Did you know that, back in 1963, a group of RIT students bought a rescued Bengal tiger and declared him the school mascot? SpiRIT, as the tiger was called, hung out around campus and came to sports events under the care of students trained by the Seneca Zoo, until he died a year later from health complications. SpiRIT’s pelt can be found in the schools’ library archives.
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If you are looking for fun things to do in Rochester, you might not be able to find a free roaming tiger. There are, however, many other options available for animal lovers. Here are three places in Rochester worth checking out.
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1. The Seneca Park Rochester Zoo
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Rochester’s own zoo is small but diverse and well organized, with educated staff taking care of the hundreds of animals in their constantly changing collection. The elephants, baboons, lions, tigers and otters are some of the fan favorites at this park. The Seneca Zoo has been praised for its modern exhibition styles, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with animals. The lion’s enclosure, for example, has a glass partition that lions often come up to in order to stare back at visitors. For adults, there are summer and winter “Zoo Brews” in the evening where participants can enjoy both beer and animal watching at the same time. If you’re looking for Rochester coupons, there are eight days every year where adults can bring a child to the zoo for free.
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2. Wild Wings
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Wild Wings, a not-for-profit educational programming organization located in Mendon Ponds Park, cares for 26 permanently injured and non-releasable birds of prey. Their present inhabitants include a bald eagle, barn owl, turkey vulture, peregrine falcon, great horned owl, and the one exception to being a bird of prey, the bobcat. Wild Wings is open to visitors, free, every Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 2pm. For those who can’t make these hours, Wild Wings can also come to a child’s birthday, or you can hire them for live bird of prey demonstrations. It’s on the list of fun things to do in Rochester, and you’ll be helping out with conservation efforts.
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3. Mini Ark Farm
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Why come to the zoo, when the zoo can come to you? Mini Ark Farm, an 11 acre farm in Wayne county, has a large and diverse collection of 200 animals that can be brought to your event. Their mission is to “connect children of all ages to the world of nature,” though adults often partake as well! The farm currently has many exotic and unique animals including a peacock, squirrel monkey, ball python, opossum, alligator, alpaca, and several wolves. The group can create educational and exciting programs based on what you want to learn about. Explore the rainforest, or have petting zoo fun with barnyard animals.
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What fun things to do in Rochester would you recommend for animal lovers?