Eastman Museum

The Eastman Museum (and more Rochester, NY fun)

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I’m back with the rest of our trip to Rochester! We had a tasty dinner at the Genesee Brewhouse, which is quite the local institution, it seems. No beer for this preggo, of course (and I don’t really like beer anyway), but I found another way to indulge in the unique local culture of Rochester: The Genny Plate, Genesee’s version of the “garbage plate.” I had never heard of this—apparently it’s a Rochester thing. It was pretty tasty. (You can read about its history here.)

garbage plate at Genesee Brewhouse in Rochester, NY

Even better than dinner: the view outside!

dam waterfall at sunset in Rochester, NY

Rochester was a beautiful place to explore. I adore all these historic homes!

beautiful historic homes in downtown Rochester, New York

We even got to tour one! Lindsay House happens to be where my brother has been working this year as a fellow—it’s definitely no ordinary doctors’ office, that’s for sure!

Lindsay House historic home in Rochester, NY

But on to the second big highlight of our trip: our visit to the Eastman Museum! George Eastman was the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film and the founder of the company that is now known as Kodak. A beautiful place and I get to nerd out about photography!? Sign me up!

exterior of George Eastman mansion and Kodak museum in Rochester, NY

I was fascinated by all the old cameras and chemicals for developing film. It’s so crazy to see how far we’ve come!

historical camera exhibit at Eastman museum in Rochester, NY

Touring the mansion was just as fun! And I was delighted to learn that, unlike on some historic home tours I’ve experienced, photography was not only allowed, but encouraged! (That does seem only right given the context!)

Palm House and Colonnade at George Eastman mansion and museum

We got to see this lovely dining room…

dining room at George Eastman mansion and museum

…the fabulously colorful library…

library at George Eastman mansion and Kodak museum

…and this impressive room called the Conservatory. Clearly I could not decide which angle I liked best. It’s not every day that you see an elephant head on the wall!

Conservatory at George Eastman mansion and Kodak museum in Rochester, New York

Upstairs, we took a peek at the sitting room, and the bedroom that belonged to Mr. Eastman’s mother.

restored bedroom suite of Maria Kilbourn Eastman

Afton did pretty well being patient with all this adult stuff, but she was very happy to find out about the Discovery Room for kids! There were all kinds of hands-on activities related to different ways of viewing and creating images. It was fun to watch her interact with each one!

Discovery Room hands-on activities for kids at Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit! If you’re in Rochester, The Eastman Museum (like The Strong) is definitely something you can’t miss!

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travel blog post about visiting The Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York

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