Photo: tommao wang / Unsplash25 picks · Updated October 27, 2026
What are the best museums for kids in Rochester? Start with The Strong National Museum of Play, ESL Ballpark (Rochester Red Wings) or National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. Rochester punches above its weight here: the world’s largest play museum, a science center with a planetarium, a working 1800s village and a zoo, all within a half-hour drive.
Written by the ROC Kids Activities team. Listings checked weekly.
Museums & attractionsA huge museum devoted to play, with hands-on zones for little kids plus classic and modern video game exhibits that keep tweens and teens busy. Fridays and Saturdays it stays open until 8pm.
Museums & attractionsHome of the Rochester Red Wings Triple-A baseball team, formerly Innovative Field, with family-friendly game nights.
Museums & attractionsGuided tours of the home where Susan B. Anthony lived and was arrested for voting. Best for tweens and teens studying history; the first floor is wheelchair accessible.
Museums & attractionsThe University of Rochester's art museum mixes famous paintings with armor, a sculpture park and family storytelling walks. Its Creative Workshop runs art classes for kids and teens.
Museums & attractionsThree floors of interactive science and regional history, with a water-play area that toddlers love and engineering exhibits for older kids. Sensory Sundays offer fidgets and adaptive gear.
Museums & attractionsRMSC's domed theater runs live star shows for families and music-driven laser shows that draw teens. Exhibit space is open Wednesday to Friday afternoons.
Museums & attractionsA big model railroad layout run by volunteers inside the Edgerton R-Center, open to visitors on set days and for holiday open houses.
Museums & attractionsGeorge Eastman's mansion and gardens plus galleries on photography and film. Best for school-age kids and teens with an interest in cameras, movies or history.
Museums & attractionsA glass conservatory beside Highland Park filled with tropical plants plus turtles and fish, making it a warm escape on a winter day.
Museums & attractionsA community paddling center by Genesee Valley Park that rents canoes and kayaks and runs youth programs.
Museums & attractionsA sprawling former factory packed with regional art, antiques, cars and oddities, best for older kids and teens.
Museums & attractionsA compact zoo that stays open all winter, with heated animal buildings that make a good cold-day stop. Sensory bags and quiet areas help kids who get overwhelmed.
Museums & attractionsA paddling outfitter on Irondequoit Creek renting kayaks and canoes for trips toward Irondequoit Bay.
Museums & attractionsA replica canal packet boat that offers narrated Erie Canal cruises from Schoen Place, including a trip through a lock.
Museums & attractionsThe oldest surviving lighthouse on Lake Ontario, open for climbs and tours on warm-season weekends near Ontario Beach.
Museums & attractionsA canal tour boat from Fairport offering sightseeing and themed cruises on the Erie Canal.
Museums & attractionsA small fish hatchery inside Powder Mills Park where kids can see trout from fingerlings to adults, open year-round.
Museums & attractionsKids can ride a restored electric trolley, climb around vintage streetcars and watch a big model railroad. Open Sundays mid-May through October, with holiday trolley weekends in December.
Museums & attractionsVolunteers run diesel train rides between this restored depot and the neighboring transportation museum. Rides operate on Sundays in summer and fall, plus pumpkin and Santa train dates.
Museums & attractionsA sprawling 19th-century village with working tradespeople, farm animals and a nature center. The historic village runs in the warm months, with special winter weekends and holiday events.
Museums & attractionsA small museum in Le Roy, the birthplace of Jell-O, covering the dessert's history and advertising.
Museums & attractionsA volunteer-run rail museum in Shortsville's old station with exhibits and equipment, open seasonally on weekends.
Museums & attractionsA state historic park with a Victorian mansion and themed formal gardens, open spring through fall.
Museums & attractionsA treetop ropes-and-zipline park at Bristol Mountain with courses of varying difficulty, open warm-weather months.
Museums & attractionsA museum at Geneseo's airfield with restored WWII-era planes, some of which still fly.
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