Grandkid Daytrips

Where to go in the area to entertain the grandkids

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Summer is still months away, but the Rochester area offers plenty of fun things to do and places to go with your grandchildren.

 

The Antique Wireless Museum in Bloomfield showcases the inventions of pioneers like Guglielmo Marconi, Samuel Morse, Edwin Armstrong and more. Explore displays exhibiting the first transistor radio and mobile phone; view a replica of the Titanic wireless room; walk around a working 1925 radio store and hear demonstrations of a 1000-watt spark transmitter. Adults $10; seniors/active service members and veterans $9; children and teens free.

More info: antiquewireless.org

 

Bristol Mountain in Canandaigua draws both experienced and new alpine and Nordic skiers, snowboarders and tubers. Just a short drive from Rochester, the facility provides a ski resort experience close to home. Prices vary based upon time and activity; however, Bristol offers a senior discount for those 70-plus.

More info: www.bristolmt.com

 

In addition to booking a farm tour at Lazy Acre Alpacas in Bloomfield where you can meet dozens of the fluffy, curious critters, plan to attend the Alpacalipse ’24 April 8, noon to 5 p.m. Enjoy yoga, concessions and entertainment in the alpaca pasture. The farm tour includes a 200-year-old barn, treatment room, shearing barn and the loafing shed, along with alpaca videos, feeding alpacas and a two-story gift shop.

More info: lazyacrealpacas.com

 

Although a museum, Corning Museum of Glass in Corning offers many hands-on activities for kids to dig into and learn about glassmaking, such as the Make Your Own Glass experience, with seasonal objects to create. The hands-on exhibits and technology displays also capture the attention of inquisitive children. In addition, Corning Glass offers hot glassmaking demonstrations and the world’s largest display of glass, both historic and contemporary. Adults $22; AAA/CAA, military, college student and 62+ receive a 15% discount ($18.70); Children 17 and younger, free.

More info: www.cmog.org

 

Aviation and motorcycle history revs to life at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport. View early cycles and planes, along with artifacts from Hammondsport history. Adults $13.50; seniors $12; youth 7-17, veterans and retired military $10; children 6 and younger, active-duty military and museum members, free.

More info: glennhcurtissmuseum.org

 

Housed in the Newark Public Library, Hoffman Clock Museum in Newark includes 400 timepieces of all sorts, from mass-produced vintage clocks to numerous grandfather clocks of notable origins and rare examples of antique clocks, such as a black forest organ-flute clock was made in Furtwangen, Germany. The museum was named for Augustus L. Hoffman (1856-1945), a retail jeweler and watchmaker who ran a jewelry shop in Newark for 30 years. The museum also displays a clockmaker’s repair table, the lusterware, glassware and porcelain of Hoffman’s wife, Jennie, along with a sizable stained-glass window. Curated group tours are available. Admission is free.

More info: hoffmanclockmuseum.org

 

For more celestial fun, visit the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Strasenburgh Planetarium to view a planetarium, star or laser show and check out the exhibits. Adults $12; seniors and children 3-18 $10; children under 3, free. The Rochester Museum and Science Center offers an ever-changing menu of programming to engage, enlighten and entertain. Its collections include natural science and culture-history. Adults $22; seniors and students $21; children 3-18 $20; active military or veteran $19; children younger than 3, free.

More info: https://rmsc.org

 

Cracker Box Palace at Alasa Farms in Sodus is more than a farm animal sanctuary of loveable animals. The organization also provides outdoor recreational opportunities on its 600 acres of forests, fields and trails. Capture wildlife photos, hike the trails (conditions permitting) and plan to attend the Pre-Eclipse Astrophotography Lessons April 6 and the Solar Eclipse Viewing April 8.

More info: crackerboxpalace.org

 

A trip east to Auburn and Skaneateles should include a visit to the Ward W. O’Hara Agricultural and Country Living Museum. Located at 6880 E. Lake Road (Route 38 A) in Auburn, across from Emerson Park, the museum features the farm and home implements, tools and antiques that revolutionized the American way of life. In the summer, after visiting the museum, you may want to enjoy a picnic or go for a swim at the public beach on Owasco Lake. The museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More info: wardwoharaagriculturalmuseum.org