Highland Park is a Rochester treasure: a world-class arboretum and part of one of only four Olmsted-designed park systems in the United States.

Join us for a morning walk through Highland Park as summer begins its transition toward fall. This guided tour explores the park’s remarkable landscape, history, and the enduring vision of Frederick Law Olmsted.

Along the way, we’ll explore Highland Park’s thoughtful design and highlight notable trees, landscape features, and some of the historic “legacy” and specimen plants that make the park such a remarkable place.

Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning in a new season, this tour offers an opportunity to experience Highland Park through its history, horticulture, and design.

(Image courtesy of daytrippingroc.com)

Please register via www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/

Storytime at the Tunnel Tree! Bring your little ones for stories, songs and rhymes with librarian Ms. Chelsea.

Wednesday Toddler Storytimes, presented by the Central Library, will be held on additional Wednesdays, September 9, 16, and 23, 10:00 - 10:30 AM. Enjoy stories and songs with your little one! Meet a children's librarian at the Tunnel Tree across from Lamberton Conservatory for stories, songs and rhymes. Storytimes help promote early learning skills and are a great way to bond with your child. Best for toddlers, but older and younger siblings are welcome.

Rain location is the Central Library Children's Center. Call 585-428-8150 to confirm weather-related location changes. Registration not required.

Additional Friday: August 28. Storytime is presented by the Frederick Douglass Community Library . Enjoy stories and songs with your little one! Meet children's librarian Miss Jennifer at the Tunnel Tree across from Lamberton Conservatory (180 Reservoir Ave) for stories, songs and rhymes. Storytimes help promote early learning skills and are a great way to bond with your child. Suggested age range is 3-5 years old, but younger and older children are welcome to attend.
Following Storytime on August 21 from 10:30–11:30 AM, the Rochester Public Library RPL GO! mobile library will park in front of Olmsted Lodge (171 Reservoir Ave) with books for all ages to borrow, the opportunity to sign up for a library card and other library-related assistance.
Registration not required.

The popular “Movies in the Park” series features Frozen in Highland Bowl, co-sponsored by HPC & Monroe County Parks. Bring your blanket and lawn chairs. Come early to explore the park, picnic and enjoy Kona Ice; this delicious shaved ice will be available for purchase from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Join Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Sven as they embark on adventures in Arendelle, and beyond, where they encounter mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf!

Free bags of Popcorn will be available starting at 7:00 pm and while you watch this heartwarming movie. FROZEN will begin at dusk, approximately 30 minutes after sunset. Open captioning will be offered. In the event of inclement weather, Monroe County will post on Facebook. If you register via Eventbrite, the Conservancy will you an email.

Handicap Parking is available behind the Bowl. Enter the parking lot on Robinson Drive. General Parking on Reservoir Ave, Robinson Drive and surrounding streets. FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure: a world-class arboretum and part of one of only four Olmsted-designed park systems in the United States.

Join us for a summer morning exploring two of Highland Park's most treasured horticultural destinations. Beginning at Lamberton Conservatory, this guided tour offers a chance to experience the park's remarkable plant collections, historic landscapes, and the enduring vision of Frederick Law Olmsted.

We'll start by exploring the Conservatory, a Rochester landmark that has welcomed visitors for more than a century and continues to showcase diverse plant collections from around the world. From there, we'll venture into Highland Park to discover its thoughtfully designed landscapes, notable trees, and gardens at the height of the growing season.

Along the way, we'll share the rich history of the park, highlight significant landscape features, and introduce some of Highland Park's remarkable "legacy" and specimen plants that make it one of Rochester's most beloved public spaces.

Whether you're visiting for the first time or returning to see the park in a new season, this tour offers a deeper appreciation for the horticulture, history, and design that continue to make Highland Park a world-class destination.

(Image courtesy of daytrippingroc.com)

Please register via www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/

HPC presents Journaling N the Park–a guided writing circle for journal lovers and curious creatives seeking inspiration. Writers, journal keepers and creative souls at every stage are welcome. Whether you are just getting started or have filled countless pages, this writing circle creates space to slow down, reflect and reconnect with your voice; an opportunity to write freely, be inspired by your surroundings, and experience the power of collective creativity in a supportive and grounding environment led by literary guide Aries Jordan.

