March 18, 2025 • 18 mins
It feels like we’ve been taking a little trip around New York recently. We’ve discussed a few different areas in the Empire State, and now we’re going back. I’ve said before that it feels like New York is really a few different states all combined into one. Each region seems to have it’s own personality.
This week we are going to Rochester. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Rochester before. My brother went to RIT for school and I spent a weekend with him bouncing around bars and eating garbage plates. If you don’t know what a garbage plate is, look it up. I promise that it’s not as disgusting as it sounds. Or looks.
Rochester has so many options. It has sports, both at the professional and collegiate level, lots of nature, history and it even has Tim Horton’s. I mean, Rochester is right near Canada. Joining me today is Don Jeffries. He’s the president and CEO of Visit Rochester. And if this guy can’t convince you to go to Rochester, I’m pretty sure no one can. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
This week we are going to Rochester. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Rochester before. My brother went to RIT for school and I spent a weekend with him bouncing around bars and eating garbage plates. If you don’t know what a garbage plate is, look it up. I promise that it’s not as disgusting as it sounds. Or looks.
Rochester has so many options. It has sports, both at the professional and collegiate level, lots of nature, history and it even has Tim Horton’s. I mean, Rochester is right near Canada. Joining me today is Don Jeffries. He’s the president and CEO of Visit Rochester. And if this guy can’t convince you to go to Rochester, I’m pretty sure no one can. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, wi'ch up everyone. Welcome to Delightful Destinations. My name
is Jeff San Pierre, and welcome to episode twenty five
of the show. If this is your first time checking
out the program, I appreciate your time. Delightful Destinations the
show that I created so I can talk to representatives
from different locations around the country and learn more about
these beautiful places that are all around us. I'm always
(00:22):
looking for an excuse to get away from home, and
I hope that this show will help inspire you for
your next excursion. It feels like we've been taking a
little trip around New York recently. We've discussed a few
different areas in the Empire State, and now we're going
to go back. I've said before that it feels like
New York is really a few different states all combined
into one. Each region has its own personality. Now this
(00:43):
week we're going up to Rochester, New York. Now I've
been lucky enough to visit Rochester before. My brother attended
Riit for school, and I've spent a weekend with him
bouncing around bars and eating garbage plates. If you don't
know what a garbage plate is, look it up. And
I promise you that it's not as disgusting as it
sounds or looks. Rochester has so many options. It's got
sports both the professional and collegiate level, lots of nature history,
(01:07):
and it even has Tim Horton's I mean, Rochester is
right near Canada after all. Joining me today is Don Jeffries.
He's the president and CEO of Visit Rochester. And if
this guy can't convince you to go to Rochester, I'm
pretty sure no one can. I hope you enjoy our conversation, worning.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
How you doing.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I am good. I'm excited to talk about Rochester. I
have been to Rochester once. My brother went to Orit,
so I went up to visit him once. He was
my younger brother, so I got to go hang out
with him and his friends for a little bit, and
of course had a garbage plate while I was there.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I know, you know, it's funny. We have so many
good restaurants. One of the things I talk about all
the time is the number of great restaurants for a
medium sized city. And it's funny. It always comes back
to the garbage plate.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
It's just that thing, right, It's that random, sort of
strange thing that other cities don't have. So even if
it is maybe not, you know, Michelin style food is
the thing that people remember and they think about when
they talk Rochester.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, and I love it, I you know, we go
down there every once in a while and it's it's
a real treat.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
I would love to say I remember my first garbage
plate experience, but my brother did show me around the
bars of Rochester too, so I can't say that there's
a strong memory in there.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
You are not the lone ranger.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I'm sure I'm not. But I also know we caught
the Rochester Americans. That was a lot of fun. Just
you know, I remember in the brief, you know, eighteen
hours I was there. We had a lot of fun
just going around right now, this goes back probably twelve
ish years ago, so it's been a minute, but it
just I just remember having a really great time hanging
out in Rochester.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, it's a fun city. It really is there, you know,
as you said, between the night life and all the
things to do. One of the things I talk about
all the time, Jeff, is that we are the cultural
capital of the state New York. You know, we have
so much going on We're about a five and a
half hour drive from about a third of the population
(03:00):
of the United States, so we're an easy place to
get to. It's very affordable. You know. We've got the
George Eastman Museum of Photography, where photography was an invented.
