Maybe you never thought of Rochester as a weekend getaway? Well you're missing out and its time to rethink! Rich history, abundant natural beauty and world-class attractions wrapped in a walkable, friendly city of casual sophistication make Rochester, N.Y., one of the northeast's hidden vacation gems! Between the Strong Museum, The Jazz Festival and tons of delectable restaurants, Rochester is quickly becoming all the buzz!

Visitors will enjoy the meandering beauty of the historic Erie Canal, the power of the nation's highest urban waterfall, and an array of cultural offerings ranging from one of the nation's most prestigious schools of music to America's second-largest children's museum. New arrivals will also be surprised to discover Rochester's history as America's first "boomtown" and its designation as the birthplace of the Kodak camera and modern photography.

The nation's 79th-largest city traces its roots to 1803 and the purchase of 100 acres by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester and two partners. The city blossomed after the 1825 opening of the Erie Canal, and by 1840 was the country's 19th-largest city, with 20,000 residents and a designation as "America's first boomtown."

Rochester's modern history, however, began in 1884, when high school dropout George Eastman ushered in the era of modern photography by introducing the first rollable camera film—and four years later, the first personal Kodak camera, thus launching the brand known worldwide as Eastman Kodak.

Today, Rochester houses George Eastman's fascinating 50-room estate and the International Museum of Photography and Film, which houses more than 400,000 photos by 14,000 photographers. Eastman's generosity also helped endow Rochester with its rich cultural community, highlights of which we describe below.

The Rochester region's natural beauty is also enjoyed by visitors who kayak the canal's waters, bike its trails, and shop for antiques in canalside villages, as well as by those who fish and sail the open waters of nearby Lake Ontario.