by Taylor Divico

Created on: July 25, 2009

"Go green!" Highland Park in Rochester, NY is a twenty-acre botanical garden and arbetorum, boasting of; a greenhouse, horticulture library, and sunken garden for nature-lovers to explore. This picturesque park offers pieces of history, and blooms with romance as a much desired location for weddings. Beyond the flora, trails graced by memorial sites, a natural amphitheatre, and restored castle are amongst the sights of this park.

Let Nature Be Your Muse:
Highland Park is an artist's or romantic's natural muse with unique landscapes, an array of architectural form, and quiet areas for reflection. Get lost in the archways of the Lilac Arches or Warner Castle. Sketch a portrait of a Japanese Maple or rhododendron. Write a verse or two while sitting at the edge of Poet's Garden. Take memorable family or wedding photographs with; lilacs, mountain laurels, and azaleas blooming in the background. The natural beauty creates a certain peacefulness in Highland ideal for the creative mind.

Find Your Roots:
Lamberton Conservatory is a year-round greenhouse with plant displays, biome-specific rooms, exotic plants, a lily pond and frequently updated exhibits to observe. Visit the Civic Garden Center in Warner Castle for classes and tours or walk the vast park to any one of the infamous gardens such as; the Iris Friendship Garden, lilac garden, magnolia garden, and pansy beds. Brush up on your plant knowledge at the Horticulture Library.

Take a Memorial Tour:
Paying respect to humanity as a whole makes Highland Park stand out. Take a tour of the memorial sites, visiting the Vietnam Memorial Site, where regional soldiers are commemorated and appreciated for service in the armed forces. Stroll to the Victims Rights Memorial to pay respect to victims who have suffered a violent crime within the area, and continue onward to the AIDS Memorial in consideration of those whose lives have been affected by this disease. Support the community, find a peaceful place to contemplate, or honor a friend or relative with a tour of the memorial sites.

Sports:
Highland Park lends itself to exercise with trails adequate for leisurely strolls, active running, or cross-country skiing. In addition, the park offers a softball field, along with an ice skating rink at Lily Pond, for the community to enjoy seasonally.

Enjoy Seasonal Events:
Highland Park is renown for the internationally recognized Lilac Festival, held annually in May. This popular event celebrates the blooming of lilacs with; food, drink, culture, and music. Additionally, the naturally-sculpted Highland Park Bowl Amphitheatre provides family entertainment in the park on a weekly basis throughout the summer by hosting outdoor movie showings and musical events.

Highland Park brightens the Rochester community with beautiful, historically-rich surroundings, horticultural education, and awareness.

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