I mean, it's a really cool place. The Strong Museum
of Play is phenomenal. You know. They have the largest
collection of videos and toys in the country, and so
(03:21):
as a family destination, it's really neat. But also for
people your age and even my age, those old video games,
you can go in there and play them, and it's
just it takes you a couple of days to get
through it. So and we've got the Museum and Science Center.
You know, this year is the two hundredth anniversary of
the Erie Canal, and we have really in Monroe County
(03:44):
and in Rochester done a wonderful job with the canal.
Before it was just this the canal, it was just there.
Now there's restaurants, there's marinas, there's things to do. So
we're excited about all that's going on.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yes, low down for a second, okay, don't don't go off.
If all the bullet points already done Okay, we got
to talk about somebody these like it was.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Just it's my job to be excited about Rochester.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Well, you do a great job. I was just talking
to somebody from Dutchess County not too long ago, and
we were just discussing about how New York as a
state really is like nine different states altogether, right, Like
you've got the city, You've got even like Dutchess County,
then you've got sort of the Binghamton area, then you've
got Rochester. You've got each one has their own unique personality,
but they're all mixed into one giant state. And I
(04:29):
don't know if people realize like how big and how
expansive New York State really is.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I don't think they do. You know, it's funny, where
are you from. I'm from Rochester, New York. Oh that's
right outside of Westchester, right, it's just outside the city.
And I said, no, we're up near the Canadian border,
and so we do, and we'd get a lot of
Canadian traffic that comes through Rochester.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Oh I'm sure. I'm sure. I mean you are, Yeah,
like you said, you're right there, So I'm sure. I
grew up in New Hampshire, and I remember when the
Canadians would have like spring break or whatever they called
it there. It would just be flooded with Canadian license
plates through the state. And I always think to myself,
you guys got to go somewhere better, Like, come on,
I mean, I love New Hampshire, but there's got to
be a warmer place than here.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
No, And for some reason, I don't know what it is, Jeff,
there are certain products we sell in the United States
they can't get in Canada. I don't know why that is.
So shopping is a very big deal.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Well, and they have the Tim Hortons, so of course
I'm sure people go over there to get their coffee
sometimes too, right.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Right, we got a bunch of Tim Horton's.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Oh yeah, you guys do have those right on the border.
That's right, they do cross over into America. So I'll
take that back. But I want to talk more about
the cultural capital stuff, because you did kind of list
off a few different places. I was on your website
visit Rochester dot com. And there are people that talk
about how incredible these museums are on a national scale too,
Like it's not just this is a cool thing to
see when you're in Rochester, Like there are people that
(05:54):
are promoting this in other places, Like you've got to
go to Rochester to see these museums.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, that's absolutely true. You know that Strong Museum, you
know they have the Toy Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, I was gonna ask you, is that the one
that we hear about all the time where it's like
the slinky is going to be inducted into the Toy
Hall of Fame?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yes, it is, and that is a nationwide, if not
a worldwide event when they do that big announcement, you know,
when they announce who's going to be the latest inductees
into the Hall of Fame. We get media crews from
all over the country to come in for that, and
it's just a fun place to visit and sprayed it.
You know, it's right downtown. It draws all kinds of people,
(06:33):
and it brings out the kid and all of us.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Oh of course, I mean who doesn't want to take
that trip down memory lane and think about the things
that were so joyful to them when they were younger.
You know, as an adult, I always look back for
those moments. My daughter's four and I keep thinking to myself.
I can't wait till she's a little bit older so
we can play video games again, because I feel weird
playing video games by myself, but with her, I'm looking
forward to it. Like I just think that trip down
(06:57):
memory Lane is going to be great for everybody.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, well, you come up to Rochester and I'll take
you out and pac Man. How's that?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
There we go. Yes, I'm a misspac Man guy, but
I will, but I'll play pac Man. I'll play pack Man.
The Science Museum and Planetarium too. I love those. I
think those are fat. Every city that I go to,
I always try to check one out because I just
think they're so fascinating. And you've got a great one
as well.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yeah, we do. The Planetarium is absolutely phenomenal. It's one
of the leading planetariums in the country. And we just
last year had a total eclipse. Yeah, and we were
in totality and people from all over the country came
to Rochester to do this, and the biggest draw they
had was going over the Museum and Science Center to
(07:42):
see the eclipse. It was absolutely phenomenal. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Actually, my parents drove into New York State to why.
