50 Things To Do This Winter

The list of things to do in Rochester this winter can be limitless! We’ve pulled together 50 activities that will keep you busy this season including outdoor and indoor activities, special events and so much more.

It’s time to bundle up!

1. Adopt-a-maple tree at Kettle Ridge Farm

2. Go ice-skating at Bill Grey’s Iceplex or Martin Luther King Jr. Park

3. Hit the slopes like a U.S Olympian at Swain Ski Resort or Bristol Mountain

4. Taste the fruits of New York State at the Annual NYS Ice Wine Festival at Casa Larga Vineyards

5. Enjoy fresh seasonal produce and other locally-made goodies at the Rochester Public Market

6. Go on a Kohlfahrt, a traditional German winter cabbage walk, at the Genesee Country Village & Museum

7. Enjoy a nature hike, sledding, snowshoeing and more in Monroe County’s more than 12,000 acres of parkland and traditional Native American winter games at Ganondagan State Historic Site

Family Fun

8. Experience the fiction that has become our future at Rochester Museum & Science Center's SciFiTech exhibit 

9. Explore the Butterfly Garden at The Strong Museum of Play

10. Root for the home team with the Rochester Americans, Rochester Knighthawks, and Rochester RazorSharks

11. Visit an indoor garden at the Lamberton Conservatory in Highland Park

12. Be whisked off to a fantastical land when The Lost World of Dragons exhibit swoops into The Strong Museum of Play

13. Challenge the kids with arcade games at Clubhouse Fun Center

14. Engage with the instrumental petting zoo at Hochstein School of Music and Dance’s Music Mystery Tour

Ready, Set, Go!

15. Warm-up with a rhythm riding cycling or power vinyasa flow yoga class at Compass Cycle & Flow

16. Jump it out at Altitude Trampoline Park

17. Climb to new heights at RocVentures and Central Rock Gym Rochester

18. Zoom in to first place at RPM Raceway

19. Or, stop on by Dave & Busters, which is right next door at Marketplace Mall

20. Soar with aerial yoga, bungee fitness, silk ribbons, and the flying trapeze with classes at Aerial Arts of Rochester

21. Escape to explore a virtual world at VR Playground--Rochester's premier virtual reality arcade

22. Take a class and learn from local experts at the Rochester Brainery

23. Take advantage of the indoor fields at Total Sports Experience  and Tri-County Sports Complex

Stay Warm with Local Libations (21+)

24. Bundle up and explore the Seneca Park Zoo during ZooBrrrew

25. Take a brewery tour with Crush Beer & Wine Tours or TourROC Brewery Tours

26. Visit a Rochester/Finger Lakes brewery (or all of them!) Discover local beer at the Genesee Brewery, Rohrbachs, Roc Brewing, Young Lion Brewing Company, Sager Beer Works and more.

27. Enjoy tasting flights, wine by the glass, cheese boards, chocolates, and nibbles at Rochester's only urban winery--Living Roots Wine & Co.

28. Hit the trails—the wine trail that is! During our coldest season warm up with a visit to one of several local wine trails, including Lake Ontario, Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake, and Cayuga Lake wine trails. Don't miss out on wine tastings at, Arbor Hill Winery, Heron Hill Winery, and Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery!

29. Stop by for a tasting at Black Button Distilling—Rochester’s first craft distillery since Prohibition or enjoy small-batch bourbon whiskey from Iron Smoke Distillery

30. Enjoy live music, local beer, and wine while shopping at the Record Archive—the first record store in New York State to serve beer and wine

31. Create original art while sipping on regional Finger Lakes beer and wine at ROC Paint Sip

Enjoy the Great Indoors

32. Beat the winter doldrums with Dutch Connections—the George Eastman Museum’s annual floral display

33. See the work of  Chitra Ganesh during the Chitra Ganesh: Sultana’s Dream exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery

34. Stop by the Eastman School of Music for a student or faculty concert

35. Celebrate woman’s suffrage with a trip to the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

36. Attend poetry or book reading at Writers and Books

37. See a performance of Slow Food or Once at Geva Theatre Center

38. Listen to a performance by the Rochester Oratorio Society

39. Sing along to the music of Anastasia or Jesus Christ Superstar at the Rochester Broadway Theatre League

40. Relax with a spa day at the Spa Elan at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, The Spa at the Del Monte, or Ape & Canary on Strathallan

41. Catch a performance of Next to Normal at Blackfriars Theatre

42. Think “Movie Monday” at The Little Theatre—it’s just $5.00 to attend a Monday show

43. Attend Image City Photography Gallery’s latest exhibit titled: The Magic of Light

44. Enjoy the adventure during Dinosaur World Live at KODAK Center

45. Laugh out loud during a show at Comedy @ The Carlson

46. Attend a performance of The Mother Of Us All--an opera that chronicles the life of Susan B. Anthony at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

47. Attend Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience at Nazareth College Arts Center

48. Warm-up by watching live glassmaking shows at the Corning Museum of Glass

49. Try your luck at Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack, Del Lago Resort & Casino, or the Seneca Resort & Casino

50. Post your #VisitROC pictures! Don’t forget to tag us on social or use our hashtag (#VisitROC) to share how you’re ROCking this winter.