ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Fall is traditionally one of the most popular times of the year for people to come from all across the country to visit New York State, and it’s not just the fall color that will eventually attract so many people to the Rochester area over the next few months.

With so much to do this time of year, CEO of Visit Rochester Don Jeffries tells me that the word is only continuing to spread. 

“Agritourism is huge in Monroe county in the fall especially. You have Wickham Farms, you have Stokoe Farms, Long Acre Farms; family things to do in the fall. It’s absolutely fantastic,” says Jeffries. 

From Fringe Fest to Oktoberfest, and plentiful museums and science centers, all of these fun things to do have a huge impact on the area’s economy.  

“Tourism is a billion-dollar economic impact in Monroe County, responsible for 20,000 jobs, and so the fall really kicks it in as far as the numbers go of people visiting,” says Jeffries.

You can count on travelers coming from far and wide, from the Finger Lakes to Lake Ontario just to see the fall colors that will soon appear on all the trees. 

“We call them the leaf peepers. They come here to see the beautiful colors. And it’s fun because there’s so much to do in the wintertime but the fall is so pretty, and the weather is always really really good so that’s when people really like to come,” says Jeffries.

The annual weekly Fall foliage reports from I LOVE NY begin next Wednesday, along with our weather team’s maps that will soon start to roll out as we get tips on fall color across the region, all in anticipation for this popular time of year.