I don't know if they went as far as Rochester,
but I remember they drove into New York State to
see the eclipse. So yeah, I mean the tourism. We
heard all those stories down here in Baltimore of how
the tourism up north was just wild.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
For that, it really was, and it was so much
fun to experience. And you know, you were talking about
having fun because the museum and Science Center is kind
of in the heart of our restaurant and bar district.
So when everybody left the planetarium and the Museum and
Science Center, they all went out into the streets and
they were partying, and it was just one big party.
(08:22):
It was fun.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I love that for you guys. One thing you didn't
mention yet is the Genesee Country Village Museum. Tell me
more about that.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
That's that is a really cool museum. You know, it
comes back and you can go down there and relive history.
You go in there and they have all you know
the hell the blacksmith showing you how they used to
do it. They have people showing how they used to
cook without stoves, and it is just it's a wonderful experience.
(08:50):
And you know, you can take a carriage ride through
the whole place and a horse ride, and they do
a phenomenal job.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I think what's so interesting about this ticular part of
the country, the Northeast, the mid Atlantic. Every part of
the country has its own unique history, but this part
of the country was here since day one, you know.
And I think that's what's so cool about these villages
and these museums that happen all over sort of the
Northeast area, even into New York, because you do get
to see what life was like, you know, two three
(09:19):
hundred years ago, when the first people were really here
kind of getting things started, or I should say the
first settlers came here.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah, no, that's absolutely correct, you know. And they are
the largest living history museum in the country, so it's
really something to see. You know. They have re enactments
and they have actually a weekend where they reenact the
beginning of baseball and things like that. It's just fun.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It's really cool, all right. So you mentioned the bi
centennial as well. The Erie Canal. We've got a canal
here in Maryland, the c and O Canal, and there's
just really cool stuff all around where they have sort
of the visitors center. So I imagine the Erie Canal
is even larger and much more important to what industry
was way back when. So tell me more about this
and how big of a deal this is for you guys.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, you know, And it's interesting because for the longest
time it was just a canal, and then all of
a sudden, some of our villages, some of our counties said, hey,
wait a minute, you know, this is on the water,
And all of a sudden, the restaurants started popping up
the shops people, you know. And one of the cool
things to do is just getting in a boat and
(10:24):
you can rent We have marinas, we can rent boats.
Is just chug down the Erie Canal. Stop someplace and
have lunch, Stop someplace and have a glass of wine.
I mean, what a cool way to spend The guy
who was just retired as the director of Tourism for
New York State would come to Rochester, rent a boat
and spend his entire vacation chugging down the Erie Canal.
(10:47):
And there's a guy, the tourism guy. He could go
anywhere and do anything, and that's what he did for
his vacation. We thought that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I love that and the history of that too. I mean, again,
going back to just the history aspect. If you're a
history buff, there's so much with the Erie Canal in
the history of this country. It even led to Rochester
having the title of America's first boom town. I mean,
it goes back so far.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah, it really does, and it's fun to talk about.
And that's one of the reasons people visit Rochester is
to experience that history.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Another thing that people visit Rochester for is the festivals
and events. I know, you guys are well known for
all the things that you have going on up there.
Tell me, like, when do things start to kick off
for you?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
You all, Well, we really kick it off with our
Lilac Festival and USA Today just nominated the Rochester Lilac
Festival is one of the best flower festivals in the country.
We get, Jeff, we get half a million people coming
to this festival and it's yeah, it's really cool. There's
things for the kids to do, there's great food options,
(11:50):
but the flowers are absolutely gorgeous. And it's the largest
free festival in North America. It's free, so you can
come here and it doesn't cost anything and just come to.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
The Isaiah my mom's favorite flower is a lilac and
growing up in our yard we had all these lilac
bushes everywhere and me very allergic to pollen. The short
span that lilacs have was like the hardest week of
my life. Every year our house would be filled with lilacs.
They are beautiful, and I totally understand people wouldn't come out.
(12:21):
I just remember that moment growing up and be like,
oh no, it's lilac season again.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Here we go. Yeah, but we have. We have festivals
and they start in the spring and they go all
summer long. Yeah, things like the International Jazz Festival that
is a huge event for us in our information booth
last year that we set up right in the middle
and they shut down a whole bunch of streets right downtown.
