Location-
Rochester, Monroe County
Maps -
Google Map,
Google Earth,
Multi GPS - Falls:
(N 43.16132 W
77.61336) Directions - From the East: 490 East to
Downtown West/Plymouth Avenue exit; left onto Plymouth
Avenue; right onto Morrie Silver Way (Platt Street).
From the West: 490 West to Clinton Avenue (Exit 16);
follow Clinton Avenue through Downtown Rochester past Main
Street; turn left onto Andrews Street; right onto State
Street; right onto Morrie Silver Way (Platt Street).
Information
Number of falls:
1 Size/Types: 96' classic drop. Best time to visit: Year round. Flow: High Waterway: Genesee River and Brown's Race. Time: 10-20 minutes
Accessibility
Seasons/Hours:
Open year-round, 24-hours/day.
Museum hours: Wednesday through Friday 10am to 4pm,
Saturday and Sunday 12 noon to 4pm.
Parking: Park in the garage on State St. or at the lot
at the end of commercial street (after 6pm or on weekends). Admission: Free. (Parking on State St. is variable,
$2 suggested donation for the museum, $2 suggested donation
for guided tours). Handicap accessibility: Yes. Pets: Allowed (on leash). Accommodations: Seats, paved walkways, Gift shop and
restroom in museum. Many adjacent bars and cafes.
Description
Once a booming mix of mills and factories,
Rochester's Brown's Race
Neighborhood has
gone through drastic changes in the last two decades. The city
has invested millions in cleaning up the old brick buildings, attempting to revitalize the area as an
entertainment district. Bars and restaurants come and go,
with few successfully maintaining a steady business.
A massive parking
structure was built, as well as a pedestrian bridge that not
only allows people to traverse the Genesee Gorge, but to
observe the 96' High Falls and the gorge walls, scarred with
the constructions if past industries. A museum, the Center
at High Falls, was built to commemorate the historic
district as a major factor in Rochester's success in
industry.
Now in the shadow
of Eastman Kodak's main offices, with little entertainment business
remaining open, the High Falls area is still a attraction
for those that work downtown. People come to sit on the benches of the Pont de Rennes bridge to eat lunch, read or
enjoy the sights and sounds of the falls. A crowd usually
gathers in summer prior to a ballgame at the adjacent
Frontier Field, or to enjoy the weekend fireworks and laser
show presented over the falls.
Rochester has
developed the area to allow visitors to view the falls from
all angles and learn about the history of the Brown's Race
as well. Brown's Race is a channel built to divert water to
parallel the river on the east rim of the gorge. Mills
stationed along the gorge tapped the race to power
their mills. The race still exists today and even powers an
adjacent electric power plant. Unfortunately, due to the
presence of this utility, the small park adjacent to the
falls at the bottom of the gorge is off limits.
Although the city
has done a great job in converting old buildings in the
district into functional office buildings, including an old
mill right next to the falls, there are currently plans
brewing to scrap the focus on development for entertainment
in favor of housing.
Trails Difficulty: Easy Markings: The "Pont de Rennes" pedestrian
bridge, the perfect viewing location, is painted blue and
marked with a plaque. On the side of the bridge trail leads
passed a park into a lookout point right next to the falls.
History
With a
well-kept museum right in the middle of the district and the
various placards noting historic mills sites, one can spend
hours learning about the history of Rochester mills on the
high falls.
Sam Patch was
a famous daredevil in the 1820's who is most noted as being
the first surviving daredevil over Niagara Falls. In 1829 he
came to Rochester to tackle the High Falls. He successfully
made the jump his first two times. One as practice run and
the second to what he considered a disappointing crowd. An
advertising campaign lauded his second High Falls jump as
his last [in Rochester], but ironically turned out to be his
very last. Witnesses claim something must have gone wrong as
his feet did not straighten and hit the water first and his
body slammed into the water below. Despite speculation that
he was hiding, waiting for a triumphant return, this Nov,
9th jump was his last. His body was found frozen in the ice
in Charlotte the following spring.
Do not miss... Fireworks and Lasers.
Throughout the summer (until September 3rd), the city of
Rochester puts on a free fireworks and laser show over the
gorge. The show starts at 9:30pm and lasts about a half
hour. After the show, the falls in his left lit.
The
nightlife. Considered an entertainment district, High
Falls sports many bars restaurants and clubs. Many of
which have outdoor decks with great views of the gorge. A
personal favorite is Jimmy Macs, adjacent to the Pont de
Rennes bridge.
Brown's race.
Stemming from the Genesee river and cutting right
through the district is the historic Brown's Race. It
was used to power the many mills along the gorge. The
various tunnels on the gorge wall were cut as outlets for
mills. The water would pass through these tunnels from the
race, spinning a wheel that operated the mill and emptying
into the bottom of the gorge. Today, RG&E substations use
the race to generate electricity.