In the city · Downtown · ~4 min from downtown
Patrick's Rooftop
Drinks · About 2 hours$$$$
The city's highest rooftop bar, atop 500 Pearl, with views of the lake and Canalside. Spring through fall.
Drinks (2)
Road trip · Burt · ~50 min from downtown
Schulze Vineyards & Winery
Drinks · About 2 hours$$$$
Niagara Wine Trail stop with tastings, cider and a patio.
Shows & music (3)
In the city · KeyBank Center · ~6 min from downtown
Sabres game
Shows & music · An evening$$$$
Hockey at KeyBank Center, then walk over to Canalside or the Cobblestone District.
Short drive · Orchard Park · ~20 min from downtown
Bills game
Shows & music · Half a day$$$$
Tailgate, then watch the Bills. Dress in layers. Then more layers.
Short drive · Lockport · ~32 min from downtown
Transit Drive-In
Shows & music · An evening$$$$
Double features on five screens from your own front seat. Open roughly April to November.
Activities (1)
In the city · Canalside · ~5 min from downtown
Buffalo Heritage Carousel
Activities · About 2 hours$$$$
A restored 1924 carousel built in North Tonawanda, now spinning at Canalside on solar power.
Arts & culture (8)
In the city · Downtown · ~3 min from downtown
Explore Buffalo tours
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
Architecture tours on foot, by bike and by kayak. Buffalo is an architecture town, and these prove it.
In the city · Canalside · ~5 min from downtown
Naval & Military Park
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
Climb through a destroyer, a cruiser and a submarine on the waterfront.
In the city · Old First Ward · ~9 min from downtown
Silo City
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
Rewilded grain-elevator campus with art, events and guided tours. Finish with drinks at duende.
Short drive · Lockport · ~36 min from downtown
Flight of Five Locks
Arts & culture · About 2 hoursFree
Watch boats lift through the historic canal locks. Free and oddly mesmerizing.
Short drive · Derby · ~30 min from downtown
Graycliff
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
Frank Lloyd Wright's summer house on the bluffs above Lake Erie.
Short drive · North Tonawanda · ~24 min from downtown
Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
Where America's carousels were built. Ride a vintage one together.
Short drive · East Aurora · ~33 min from downtown
Roycroft Campus
Arts & culture · About 2 hoursFree
Preserved Arts and Crafts movement campus with artisan shops and history around every corner.
Road trip · Youngstown · ~44 min from downtown
Old Fort Niagara
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
18th-century fort where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario. Stay for the lake view.
Outdoors (21)
In the city · Canalside · ~5 min from downtown
Buffalo Boat Tours
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Harbor and Niagara River cruises from Canalside. Look for sunset and concert sailings.
In the city · Outer Harbor · ~12 min from downtown
Buffalo Harbor State Park
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Marina boardwalk and lakefront lawns. Bring a blanket and takeout.
In the city · Waterfront · ~5 min from downtown
Canalside
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Waterfront boardwalks, free concerts and events, and the visitor center at the new Chandlery.
In the city · Waterfront · ~5 min from downtown
Erie Basin Marina
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Free observation tower, flower gardens and a front-row seat for the Lake Erie sunset.
In the city · Delaware Ave · ~13 min from downtown
Forest Lawn
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
A 269-acre garden cemetery full of sculpture and ponds. Look for Wright's Blue Sky Mausoleum.
In the city · Outer Harbor · ~8 min from downtown
Outer Harbor & Wilkeson Pointe
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Lakefront trails, beach chairs and one of the best sunset spots in the city.
In the city · Elmwood Village · ~13 min from downtown
Richardson Olmsted Campus
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Walk the grounds beneath H.H. Richardson's twin towers, one of Buffalo's most striking buildings.
Inner ring · Tonawanda · ~20 min from downtown
Ellicott Creek Park
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Island picnic spots and paths along the creek. Pack sandwiches.
Inner ring · Blasdell · ~16 min from downtown
Woodlawn Beach State Park
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Sandy Lake Erie beach with the skyline to the north. Sunset here is unreal.
