Living Here: Highland Park Area

Rochester, NY - The lilacs are of course the star of Highland Park during the Lilac Festival, but there are other things you can check out while you're in the area.

Like the Greater Rochester Vietnam Veteran's Memorial that commemorates the service and sacrifice of the more than 28,000 Vietnam Veterans from our region.

The groundbreaking ceremony and construction began in September of 1992, and today, you can walk through the memorial and remember the 280 local veterans who died in Vietnam.

Also in Highland Park is the Lamberton Conservatory.

"The conservatory is over a century old," says Mark Quinn, Superintendent of Horticulture for Monroe County Parks Department. "It's open 7 days a week, so you can come here anytime, whether the weather is good or bad"

There are a variety of environments at the conservatory, like the houseplant area, cactus house, tropical room filled with larger plants you'd find in Florida or areas further south, and the orchid house.

The last house is the seasonal house that has displays that change 6 times a year.

The conservatory is especially popular among visitors from elderly homes, and also school visits.

"We've got some turtles and some quail in here and the little kids come in here to look at those kinds of things," says Quinn. "There's a little bit of something for everybody here."

The conservatory is a part of Highland Park, and the city of Rochester that you may not know about, but you should take the time to visit!

"Absolutely. It makes Rochester a more attractive city," says Quinn. "It really is a place you can go in the worst of the winter storms or just a rainy summer day, or if you're walking through the park on a nice day. It's not something everybody really knows about but it's a really interesting place to see and it's a great place to come in Rochester.

For more information, click on the link: http://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-highland.php