Rochester This Week – 1/13/26
Winter doesn’t mean slowing down—get inspired with indoor adventures, warm meals, and seasonal events—plan this week’s day trips around Rochester.
Trending This Week
650+ Highly Recommended Restaurants Around Greater Rochester
Some food destinations are long-established, while others are quickly becoming favorites as Rochester’s culinary scene continues to grow. Use this guide to plan a comforting meal out—or a delicious, food-filled day trip.
12 Ideas for Staying Warm & Active Throughout the Winter in Rochester
Don’t let winter in Rochester force you into hibernation. If snow doesn’t appeal to you, think of everything there is to do indoors—from museums and markets to shows, conservatories, and cozy corners worth lingering in.
Rochester Museum & Science Center
From star and laser shows to hands-on exhibits and singing Tesla coils, the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) is an easy place to spend hours indoors—perfect for cold days when you still want to be social, learn, and stay active.
Rochester’s Fun Facts: Oldest, Original, Only, & More!
For years, I’ve been collecting fun facts about Rochester—from books and websites to historical markers and casual conversations. This guide is made for curious winter afternoons and conversation-starting trivia. Here are a few highlights:
Every cup of Tim Hortons coffee sold in the United States and parts of Canada is roasted in Rochester. According to an article by Rochester’s D & C, “The plant, which churns out 20 to 30 million pounds of beans per year, services all U.S. stores and some in Canada. A Canadian sister plant processes beans for the remaining stores in the chain’s home country. “The 40,000-square-foot Henrietta processing facility offers a one-stop shop location for roasting, grinding, and packaging beans that ship all over the country. Chock Full o’Nuts had previously used the plant.”
Rochester is one of only a handful of cities with a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park system. Rochester’s system—including Genesee Valley Park (originally South Park), Seneca Park (originally North Park: Seneca East), Maplewood Park (originally North Park: Seneca West), Highland Park, and Seneca Parkway—was designed at the end of his career in 1888.
Olmsted’s Buffalo Parks are the first municipal parks in the nation. He designed Niagara Falls State Park in 1886. His final project was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, between 1889 and 1895.
Highland Park also preserves the nation’s largest collection of lilacs, with more than 500 varieties across 1200 bushes.
The Rochester Red Wings are minor league baseball’s oldest continually operating franchise, dating back to 1899. The club is also part of the longest professional baseball game ever played. They lost.
The Powers Building was among the earliest in the country to have an elevator. It was the first building in upstate New York to feature a passenger elevator (then called a vertical railroad), gas lighting, and marble floors. In 1861, it became the first commercial building in Rochester to have electricity, powered by its own boilers.
The elevator was powered by water from Rochester Water Works at Browns Race. The waterworks supplied 105 hydrants with high-pressure water, significantly enhancing the city’s firefighting capacity.
Daniel Powers opened the largest private art gallery in the country in 1875. It occupied the entire 5th floor of his building. His collection included over 1,000 pieces, including original works and reproductions of masterpieces he acquired on numerous trips to Europe.
For years, it remained the tallest building in Rochester as Daniel Powers continued to add floors, literally one-upping the competition.
Enjoy more Rochester fun facts →
Upcoming Events
Featured Event
Concerts at Beston: G. Love & Special Sauce – Lemonade 20th Anniversary Tour
Wednesday, Jan 21 at 7 p.m.
A laid-back, soulful night of blues-infused hip hop, celebrating Lemonade—a winter concert worth planning around.
Multi-Day Events
Spamalot, RBTL
Jan 13–18
The Sounds of Laurel Canyon: Rock Legends of the ’60s and ’70s, RPO
Jan 16–17
Saturday, Jan 17
Mendon Ponds Winterfest, Mendon Ponds Park
Explore More, Anytime
Curated Google Maps to help you find waterfalls, farm markets, sledding hills, ice cream shops, and more—perfect for flexible winter planning.
Think of these as regional scavenger hunts, ideal for clear winter days when you want structure without a schedule.