Rochester in the Running to Be Named Best Place to Visit this Fall

Community Support for Reader’s Choice Award Can Help Rochester Take the Top Spot

Rochester, N.Y. - Rochester, N.Y. has been selected as a finalist in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for "Best Places to Visit This Fall," positioning Rochester among the nation's premier autumn destinations. The recognition highlights Rochester’s fall appeal and unique seasonal activities, including apple picking, seasonal celebrations, outdoor recreation and leaf peeping. Hiking and biking trails including the Genesee Riverway Trail and Erie Canalway Trail are also recognized in the nomination.

"Being named a finalist in the USA Today 10Best awards is an incredible honor that showcases Rochester's appeal as a destination during one of our most beautiful seasons," said Don Jeffries, President & CEO, Visit Rochester. "From stunning fall colors, seasonal events and festivals, to exploring local farms, and visiting our award-winning attractions and restaurants, autumn is an outstanding time of year to visit the Flower City.”

The USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards are determined by a panel of travel experts who select nominees, followed by four weeks of online voting by the public. Voting will end on Monday, September 8th at 11:59am EDT. Winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

CALL TO ACTION: VOTE FOR ROCHESTER FOR BEST PLACE TO VISIT THIS FALL

USA Today 10Best awards are a readers’ choice format, so in order to be named the Best Place to Visit this Fall, Rochester needs your vote. Vote online once per day here, now through September 8, 2025. 

National awards and recognition, such as this honor from 10Best, can directly correlate to an increase in interest and visitation for a destination. An increase in visitation leads to enhanced visitor spending and economic impact for the tourism and hospitality industry. Currently the economic impact of the tourism and hospitality industry in Monroe County is nearly $1.5 billion (Source: Tourism Economics) and is responsible for more than 18,000 jobs.

VOTE ONCE PER DAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 17: https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/rochester-new-york/

About Visit Rochester 

Visit Rochester is the official tourism promotion agency for Greater Rochester and Monroe County. Visit Rochester is a membership organization with over 450 members representing, lodging, retail, restaurants, services, and community organizations. Working together with our members and partners, our mission is to sell and market Greater Rochester as a preferred destination in order to grow and maximize visitor spending and to enhance the economy. For more information, www.visitrochester.com.  

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