(12:45):
There's stages everywhere. People come from all over the country,
all over the world. Last year at our information booth
we had people from fourteen different countries come up. So yeah,
so it's a big draw and those There's other things,
you know. Fairport Canal Days is a good one. We
have a cocktail revival for six days and then there's
(13:08):
a recovery period after that.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Of course, I was gonna say, do cocktails need revival.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Not in my book.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, I think they're doing just fine on their own, right.
But I like that. And I think what's cool too,
is like I think people under sell summertime in Upstate
New York. I mean, there is a beauty. I know,
fall gets a lot of attention with the changing of
the leaves, and I know people think of it as
being a colder but oh my gosh, the summertime in
Upstate New York is unrivaled.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, it really is. And you know, Rochester is the
gateway to the finger Lakes. Yeah, and that's you know,
and I always say, you know, where else can you
be downtown and then within like thirty five minutes beyond
a boat in the finger Lakes? Absolutely beautiful. So yeah,
summer is really a great time and people love to
get outdoors, you know. But one of the things we
have in the wintertime which is really cool is Rock
(13:58):
Holiday Village. And it's a whole village they set up
with the blues and a huge presence downtown where people
can come in and just celebrate the holidays and people.
It's been a tremendous success.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I saw some pictures of that, and that does look
absolutely beautiful. Just stunning. What a wonderful event that is.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Yeah, they do, and they have a lot of fun
putting it on too. They're really great people.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Oh, I bet. And aside from all these events too,
I mean, you've got a great sports presence there, not
just from rit because they do pretty well at a
lot of the different sports of the college presence there,
but you also have you know, the Americans, as you
mentioned earlier in the conversation, I mean, there's a lot
of different events that can really check off a lot
of boxes for folks.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, there really are. You know, we bring in seventy
five to eighty events sporting events a year, but we
are huge in hockey. We have an ice rink that
has four sheets of ice, and you know, when promoters
want to bring hockey tournaments in, they love that because
in other communities they got to go from one rink
(15:03):
to the next rink to the next rink. Here it's
all under one roof and it's really great. And you know,
one of the things from a tourism aspect we love
about the youth hockey is it's not just the players
and the coaches. It's mom, it's dad, it's the siblings.
You know, it's a huge economic impact. You know, Tourism
in Monroe County, according to New York State is a
(15:24):
billion dollar economic impact and it's twenty thousand jobs in
Monroe County alone. So you know, that's one of the
things we love to talk about, is the economic impact
of tourism.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Oh yeah, my gosh, I can't even imagine. I mean,
like you just said, like the whole family comes for
these tournaments. I mean, it isn't just the kid, it's
a whole I mean, it's a party when people when
events like that come through.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yeah, and we're partying pretty good because the Rochester Americans
are in first place right now.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
There you go, there you go. I love that. Speaking
of partying, we've talked a little bit about this here
and there, but I also know that in your particular
region of New York, craft breweries are a pretty big
thing up that way too.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yes, one of our craft breweries just nominated one of
the best craft breweries in New York State. So yes,
that's a very big deal, you know. And we have
there's a brewery here called Roar Bocks and they just
celebrated their twenty fifth wedding. Wedding twenty fifth anniversary of
(16:19):
being in business. So think about that, twenty five years ago.
This guy had an idea and people are going, you
can't compete against Genesee. You can't compete. And one other
thing about the craft beer folks is they all help
each other. You know, in most most industries, you know
they're they're competing, they're not. They're very serious competitors in
(16:40):
the beer industry, particularly Genesee. If you're trying to do
a craft beer and you're stuck on something, you can
go to Genesee Beer and they will help you make
your beer.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
And you also mentioned the Finger Lakes is right around
the corner too, and of course finger Lakes well known
for their wineries. There's a lot of different options if
you headed the Rochester area that you can shoot off
to different place as well.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Yeah, Seneca Lake, which is very close to us, has
forty three wineries that you can do. So wine tasting
and wine tours are a very big part of tourism.
So we you know, come to the Strong Museum, go
to see our music, come to the Lilac festivals, and
then you can go on a line tour. I mean
it's just having fun.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
You really do have access to so many things there.