Jordan is an educator, writer and Chief Circle Keeper of the Just Write Experience, dedicated to meeting writers where they are and providing a supportive space to simply just write. Her writing has been featured in San Francisco Times, Yale School of Medicine, City Newspaper, InDance Magazine and countless anthologies.

The July Journaling N the Park writing circle is offered in partnership with Just Write Experience. Photo credit: Karen D. Culley Photography
(www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/).

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure: a world-class arboretum and part of one of only four Olmsted-designed park systems in the United States.

Join us for a guided walk exploring one of Highland Park's most meaningful and beautiful landscapes: the Memorial Gardens.  South of Highland Avenue is an area that should be explored.  It’s not just the main festival site, but a place where memorials are the focus.

We’ll explore the designated Gary Beikirch Park; discover the many memorial gardens and sculptures throughout the area.  We’ll examine the history, of the gardens, highlighting the individuals, organizations, and events they commemorate.

In addition to the memorials, the tour guide will discuss historical buildings that used to exist in this area, their uses, and some other interesting facts, including a long-lost cemetery.

Whether you're interested in history, horticulture, or simply experiencing a quieter side of Highland Park, this tour offers a unique perspective on a landscape that blends beauty, memory, and community. Ron, your tour guide, is a volunteer with the Highland Park Conservancy as both Docent and Garden Steward. Please register via  www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/

Photo courtesy of Debi Bower Day Trips Around Rochester, New York

HPC partners with Lilac Nature Connection: start your weekend off with a morning forest bathing walk. We will be exploring the tranquil area of Highland Park behind Lamberton Conservatory. Highland Park Conservancy is partnering with Lilac Nature Connection to help you destress, re-center, and connect with nature and community.

Forest bathing is not your typical nature walk, and no actual "bathing" is involved! This practice includes a series of simple invitations to engage with the natural world through your senses. We will move at a slow, relaxed pace, and cover less than one mile. All invitations are adaptable, and we encourage participants to honor their own needs. We are currently offering this service to adults (babies in arms welcome too). If you have any questions about accessibility, please don't hesitate to reach out.

To learn more about Lilac Nature Connection, please visit www.lilacnatureconnection.com or follow LilacNatureConnection on Instagram. Photo Credit: Andrea S, HPC Board Member.

Rain date: 7/26/2026 9am; **Parking available behind Olmsted Lodge. Please register via www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/

Visit RPL-GO! the Rochester Public Library’s mobile library at Highland Park!

Join us for a visit from the RPL-GO! mobile library. Take home some free books and DVD's, apply for a library card or use the library's tech. The mobile library visit will follow the 10:00 library storytime at the tunnel tree. On August 21, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM, the mobile library visit will follow the 10:00 library storytime at the tunnel tree. The library van will be parked at 171 Reservoir Avenue, near the walk to the tunnel tree.

RPL GO! provides all Rochester residents access to the critical resources and services that our libraries offer. According to Mayor Malik Evans, “Mobile libraries promote literacy, inclusivity, and community."

Registration not required.

Storytime at the Tunnel Tree! Bring your little ones for stories, songs and rhymes with librarian Ms. Chelsea.

Tuesday Toddler Storytimes, presented by the Central Library, will be held on Tuesdays July 7, 14, 21 and 28, 10:00 - 10:30 AM. Enjoy stories and songs with your little one! Meet a children's librarian at the Tunnel Tree across from Lamberton Conservatory for stories, songs and rhymes. Storytimes help promote early learning skills and are a great way to bond with your child. Best for toddlers, but older and younger siblings are welcome.

Rain location is the Central Library Children's Center. Call 585-428-8150 to confirm weather-related location changes. Registration not required.

Join us for a morning walk through the beauty and enduring design of Highland Park during the height of the summer season. This guided tour explores the park as its trees, gardens, and landscapes reach their fullest expression, offering a chance to experience one of Rochester's most treasured public spaces at a particularly vibrant time of year.

