Buffalo & Beyond

Just a day trip away, Buffalo beckons with big-city amenities: world-class architecture, a booming arts scene and great local fare.

Buffalo is making a comeback. The Queen City is trending as a great American success story, where a revitalized downtown, burgeoning neighborhoods and a booming Millennial population are injecting this corner of New York’s rust belt with all-new sparkle. Just a half hour from Niagara Falls USA, Buffalo offers culture, cuisine and a unique fun-on-tap atmosphere where big city vibes meet small-town familiarity — everything you need for the perfect day trip.

Urban Exploration

As one of the nation’s original great cities, Buffalo offers visitors the ultimate microcosm of legendary American design. Love architecture? In Buffalo you’ll discover the country’s earliest skyscrapers, from the Beaux-Arts beauty of the Electric Tower to the Art Deco delights of City Hall. There’s also postcard-perfect neighborhoods and a bustling waterfront stitched together with gorgeous green spaces designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed both Central Park and our own Niagara Falls State Park.

  • Spend some time exploring the legacy Frank Lloyd Wright left behind in the Buffalo area at Martin House and Graycliff Estate.
  • Take in a show at Eero Saarinen’s Kleinhans Music Hall — or just stop by for a peek.

Outdoor Outings

With a natural setting on the shores of Lake Erie, Buffalo is a true urban playground where you can kayak, waterbike or paddleboard alongside a bustling downtown. Land-lovers can explore the city on two wheels - care of the citywide Reddy bikeshare. For something uniquely Buffalonian, zipline across the city’s iconic grain silos.

Head to Buffalo Riverworks on the banks of the Buffalo River for watersports, rock climbing and ziplining.

Wander the 11-acre Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, exploring its nine greenhouses and three glass domes.

Arts & Culture

Whether you’re in search of a Picasso masterpiece or a pop-up gallery, Buffalo offers the perfect canvas for creatives. The city’s arts-and-culture scene punches far above its weight-class with museums like Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park and world-class arthouses like the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Buffalo also boasts a thriving theatre scene, its own ballet company and an award-winning philharmonic, too.

Food For Thought

Bring your appetite! From food trucks to food festivals, Buffalonians are ready to share their love of food with you, any chance they’ll get. Here you’ll find a city fusing local specialties like beef-on-weck and Buffalo deep-dish pizza with creative locavore bistros and fantastic global cuisine. Oh, and you’re in the ancestral home of the Buffalo Wing, too — so expect some of the best around.

If you like your snacks with a side of history, head to Anchor Bar or Duff’s, who’ve both been slinging wings since the 1960s.

For a taste of Buffalo’s ethnic diversity, plan an outing to the West Side Bazaar, a small-business food and retail incubator with international flavor.

LGBTQ Travel

Coupled with the “Rainbow City” of Niagara Falls USA, Buffalo makes the perfect LGBTQ getaway for couples, families and friends alike. The city boasts the liveliest gay scene in Western New York which mostly pulses around the neighborhoods of Elmwood Village and Allentown. You’ll find a host of gay-friendly cafés, galleries and creative spaces — and if you’re looking to party, iconic haunts like Club Marcella keep the disco-ball spinning until dawn.

Buffalo And Beyond

The fun doesn’t stop in Buffalo. In nearby Jamestown, get some laughs at the National Comedy Center, a museum of all things comedy in Lucille Ball’s hometown. Over in Corning, you’ll be wowed by the impressive collection at the Corning Museum of Glass — the building is a work of art itself. If the family’s in tow, be sure to check out Six Flags Darien Lake for thrilling rides and family-friendly entertainment.

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