I mean, I knew Rochester, but even just in the
last fifteen minutes or so we've been chatting, I'm realizing
how many more options there are that I hadn't thought about.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Yeah, and you know you're talking about sports. We've got
our baseball team and you mentioned the hockey team. So
whether it's sports, culture, museums, if you want to be
in the outdoors, you want to go hiking, you want
to go boating, We've got it all.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
I love it. Don tell me one more time. What's
the website people should go to if they want to
find out some more information if you start planning.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Their trip, visit Rochester dot com.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
That is so easy to remember. Don Jefferys, the president
and CEO of Visit Rochester, thank you so much for
your time. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Thank you very much, and I hope your daughter feels better.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Thank you so much. Big thank you to Don Jeffries.
If you want more information and you want to start
planning your trip to Rochester, just head to visit Rochester
dot com. And thank you to all of you for listening.
Delightful destinations this week. Until next time, be well,
Hey, wi'ch up everyone. Welcome to Delightful Destinations. My name
is Jeff San Pierre, and welcome to episode twenty five
of the show. If this is your first time checking
out the program, I appreciate your time. Delightful Destinations the
show that I created so I can talk to representatives
from different locations around the country and learn more about
these beautiful places that are all around us. I'm always
(00:22):
looking for an excuse to get away from home, and
I hope that this show will help inspire you for
your next excursion. It feels like we've been taking a
little trip around New York recently. We've discussed a few
different areas in the Empire State, and now we're going
to go back. I've said before that it feels like
New York is really a few different states all combined
into one. Each region has its own personality. Now this
(00:43):
week we're going up to Rochester, New York. Now I've
been lucky enough to visit Rochester before. My brother attended
Riit for school, and I've spent a weekend with him
bouncing around bars and eating garbage plates. If you don't
know what a garbage plate is, look it up. And
I promise you that it's not as disgusting as it
sounds or looks. Rochester has so many options. It's got
sports both the professional and collegiate level, lots of nature history,
(01:07):
and it even has Tim Horton's I mean, Rochester is
right near Canada after all. Joining me today is Don Jeffries.
He's the president and CEO of Visit Rochester. And if
this guy can't convince you to go to Rochester, I'm
pretty sure no one can. I hope you enjoy our conversation, worning.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
How you doing.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I am good. I'm excited to talk about Rochester. I
have been to Rochester once. My brother went to Orit,
so I went up to visit him once. He was
my younger brother, so I got to go hang out
with him and his friends for a little bit, and
of course had a garbage plate while I was there.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I know, you know, it's funny. We have so many
good restaurants. One of the things I talk about all
the time is the number of great restaurants for a
medium sized city. And it's funny. It always comes back
to the garbage plate.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
It's just that thing, right, It's that random, sort of
strange thing that other cities don't have. So even if
it is maybe not, you know, Michelin style food is
the thing that people remember and they think about when
they talk Rochester.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, and I love it, I you know, we go
down there every once in a while and it's it's
a real treat.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
I would love to say I remember my first garbage
plate experience, but my brother did show me around the
bars of Rochester too, so I can't say that there's
a strong memory in there.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
You are not the lone ranger.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I'm sure I'm not. But I also know we caught
the Rochester Americans. That was a lot of fun. Just
you know, I remember in the brief, you know, eighteen
hours I was there. We had a lot of fun
just going around right now, this goes back probably twelve
ish years ago, so it's been a minute, but it
just I just remember having a really great time hanging
out in Rochester.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, it's a fun city. It really is there, you know,
as you said, between the night life and all the
things to do. One of the things I talk about
all the time, Jeff, is that we are the cultural
capital of the state New York. You know, we have
so much going on We're about a five and a
half hour drive from about a third of the population
(03:00):
of the United States, so we're an easy place to
get to. It's very affordable. You know. We've got the
George Eastman Museum of Photography, where photography was an invented.
I mean, it's a really cool place. The Strong Museum
of Play is phenomenal. You know. They have the largest
collection of videos and toys in the country, and so
(03:21):
as a family destination, it's really neat. But also for
people your age and even my age, those old video games,
you can go in there and play them, and it's
just it takes you a couple of days to get
through it. So and we've got the Museum and Science Center.
You know, this year is the two hundredth anniversary of
the Erie Canal, and we have really in Monroe County
(03:44):
and in Rochester done a wonderful job with the canal.
Before it was just this the canal, it was just there.
Now there's restaurants, there's marinas, there's things to do. So
we're excited about all that's going on.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yes, low down for a second, okay, don't don't go off.
