Some of my favorite things to do around the Rochester area usually include nature and its natural beauty. Others include supporting local sports teams.
Blue Cross Arena in the City
The Blue cross arena is the venue where the Rochester AMERKS of the American Hockey League play. As a hockey player myself, I always enjoy going to watch hockey. I went last year with my friends to see three of their games and we had a great time. It’s an old arena located right on the Genesee River in downtown Rochester. The student tickets can get as low as $5 for some games and with an average attendance of around 6,000 packed in that little arena, the atmosphere is crazy! It always turns into a really fun trip that is only 15 MINUTES FROM CAMPUS!
High Falls
The High Falls are also located in downtown Rochester on the Genesee River, and is only about 15 minutes from campus. The first time I saw it, I thought of a mini Niagara Falls. It’s a really cool waterfall that has an awesome view of the city behind it. I went with my friend earlier this year and we had a really good meal at the Genesee Brew house which looks out over the Falls. There is this massive walk-way bridge so you can walk out into the middle of the river and get some awesome pics like this one I got last week!
Lilac Festival
The Lilac festival is an annual festival held in Highland Park in the Spring from May 10th through May 19th every year. It’s a family-friendly environment and there’s plenty of face painting and entertainment for kids as well. It 
is the largest free festival of its kind in North America! It is a lively experience with music, food, art and non-stop entertainment. It features more than 1,800 lilac bushes and over 500 varieties of beautiful and vibrant flowers. Food trucks with Italian, Mexican, Indian, Chinese, German and Greek cuisines creates a mouth watering cloud of flavors and smells. There were some really cool and exotic drinks made out of hollow pineapples and a variety of tasty treats that you can walk around with and view the gardens. The food trucks and live music from the Rusted Roots was my favorite part of the week.
Glen Edith Café
I am an international student from Australia, and Australia is known for its incredible coffee blends. Every café has trained baristas that take pride in their craft and make, what I think, is some of the best coffee in the world. Glen Edith is the closest coffee to what I miss from home. They grind the beans, froth the milk and sprinkle cocoa powder on top just how I like it. I recently moved into the area, so now my favorite place to get coffee is just down the street. I enjoy walking down to grab my freshly hand-brewed morning coffee on a nice sunny day with some friends. The staff is always friendly and the vibe inside is really mellow and easy to sit and talk for hours.
Other honorable mentions in the area include the Pittsford canal and, of course, Pittsford Dairy’s famous ice cream.