Along the way, we'll explore the rich history of Highland Park and the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted, whose thoughtful design continues to shape the visitor experience more than a century later. We'll highlight notable landscape features, historic vistas, and some of the park's remarkable "legacy" and specimen trees and plants that contribute to its unique character.

Whether you're a first-time visitor or a longtime admirer of the park, this tour offers an opportunity to discover the beauty, history, and horticultural significance of Highland Park through the eyes of those who help steward and interpret it today.

The walking tour offers a chance to experience the park as it was intended—balanced, immersive, and evolving with the season. It will last approximately 1.5 hours and traverses winding paved paths throughout the park. Please note the tour requires the ability to walk and stand throughout.

Ron & Pat, your tour guides, are volunteers with Highland Park Conservancy as both Docents and Garden Stewards. (Image courtesy of daytrippingroc.com)

Please register via www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure. Not only a world-class Arboretum, but part of only 4 city-wide park systems designed by Olmsted.

Join us for a morning walk through the early summer beauty and thoughtful design of Highland Park. As the landscape settles into the season, this guided tour highlights the park’s trees, shrubs, and gardens in full form, with layered plantings and mature canopy defining the experience.

We’ll explore the park’s rich history and the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted, whose design continues to shape Highland Park today. Along the way, we’ll point out notable landscape features and some of the park’s historic “legacy” and specimen plants that make it such a beloved and remarkable place.

This walking tour offers a chance to experience the park as it was intended—balanced, immersive, and evolving with the season. It will last approximately 1.5 hours and traverses winding paved paths throughout the park. Please note the tour requires the ability to walk and stand throughout.

Ron, your tour guide, is a volunteer with Highland Park Conservancy as both Docent and Garden Steward. (Image courtesy of daytrippingroc.com)

(www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/).

Jazz in the Bowl is a free outdoor concert–bring your lawn chair and settle in to enjoy the music.

The concert opens with the big sound of the Excursion Jazz Orchestra. The second band, Mid-Century Modern Jazz Quartet, comes on stage immediately following.

Inspire Moore Winery, Vineyard & Venue will provide complimentary wine sampling.

(Register via Eventbrite available May 15.

HPC brings Wild Wisdom Play to Highland Park for 4 weeks of joyful learning-through-play

Kids and their treasured adults will come together once a week with Miss Renee for a learning experience that looks and feels a whole lot like play in an outdoor setting. This program is suitable for 2-8 year-olds and adult participation is required.

This June, we will be using curated selections from the Tinkergarten curriculum designed to help kids hone the skills we use to interact in positive ways with others. The activities are sweet and simple and easy to replicate at home for extended play throughout the week. Special thanks to Monroe County Parks!

Families should pre-register for the 4-class session, which will be held on June 6, 13, 20 and 27. For more information and to confirm your reservation and save your child’s spot, please use the following link (not Eventbrite) to complete the registration. Registration will remain open throughout the program for drop-ins if there are openings available.

https://www.hisawyer.com/wisdom-season-parenting/schedules/activity-set/1397240

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure. Not only a world-class Arboretum, but part of only 4 city-wide park systems designed by Olmsted.

Join us for a morning walk through the spring beauty and thoughtful design of Highland Park. As the park comes into full bloom, this guided tour highlights the trees, shrubs, and gardens at one of the most vibrant times of year.

We’ll explore the park’s rich history and the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted, whose design continues to shape Highland Park today. Along the way, we’ll point out notable landscape features and some of the park’s historic “legacy” and specimen plants that make it such a beloved and remarkable place.

This walking tour offers a chance to experience the park as it was intended—alive with seasonal change, color, and movement. It will last approximately 1.5 hours and will traverse winding paved paths throughout the park. Please note the tour requires the ability to walk and stand throughout.

Ron, your tour guide, is a volunteer with Highland Park Conservancy as both Docent and Garden Steward.

(www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/).

