Dedicated to the history of play and especially of toys, The Strong (National Museum of Play) may be the United States’ most child-friendly destination. Let kids run amok as they explore and learn, from how to do grocery shopping, to how to put on a play. Treat yourself with an afternoon on the vintage arcade games on the second floor.
Start your tour in the kid-sized Wegmans grocery store on the first floor of the museum, but realize it may be hard to get children or adults to leave. Send kids off to pick out items, chat with other children serving as butchers or deli employees, ring up their purchases on the cash register, get a receipt and then return their purchases to their correct shelf. Watch them star in their very own commercial or cooking show on the attached WKID-TV station. Gape at the hundreds of butterflies fluttering through the air in the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
While the kids play, sneak off for a blast from the past in the arcade, which features electronic games from Pac-Man to the present. Pop in your quarters and let the outside world melt away as you go from machine to machine.
Learn about the history of games and toys in the National Toy Hall of Fame, which even has a larger version of a handheld ball maze game that was played by 19th-century presidents.
Boogie on the dance floor with your kids and enjoy a ride on the vintage merry-go-round before you leave.
Find The Strong (National Museum of Play) in the heart of downtown Rochester, a 20-minute walk or 5-minute drive from Rochester’s central train station. Limited parking is available on site or in metered parking at nearby municipal garages.
The museum is open daily from mid-morning to early evening, staying open late on Fridays and Saturdays and opening at noon on Sundays. Entrance to the butterfly garden is timed and operates on shorter hours than the rest of the museum. Although there is no discount for children’s admission, matinee pricing is applicable on weekday afternoons during the school year.
