By Jillian Melnyk

Rochester is steeped with history, and autumn is the perfect season to go out and explore everything that Rochester has to offer. From classic architecture and historic neighborhoods to modern structure and tales of the occult, this fall is packed with great stuff to do, especially if you are a history buff!

Mount Hope Cemetery
Founded in 1838, Mount Hope Cemetery was America's First Municipal Victorian Cemetery and today, over a third of a million people have been buried among its 197 acres. Recently, restorations have been made to the Charles Rau Mausoleum as well as the Old Jewish Sections (Section 0, lots 396 and 397) which were the first public burial plots purchased in Rochester by the Jewish community. Many famous people have been lain to rest at Mount Hope Cemetery and some notable local historical personalities include women's rights advocate Susan B. Anthony, anti-slavery movement leader Frederick Douglass, Strong Museum founder Margaret Woodbury Strong, and newspaper publisher Frank Gannett.

Mount Hope Cemetery is open to the public daily if you would like to stroll through the cemetery grounds on your own. A cemetery map is available online at the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery website, www.fomh.org. The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery also offer free historic walking tours every Saturday and Sunday from May through October. Saturday tours begin at 1pm and Sunday tours begin at 2pm and 2:30pm. Tours start at the North Gate House (opposite Robinson Ave). Specialty tours are also offered throughout the year. Upcoming specialty tours include "Speaking Stones" (Saturday, September 13th at noon), "The Revolutionary War" (Saturday, September 20th at noon), "Geology at Mount Hope" (Saturday, September 27th at noon), "Fall Foliage" (Saturday, October 25th at 11am), and the "Grand Finale Luminaria Tour" (October 25th and 28th at 6:30pm). All specialty tours are $4 per person and start at the North Gate House, 791 Mt. Hope Ave. For information on upcoming tours visit the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery online at www.fomh.org.

Get Spooky!
Goblins and ghouls come out for this yearly Rochester tradition. Each year, the Landmark Society offers a spooky twist on a historic walking tour with their Ghost Walk. Lantern-bearing guides lead participants under the cloak of darkness to spooky performances that recreate and detail true-tales from Rochester's eerie past. The walk concludes at the Third Presbyterian Church for Halloween refreshments and a boutique bursting with scary trinkets. This year's tours are scheduled for October 17, 18, 24, and 25. Tours depart from the Third Presbyterian Church at 4 Meigs Street every ten minutes from 6pm to 9:30pm. Tickets are $10 for Landmark Society members, $13 for non-members and $18 day of event if available. Tours fill up fast, so ordering ahead is recommended. Tickets may be ordered by calling 546-7029 x10 and are also available online at www.landmarksociety.org or at the Landmark Society office at 133 S. Fitzhugh Street.

Take a Hike
The city of Rochester has a lot of incredible architecture worth seeing. Each year, the Landmark Society organizes the "Inside Downtown Tour" where tour-goers can explore some of Rochester's great residential buildings and neighborhoods. This year's tour dates are Friday, September 19th and Saturday, September 20th and boasts a great line up of sites including the Grove Place Neighborhoods, Reformation Lutheran Church, Christ Church, The Halo Lofts, the Ward House, and The Sagamore on East. Tour headquarters is the Rochester Contemporary Art Center at 137 East Ave. The tour is self-guided and sites can be visited in any order. Tickets are $18, and include a tour guide book, with photographs and descriptions of each site. Tickets can be purchased online at the Landmark Society's website at www.landmarksociety.org or at The Landmark Society (133 Fitzhugh Street), as well as Parkleigh (215 Park Ave.) and Borders Books (1000 Hyland Drive).

The Landmark Society also offers maps and information for six downtown walking tours that include hidden nooks and crannies as well as eye-catching modern buildings and sites. Downtown tours include Central City, Hundred Acre Tract, High Falls-Browns Race District, Southern Gateways, East End & Cultural District, and the Liberty Pole & East City Loop. A 3-6 page PDF file is available, and includes historical information, photographs, tour length, and tour map. Tour packets can be downloaded for free from the Landmark Society's website at www.landmarksociety.org.

The Landmark Society also offers tour information for self-guided walking tours through some of Rochester's historic neighborhoods, including Corn Hill, East Avenue Beginnings, East Avenue from Arnold Park to George Eastman House, Genesee Valley, Seneca Park, and Highland Park. The Landmark Society's website has a page for each neighborhood walking tour, which includes detailed information on stops, with pictures and illustrations.

Take a Bike
Any of the Landmark Society's walking tours are also ideal as bike tours, especially if you would like to cover a lot of ground in one day. There are many other opportunities to explore Rochester's history via bike. Bicycling along the Erie Canal is a great way to experience some of Rochester's very important economic history. Plus, there are opportunities for detours through the towns and villages that are sprinkled along the canal. You may already be familiar with the parts of the canal in your own neck of the woods, so try branching out and biking through a part of town that you are less familiar with, such as Brockport if you live on the Rochester's Eastside, or Fairport if you live on the Westside.

For a unique trip, Writer's and Books is offering a "Bicycling Literary Rochester" tour on Saturday, September 20th. The tour will include the chance to investigate the little-known corners of Rochester's history, such as the homes of Shirley Jackson, Adelaide Crapsey, and Emma Goldman, plus the gravesite of the man who was the inspiration for Kurt Vonnegut's Billy Pilgrim. The tour is $55 and limited to 12 participants, so early registration is required. For more information visit Writers and Books online at www.wab.org.

Take a Car
The Landmark Society offers two driving tours for those who prefer to travel via car. The Charlotte Tour includes a trip down Lake Ave. and incorporates side-trips such as the 6-mile roundtrip excursion to Seneca Park. The second driving tour features some of the magnificent Cobblestone Architecture that surrounds Rochester. The Cobblestone Architecture tour is broken into two parts, the 21-mile Henrietta tour and the 41-mile Wheatland Chili tour. You can print tour information free at the Landmark Society's Website at www.landmarksociety.org.

Whether you prefer casual strolling, biking, or driving, fall is a great time to get out and explore Rochester’s vibrant history!

Jillian Melnyk is the Editor of Rochester Woman Magazine. Contact her at Jill@RochesterWomanMag.com