If all the bullet points already done Okay, we got
to talk about somebody these like it was.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Just it's my job to be excited about Rochester.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Well, you do a great job. I was just talking
to somebody from Dutchess County not too long ago, and
we were just discussing about how New York as a
state really is like nine different states altogether, right, Like
you've got the city, You've got even like Dutchess County,
then you've got sort of the Binghamton area, then you've
got Rochester. You've got each one has their own unique personality,
but they're all mixed into one giant state. And I
(04:29):
don't know if people realize like how big and how
expansive New York State really is.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I don't think they do. You know, it's funny, where
are you from. I'm from Rochester, New York. Oh that's
right outside of Westchester, right, it's just outside the city.
And I said, no, we're up near the Canadian border,
and so we do, and we'd get a lot of
Canadian traffic that comes through Rochester.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Oh I'm sure. I'm sure. I mean you are, Yeah,
like you said, you're right there, So I'm sure. I
grew up in New Hampshire, and I remember when the
Canadians would have like spring break or whatever they called
it there. It would just be flooded with Canadian license
plates through the state. And I always think to myself,
you guys got to go somewhere better, Like, come on,
I mean, I love New Hampshire, but there's got to
be a warmer place than here.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
No, And for some reason, I don't know what it is, Jeff,
there are certain products we sell in the United States
they can't get in Canada. I don't know why that is.
So shopping is a very big deal.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Well, and they have the Tim Hortons, so of course
I'm sure people go over there to get their coffee
sometimes too, right.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Right, we got a bunch of Tim Horton's.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Oh yeah, you guys do have those right on the border.
That's right, they do cross over into America. So I'll
take that back. But I want to talk more about
the cultural capital stuff, because you did kind of list
off a few different places. I was on your website
visit Rochester dot com. And there are people that talk
about how incredible these museums are on a national scale too,
Like it's not just this is a cool thing to
see when you're in Rochester, Like there are people that
(05:54):
are promoting this in other places, Like you've got to
go to Rochester to see these museums.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, that's absolutely true. You know that Strong Museum, you
know they have the Toy Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, I was gonna ask you, is that the one
that we hear about all the time where it's like
the slinky is going to be inducted into the Toy
Hall of Fame?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yes, it is, and that is a nationwide, if not
a worldwide event when they do that big announcement, you know,
when they announce who's going to be the latest inductees
into the Hall of Fame. We get media crews from
all over the country to come in for that, and
it's just a fun place to visit and sprayed it.
You know, it's right downtown. It draws all kinds of people,
(06:33):
and it brings out the kid and all of us.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Oh of course, I mean who doesn't want to take
that trip down memory lane and think about the things
that were so joyful to them when they were younger.
You know, as an adult, I always look back for
those moments. My daughter's four and I keep thinking to myself.
I can't wait till she's a little bit older so
we can play video games again, because I feel weird
playing video games by myself, but with her, I'm looking
forward to it. Like I just think that trip down
(06:57):
memory Lane is going to be great for everybody.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, well, you come up to Rochester and I'll take
you out and pac Man. How's that?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
There we go. Yes, I'm a misspac Man guy, but
I will, but I'll play pac Man. I'll play pack Man.
The Science Museum and Planetarium too. I love those. I
think those are fat. Every city that I go to,
I always try to check one out because I just
think they're so fascinating. And you've got a great one
as well.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yeah, we do. The Planetarium is absolutely phenomenal. It's one
of the leading planetariums in the country. And we just
last year had a total eclipse. Yeah, and we were
in totality and people from all over the country came
to Rochester to do this, and the biggest draw they
had was going over the Museum and Science Center to
(07:42):
see the eclipse. It was absolutely phenomenal. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Actually, my parents drove into New York State to why.
I don't know if they went as far as Rochester,
but I remember they drove into New York State to
see the eclipse. So yeah, I mean the tourism. We
heard all those stories down here in Baltimore of how
the tourism up north was just wild.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
For that, it really was, and it was so much
fun to experience. And you know, you were talking about
having fun because the museum and Science Center is kind
of in the heart of our restaurant and bar district.
So when everybody left the planetarium and the Museum and
Science Center, they all went out into the streets and
they were partying, and it was just one big party.
(08:22):
It was fun.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I love that for you guys. One thing you didn't
mention yet is the Genesee Country Village Museum. Tell me
more about that.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
That's that is a really cool museum. You know, it
comes back and you can go down there and relive history.