After a short business meeting, Board of Directors election and presentation of the annual Mary Fisher Award, we are pleased to present “Lost in Highland Park” with Geoffrey Zeiner, author of the popular local history blog “Gonechester.” After the program join us for a celebratory reception in MAG’s ballroom.

As a sixth-generation Rochesterian, Geoffrey Zeiner has had a lifelong interest in the history of the city. This interest led to the creation of his local history blog “Gonechester” which won a special commendation from the Landmark Society of Western New York in 2024. He has been giving in-person presentations on local history topics since early last year. Zeiner lives with his wife, Tracy, and children Samara and Mason in the Culver-East Main area.

Join Mark Quinn, recently retired Superintendent of Horticulture for Monroe County Parks Department, for a lesson in pruning in the historic lilac collection at Highland Park.

Learn the secrets to keeping your shrubs and trees happy and healthy with tips from Mark. Whether you're a gardening newbie or want to sharpen your skills, this is the perfect opportunity to learn and ask questions. See you there!

Parking available either on Reservoir Avenue in Highland Park or at the Lilac Adventure Zone parking lot at 249 Highland Avenue. From there, walk toward the intersection of Highland Avenue and South Goodman Street.

Register via Eventbrite. If your plans change, please cancel your registration on Eventbrite so that others might attend - thank you!

In collaboration with the Rochester Birding Association.

An excellent opportunity to walk with experienced birders from the Rochester Birding Association. This tour will be led by Jeanne Verhulst 585-362-0803 and co-leader Amy Kahn 585-310-2330.

We’ll be looking for spring migrants while enjoying lovely flora. This walk would be gorgeous even without the birds, but it does have birds in abundance! Find out where people have spotted the rarities that pop up in this urban treasure. Dress for the weather and bring binoculars. We will be walking mostly on paved walkways with gentle hills; walking in grass a possibility.

Eventbrite registration required. More details: https://rochesterbirding.org/events-trips/field-trips/.

Please meet at Olmsted Lodge–registration from 8:30-10:00 am; the event lasts until noon. The county-wide event is an opportunity for you to help prepare our beautiful park for spring–picking up sticks and debris, raking, weeding, etc. Come dressed for the weather, sturdy shoes, rakes, hand tools. Join us! For more info: https://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-pickuptheparks. (Pre-registration not required.)

Highland Park is part of the Pinnacle Range, a ridge of sand and gravel south of Rochester deposited by melting glaciers during the end of the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago

In the late 1800s, Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park to preserve and enhance these natural features. These hills are but the finishing touches on a much longer geological story told in the landscape of our region and state,.

Tyler Lucero will elucidate this history; he has connected people to our natural and human heritage as an interpreter at the Genesee Country Village & Museum, a science teacher and a naturalist in local school districts. He has also been an interpretive ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. He has traveled to wild and historic places across the United States, but loves the people, landscape, and history of his native Western New York best! Photo credtit: USGS

Eventbrite Registration opens March 10, 2026; if you are unable to attend after registering, please cancel your reservation.)

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure. Not only a world-class Arboretum, but part of only 4 city-wide park systems designed by Olmsted.

Join us for an early spring walk through the quiet beauty and enduring vision of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Highland Park. In late March, this guided tour offers a transitional view of the park as it begins to awaken from winter—revealing subtle signs of the coming growing season alongside the structure, form, and design that shape the landscape year-round.

We’ll explore Highland Park’s rich history, thoughtful planning, and the landscape elements that make it a living work of art in every season. Learn how Olmsted’s background influenced his visionary layout and purpose for this public space. Along the way, we’ll highlight some of the park’s unique and historic “legacy” and specimen plants, observing how they contribute to Highland Park’s character as winter gradually gives way to spring.
(Eventbrite registration open; if you are unable to attend after registering, please cancel your reservation.)

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure. Not only a world-class Arboretum, but one of only 4 city-wide park systems designed by Olmsted.

Join us for a winter walk through the quiet beauty and enduring vision of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Highland Park. In February, this guided tour offers a different perspective on the park’s trees, shrubs, and gardens—revealing structure, form, and design beneath the winter landscape. We’ll explore Highland Park’s rich history, thoughtful planning, and the landscape elements that make it a living work of art year-round.

