About 5,000 people live in the 900-acre Fairport village, a historic neighborhood along the Erie Canal in the Town of Perinton in Monroe County, New York.
The Canal is the village’s central point for development, giving it the name “the Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal.”
The town is home to residential areas with beautiful tree-lined streets, several craft breweries, food and beverage manufacturing, other commercial and industrial establishments, and many more.
Its name originated from the canal travelers who called it a “pretty fair port.”
Then, it evolved and became “Fairport” in the late 1820s, only formally used in 1867.
In 2005, Money Magazine named Fairport 62nd among the best places to live in the country.
Then, in 2008, Relocate America named Fairport one of the Top 100 Places to Live.
Come and visit Fairport!
Who knows, you might fall in love with this beautiful town and decide to live here too in the future!
Read on to find out the best things to do in Fairport, New York!
Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Try paddling and peddling with Erie Canal Boat Company and build stronger family, friends, or team relationships.
The Erie Canal’s tranquil waters are safe for beginners yet still enjoyable for experts!
Erie Canal Boat Company offers recreational water activities such as standup paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes specifically designed for visitors with little or no paddling experience.
Bill Blevins from Fairport, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They also offer bicycle activities for persons with physical limitations, MonoMano Adaptive Trike and Hand-Cycle Adaptive Trike, Avenue Tadpole Adaptive Trike, and Side X Side Trike.
Besides these waterway activities, the company also offers hiking and biking trails.
Fairport Historical Museum, under the Perinton Historical Society, is another point of interest near the Erie Canal in Fairport.
It sits along Perrin Street and across the public market.
In its lobby, you can see a giant mural depicting Erie Canal’s agriculture created in 1938 by an American painter named Carl W. Peters.
On the grounds around the museum, you can see labeled plants in its herb and perennial garden of historical plants, taken care of by the Green Brier Garden Club.
Nearby is a gift shop that sells souvenirs.
Its library features a thorough overview and images of the homes and other buildings in the towns and villages of Fairport and Perinton.
The museum’s collections also include tools for the home and workplace, local families’ genealogies, and early land records and transactions.
Check out local directories, companies, people, churches, organizations’ local records, cemetery records, local newspapers, and many more.
The Perinton Historical Society organizes monthly educational events to share and educate the public about local history.
The museum is open on selected days of the week, starting March until December.
See the new displays at Fairport Historical Museum!
Do you want to hold a family day?
Come to Fellows Road Park!
This place is a busy 33.5-acre park, which the locals like.
It offers park shelters and amenities such as beach volleyball courts, softball diamonds, tennis courts, and pickleball courts.
There is also a “fitness path” specifically designed for other outdoor activities that the whole family can enjoy, such as strolling, jogging, biking, etc.
Fellows Road Park is in the northeastern corner of Perinton.
Try visiting Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, and give a cat or dog a new forever home!
Since 1873, the non-profit organization has helped raise and find new lovely owners for around 10,000 animals annually, with the help of more than 800 volunteers.
The organization wants the best for the new fur parents to get their best match, so they encourage appointments to visit the shelter.
Besides pet adoptions, Lollypop Farm also offers a free self-guided tour, a gift shop, and an education lane that provides various programs such as educational lessons, pet care recommendations, and many more.
Raising more than 20,000 fish, the Fish Hatchery is a fan favorite at Powder Mills Park.
It offers a fun and unique family activity and provides an educational experience that visitors of all ages will enjoy.
The park allows visitors a rare chance to see numerous fish species at different phases of development.
Powder Mills Park offers a distinctive natural setting for various recreational activities, such as trout fishing, hiking, downhill skiing, and snowshoeing in the Winter.
Biking and hiking are also exciting activities here in this park.
The park offers seven different trails, each with its unique personality.
After a tiring day, you can also check in and rest in one of their on-site lodges and shelters.
Join Fairpoint’s messy tradition, the Purple Foot Festival!
Around June and September, the neighborhood comes out to Casa Larga Vineyard for the festival most well-known for its authentic grape stomping event.
It started as a way to celebrate and welcome their harvest season and showcase the Italian ancestry of the Colaruotolo family.
The fun festival offers family-friendly activities, from hayrack rides to wine tasting.
Everyone can enjoy this fun fair and participate in many events, including tours, a children’s craft area, karaoke, and a live band performance.
If you happen to visit Fairpoint during the festival season, don’t miss the chance to join the Purple Foot Festival!
Shop for local crafts or your favorite summer fruits and vegetables in Fairport Farmers’ Market during your stay in Fairport.
Patricia Knapp, a village trustee at the time, established the Fairport Farmer’s Market, which has earned the village’s support.
It has gained state recognition and respect, been featured internationally on a Food Network show segment, and described in the book The Artichoke Trail.
The community market has successfully grown and now hosts an average of 60 vendors per week after expanding.
Fairport Farmers’ Market seasonally opens starting from May throughout November.
Are you a morning person who loves to go on a walk?