You go in there and they have all you know
the hell the blacksmith showing you how they used to
do it. They have people showing how they used to
cook without stoves, and it is just it's a wonderful experience.
(08:50):
And you know, you can take a carriage ride through
the whole place and a horse ride, and they do
a phenomenal job.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I think what's so interesting about this ticular part of
the country, the Northeast, the mid Atlantic. Every part of
the country has its own unique history, but this part
of the country was here since day one, you know.
And I think that's what's so cool about these villages
and these museums that happen all over sort of the
Northeast area, even into New York, because you do get
to see what life was like, you know, two three
(09:19):
hundred years ago, when the first people were really here
kind of getting things started, or I should say the
first settlers came here.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah, no, that's absolutely correct, you know. And they are
the largest living history museum in the country, so it's
really something to see. You know. They have re enactments
and they have actually a weekend where they reenact the
beginning of baseball and things like that. It's just fun.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It's really cool, all right. So you mentioned the bi
centennial as well. The Erie Canal. We've got a canal
here in Maryland, the c and O Canal, and there's
just really cool stuff all around where they have sort
of the visitors center. So I imagine the Erie Canal
is even larger and much more important to what industry
was way back when. So tell me more about this
and how big of a deal this is for you guys.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, you know, And it's interesting because for the longest
time it was just a canal, and then all of
a sudden, some of our villages, some of our counties said, hey,
wait a minute, you know, this is on the water,
And all of a sudden, the restaurants started popping up
the shops people, you know. And one of the cool
things to do is just getting in a boat and
(10:24):
you can rent We have marinas, we can rent boats.
Is just chug down the Erie Canal. Stop someplace and
have lunch, Stop someplace and have a glass of wine.
I mean, what a cool way to spend The guy
who was just retired as the director of Tourism for
New York State would come to Rochester, rent a boat
and spend his entire vacation chugging down the Erie Canal.
(10:47):
And there's a guy, the tourism guy. He could go
anywhere and do anything, and that's what he did for
his vacation. We thought that was pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I love that and the history of that too. I mean, again,
going back to just the history aspect. If you're a
history buff, there's so much with the Erie Canal in
the history of this country. It even led to Rochester
having the title of America's first boom town. I mean,
it goes back so far.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah, it really does, and it's fun to talk about.
And that's one of the reasons people visit Rochester is
to experience that history.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Another thing that people visit Rochester for is the festivals
and events. I know, you guys are well known for
all the things that you have going on up there.
Tell me, like, when do things start to kick off
for you?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
You all, Well, we really kick it off with our
Lilac Festival and USA Today just nominated the Rochester Lilac
Festival is one of the best flower festivals in the country.
We get, Jeff, we get half a million people coming
to this festival and it's yeah, it's really cool. There's
things for the kids to do, there's great food options,
(11:50):
but the flowers are absolutely gorgeous. And it's the largest
free festival in North America. It's free, so you can
come here and it doesn't cost anything and just come to.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
The Isaiah my mom's favorite flower is a lilac and
growing up in our yard we had all these lilac
bushes everywhere and me very allergic to pollen. The short
span that lilacs have was like the hardest week of
my life. Every year our house would be filled with lilacs.
They are beautiful, and I totally understand people wouldn't come out.
(12:21):
I just remember that moment growing up and be like,
oh no, it's lilac season again.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Here we go. Yeah, but we have. We have festivals
and they start in the spring and they go all
summer long. Yeah, things like the International Jazz Festival that
is a huge event for us in our information booth
last year that we set up right in the middle
and they shut down a whole bunch of streets right downtown.
(12:45):
There's stages everywhere. People come from all over the country,
all over the world. Last year at our information booth
we had people from fourteen different countries come up. So yeah,
so it's a big draw and those There's other things,
you know. Fairport Canal Days is a good one. We
have a cocktail revival for six days and then there's
(13:08):
a recovery period after that.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Of course, I was gonna say, do cocktails need revival.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Not in my book.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, I think they're doing just fine on their own, right.