Learn how Olmsted’s background influenced his visionary layout and purpose for this public space. Along the way, we’ll highlight some of the park’s unique and historic “legacy” and specimen plants, observing how they contribute to Highland Park’s character, especially in winter.

(www.eventbrite.com/d/ny--rochester/highland-park-conservancy/).

Join us at our second Lodge Lecture featuring Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener John Nelson as we explore native gardening and discuss its benefits to our ecology.

Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. Gardening with native plants provides nectar, pollen and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals. John will describe some of the other benefits of gardening with native plants and will provide suggestions for sun, shade and wet and dry locations. Learn how to support our local ecosystem and increase biodiversity!

This event will have ASL interpretation. Eventbrite registration starts February 3, 9:00 am.

Our first 2026 Lodge Lecture Series presenter is Nancy Mastin, Monroe County Parks horticulturist and manaager of Lamberton Conservatory. She will explain how the multiple beautiful seasonal displays are planned and created.

Nancy is responsible for overseeing both Lamberton Conservatory and the county greenhouses. Her background includes working in commercial greenhouses, florists, and retail garden centers. She will focus on the yearly schedule for the seasonal house displays in the conservatory, showing us the complexities of planning and creating the shows. This event will have ASL interpreters.

Eventbrite registration starts December 27, 12:00 pm.

Join us at Gate House 2, adjacent to the Highland Park Overlook,  for an exciting exploration of this historic site. Spend time with David Rowley, Manager of Water Production at the Rochester Water Bureau.

Immerse yourself in the rich history and architectural beauty of the Gate House while learning fascinating stories about its past. David will provide insights and answer your questions. This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow history enthusiasts and discover hidden gems in our community.

Don't miss out on this unique experience! Mark your calendars and we'll see you there.

Gather for a sweet, simple family event celebrating community, the wisdom of nature, autumn and the light shining in each of us. Event is for family members under 14 with parent or legal guardian.

Join family, friends and community at the Lilac Adventure Zone playground in Highland Park for an Autumn Lantern Walk. HPC is thrilled to once again join with Wisdom Season Parenting to bring this magical event to Highland Park. Make your own lantern (simple instructions available at Tinkergarten.com), come at 5:15 PM to create your lantern with Ms. Renee or bring your own flashlights, lanterns or glow sticks to light our way. At 5:45 PM we'll form a circle together to sing songs and reflect about the change of seasons, light and hope. Then, we'll light our homemade lanterns and walk together, savoring the beauty of our little lights against the Fall twilight. We'll end our time together with warm refreshments and a reminder of the light that shines in each of us

Create stunning photographs on a walk through Highland Park with photographer Bruno Chalifour.

Welcome to our  Fall Photography Walk. Join us to capture the beauty of the season through the camera lens. Bring your camera (or phone) and comfortable shoes for this leisurely stroll. 

Our tour leader, Bruno Chalifour, has an MFA in Photography from SUNY Buffalo (2001) and a PhD from Université de Lyon 2. He is a fine-art photographer and has taught photography at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Our last Wednesday Toddler Storytime for 2025, presented by the Central Library,. Enjoy stories and songs with your little one! Meet a children's librarian at the tunnel tree across from Lamberton Conservatory for stories, songs and rhymes. Storytimes help promote early learning skills and are a great way to bond with your child. Best for toddlers, but older and younger siblings are welcome.

On September 17, stay for a visit from the Rochester Public Library Mobile Library, RPL-GO!, from 10:30 - 11:30 AM.

Rain location is the Central Library Children's Center. Call 585-428-8150 to confirm weather-related location changes. Registration not required.

Join the Highland Park Conservancy for a visit from the new RPL-GO! mobile library following 10:00 library storytime at the tunnel tree. The library van will be parked near 171 Reservoir Avenue, near the sidewalk going to the tunnel tree.

RPL-GO! provides all Rochester residents access to the critical resources and services that our libraries offer. According to Mayor Malik Evans, “Mobile libraries promote literacy, inclusivity, and community."