If you are lodging around Fairport Village, check out Potter Park, a peaceful neighborhood park along Church Street.
Currently, the park’s main attraction is its community garden, established in the exact location of the prior WWII Victory Garden in 2011.
Though the park also features sports fields, such as soccer and tennis, not many people use them because of the direct effects on the nearby residential areas.
The good news is that Potter Park’s basketball and pickleball courts have opened after renovations.
You can also picnic here, bring your kids, and bond in their playground!
One compelling reason to visit Fairport is beer!
Triphammer Biewerks, the village’s second brewery, is a 7800-square-foot open, airy establishment inside an industrial building, previously a long-empty warehouse.
It features a 15-barrel brew house offering both German and Belgian Brews!
While you’re at Triphammer Bierwerks, don’t forget to try their golden-orange Indian Pale Ale Signature beer, the TH IPA!
Monroe County is home to New York State’s first farm brewery, Fairport Brewing Company.
This microbrewery is in Fairport Village.
It has a pleasant look and feel, which makes it homey rather than a traditional brewery.
The shop brews approximately 30 beer styles each year, some of which have won the World Beer Championships.
The brewery’s tap area offers various handcrafted small-batch beers and the cozy ambiance of a converted garage.
You can even enjoy the brew at night while looking at the stars on the bar’s outdoor patio.
Bring your friends, and chill here at Fairport Brewing Company!
The bowling, dining, and nightlife experience at AMF Fairview Lanes features entertaining nostalgia, sure to impress all visitors.
In 2013, Bowlmor bought AMF Bowling Centers and rescued it from bankruptcy.
The sale increased the number of facilities in Bowlmor’s portfolio to many more locations across the US.
The complex features 24 bowling lanes, an arcade, billiard pools, and a sports bar.
They also serve drinks and food with its broad selection menu while you play.
AMF also offers a venue to host corporate or group parties and events
Bond with your family, and bring out your inner child in you because AMF Fairview Lanes is terrific for family-friendly fun!
Great Embankment Park’s entrance is on Marsh Road in Pittsford, New York, nine minutes from Fairport.
On your visit, you can follow the park road up the hill to a parking lot next to the Erie Canal.
The park is a serene and quiet place to stroll around and chill.
Here, you can relax and go for a quiet picnic, a nice walk, or biking.
It’s also an ideal place to bring your dog for a walk!
In the kids’ playground, aside from the usual swings and slides, you can see a unique “animal tracker” station with buttons that recreate animal sounds when pressed.
The park is a good spot for spending the day alone or with a friend.
Likewise, it is famous for playing softball, soccer, and baseball.
Great Embankment Park has a tree sculpture called the ‘kindness tree’ in the southeast corner of the park along the Canal Trail.
This sculpture serves as a spot to place rocks with empowering and encouraging messages that people can take.
The Historic Valentown Museum was a four-story shopping center known as Valentown Hall.
Levi Valentine built the center in 1879.
In 1940, Sheldon Fisher bought the site, repaired it, and formally inaugurated Valentown as a museum.
The historic structure is a remarkable example of 19th-century architecture.
It’s incredible how it has remained almost unchanged since its construction.
Some rooms’ interiors are still intact.
Many halls remain as they were first constructed, such as the general store, cobbler’s shop, bakery, and many more.
It houses artifacts from local 19th-century life in New York, Fishers, Rochester, and Victor.
In 1999, the National Register of Historic Places added the museum to its record.
Today, the Victor Historical Society owns and manages the property, now the Historic Valentown Museum.
Historic Valentown Museum is exciting to visit, featuring countless fascinating artifacts and heirlooms.
You can find it in Victor, New York, ten minutes from Fairport.
MaryFrances Bluebird Haven is a 39-acre rehabilitation and preservation of the state birds of New York, accessible through Victor Egypt Road.
The property features a one-mile looping trail that passes through open fields and forests.
You can start seeing the bluebirds through this trail and observe them in their natural habitat.
The trail is generally easy; you can complete it within 20 minutes.
The park can also accommodate gatherings, business events, and parties.
MaryFrances Bluebird Haven welcomes visitors all year round.
You can find it in Victor, New York, 11 minutes from Fairport.
Visit a 180-acre farm with exceptional landscapes and lovely gardens containing over 75 alpacas!
Lazy Acre Alpacas is one of the largest alpaca farms in Western New York.
The farm offers private or group walking tours around their alpaca farm and shares some cool trivia about raising alpacas, different breeds, and the kinds of fleece they produce.
They also educate the visitors on how they process the fleece to become yarn.
You can also take spindle classes if you want.
As a bonus, they also offer yoga classes. Sounds fun!
See the alpacas or learn yoga at Lazy Acre Alpacas in Bloomfield, New York, 27 minutes from Fairport!
Nature, beer, and rich local history are just some exciting things awaiting you at Fairport, New York!
Fairport will never disappoint, whether you like chilling at a bar with friends, joining a fun festival, joining an educational tour of the village’s heritage, or taking a simple stroll along the Erie Canal.
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