But I like that. And I think what's cool too,
is like I think people under sell summertime in Upstate
New York. I mean, there is a beauty. I know,
fall gets a lot of attention with the changing of
the leaves, and I know people think of it as
being a colder but oh my gosh, the summertime in
Upstate New York is unrivaled.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, it really is. And you know, Rochester is the
gateway to the finger Lakes. Yeah, and that's you know,
and I always say, you know, where else can you
be downtown and then within like thirty five minutes beyond
a boat in the finger Lakes? Absolutely beautiful. So yeah,
summer is really a great time and people love to
get outdoors, you know. But one of the things we
have in the wintertime which is really cool is Rock
(13:58):
Holiday Village. And it's a whole village they set up
with the blues and a huge presence downtown where people
can come in and just celebrate the holidays and people.
It's been a tremendous success.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I saw some pictures of that, and that does look
absolutely beautiful. Just stunning. What a wonderful event that is.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Yeah, they do, and they have a lot of fun
putting it on too. They're really great people.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Oh, I bet. And aside from all these events too,
I mean, you've got a great sports presence there, not
just from rit because they do pretty well at a
lot of the different sports of the college presence there,
but you also have you know, the Americans, as you
mentioned earlier in the conversation, I mean, there's a lot
of different events that can really check off a lot
of boxes for folks.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, there really are. You know, we bring in seventy
five to eighty events sporting events a year, but we
are huge in hockey. We have an ice rink that
has four sheets of ice, and you know, when promoters
want to bring hockey tournaments in, they love that because
in other communities they got to go from one rink
(15:03):
to the next rink to the next rink. Here it's
all under one roof and it's really great. And you know,
one of the things from a tourism aspect we love
about the youth hockey is it's not just the players
and the coaches. It's mom, it's dad, it's the siblings.
You know, it's a huge economic impact. You know, Tourism
in Monroe County, according to New York State is a
(15:24):
billion dollar economic impact and it's twenty thousand jobs in
Monroe County alone. So you know, that's one of the
things we love to talk about, is the economic impact
of tourism.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Oh yeah, my gosh, I can't even imagine. I mean,
like you just said, like the whole family comes for
these tournaments. I mean, it isn't just the kid, it's
a whole I mean, it's a party when people when
events like that come through.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yeah, and we're partying pretty good because the Rochester Americans
are in first place right now.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
There you go, there you go. I love that. Speaking
of partying, we've talked a little bit about this here
and there, but I also know that in your particular
region of New York, craft breweries are a pretty big
thing up that way too.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yes, one of our craft breweries just nominated one of
the best craft breweries in New York State. So yes,
that's a very big deal, you know. And we have
there's a brewery here called Roar Bocks and they just
celebrated their twenty fifth wedding. Wedding twenty fifth anniversary of
(16:19):
being in business. So think about that, twenty five years ago.
This guy had an idea and people are going, you
can't compete against Genesee. You can't compete. And one other
thing about the craft beer folks is they all help
each other. You know, in most most industries, you know
they're they're competing, they're not. They're very serious competitors in
(16:40):
the beer industry, particularly Genesee. If you're trying to do
a craft beer and you're stuck on something, you can
go to Genesee Beer and they will help you make
your beer.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
And you also mentioned the Finger Lakes is right around
the corner too, and of course finger Lakes well known
for their wineries. There's a lot of different options if
you headed the Rochester area that you can shoot off
to different place as well.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Yeah, Seneca Lake, which is very close to us, has
forty three wineries that you can do. So wine tasting
and wine tours are a very big part of tourism.
So we you know, come to the Strong Museum, go
to see our music, come to the Lilac festivals, and
then you can go on a line tour. I mean
it's just having fun.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
You really do have access to so many things there.
I mean, I knew Rochester, but even just in the
last fifteen minutes or so we've been chatting, I'm realizing
how many more options there are that I hadn't thought about.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Yeah, and you know you're talking about sports. We've got
our baseball team and you mentioned the hockey team. So
whether it's sports, culture, museums, if you want to be
in the outdoors, you want to go hiking, you want
to go boating, We've got it all.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
I love it. Don tell me one more time. What's
the website people should go to if they want to
find out some more information if you start planning.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Their trip, visit Rochester dot com.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
That is so easy to remember. Don Jefferys, the president
and CEO of Visit Rochester, thank you so much for
your time. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Thank you very much, and I hope your daughter feels better.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Thank you so much. Big thank you to Don Jeffries.
If you want more information and you want to start
planning your trip to Rochester, just head to visit Rochester
dot com. And thank you to all of you for listening.
Delightful destinations this week. Until next time, be well,
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