban oasis that feels a million miles away from the hubbub of downtown Rochester.
Spend a whole day wandering past the well-labeled trees and shrubs of the park. Find the hidden lanes of rhododendrons and azaleas that explode with color in the spring and summer or relax in the shade of the park’s Japanese maple collection.
Admire the ever-changing design of the pansy bed, featuring more than 10,000 plants. Sit on a stone bench adorned with the words of William Shakespeare in the Poet’s Garden as you write your latest opus or simply watch the world go by.
Explore the faux Scottish Warner Castle, once part of a lavish estate given to the city in lieu of back taxes. Traipse through the serene stone vaults of the Sunken Garden, one of Rochester’s favorite wedding photography settings.
Wander through the rest of the park in search of the many visually arresting monuments, from the bronze tribute to Frederick Douglass to moving memorials for the Vietnam War and victims of HIV/AIDS. In summer, see a show at the Highland Bowl. In winter, sled down the hills or skate on Lily Pond as your breath frosts in front of you.
Highland Park sprawls south of downtown Rochester, next to the University of Rochester’s main campus. Take public transportation to the park from Rochester’s main train station in 20 minutes or drive in 10 minutes. Limited parking is available on the street and in metered parking structures nearby. Highland Park is open to visitors without restrictions, though it is best visited during daylight hours. The conservatory is open daily from mid-morning to early afternoon for a small fee.