Short drive · Grand Island · ~28 min from downtown
Buckhorn Island State Park
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Marsh boardwalks and birding at the island's quiet northern tip.
Short drive · Niagara Falls · ~28 min from downtown
Cave of the Winds
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Ponchos on. Wooden decks lead right to the base of Bridal Veil Falls.
Short drive · Orchard Park · ~30 min from downtown
Eternal Flame Falls
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
A natural gas flame burning behind a waterfall. The trail is steep and muddy, so wear real shoes.
Short drive · Brant · ~37 min from downtown
Evangola State Park
Outdoors · Half a day$$$$
Crescent beach on Lake Erie below shale cliffs. Quieter than the city beaches.
Short drive · North Tonawanda · ~25 min from downtown
Gratwick Riverside Park
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
Riverfront park with a long walking path and summer concerts.
Short drive · Lockport · ~36 min from downtown
Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Ride up and down through the canal locks on a two-hour cruise.
Short drive · Niagara Falls · ~28 min from downtown
Maid of the Mist
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
The classic boat ride into the roar and mist of the falls.
Short drive · Hamburg · ~18 min from downtown
Penn Dixie Fossil Park
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Dig for 380-million-year-old trilobites, and look for their stargazing nights.
Short drive · Niagara Falls · ~31 min from downtown
Whirlpool State Park
Outdoors · Half a dayFree
Stairs down into the Niagara Gorge. The rapids up close are wild.
Road trip · Ashford Hollow · ~58 min from downtown
Griffis Sculpture Park
Outdoors · Half a day$$$$
Giant metal sculptures scattered across 400-plus acres of woods and meadows.
Road trip · Olcott · ~51 min from downtown
Olcott Beach
Outdoors · Half a dayFree
Lake Ontario beach town with an antique carousel park and a lighthouse pier.
Road trip · Gowanda · ~49 min from downtown
Zoar Valley
Outdoors · Half a dayFree
Deep shale gorge hiking along Cattaraugus Creek. Serious trails, huge payoff.
Seasonal (5)
Inner ring · West Seneca · ~17 min from downtown
Mayer Brothers Cider Mill
Seasonal · About 2 hours$$$$
Fresh cider and warm donuts. A five-minute fall tradition.
Short drive · Clarence · ~28 min from downtown
Great Pumpkin Farm
Seasonal · Half a day$$$$
Fall festival with pumpkins, a corn maze and plenty of photo ops.
Short drive · North Tonawanda · ~22 min from downtown
North Tonawanda City Market
Seasonal · About 2 hoursFree
Saturday market with farm stands and ready-to-eat bites like vada pav.
Road trip · Gasport · ~43 min from downtown
Becker Farms & Vizcarra Vineyards
Seasonal · Half a day$$$$
Pick-your-own fruit, cider, wine and a brewery on a farm the same family has worked since 1894.
Road trip · Burt · ~49 min from downtown
Murphy Orchards
Seasonal · Half a day$$$$
Pick-your-own orchard on a farm with Underground Railroad history.
Getaways (2)
Road trip · Letchworth · ~74 min from downtown
Glen Iris Inn
Getaways · All day$$$$
Historic inn overlooking Middle Falls inside Letchworth. Dinner, then stay the night.
Road trip · Westfield · ~82 min from downtown
Lake Erie Wine Country
Getaways · All day$$$$
The Concord grape belt along Route 20, with tasting rooms every few miles. Pick a designated driver.
Make it a whole night
Stack dinner, something to do and dessert. The planner estimates drive time, timing and cost for two, and adds it all to your calendar.
More occasions
By town & neighborhood
- Buffalo
- Elmwood Village & Delaware Park
- Allentown
- Downtown & Canalside
- Hertel & North Buffalo
- Old First Ward, Larkinville & South Buffalo
- West Side & Black Rock
- Amherst, Williamsville & Northtowns
- Hamburg, Orchard Park & Southtowns
- East Aurora
- Grand Island & the Tonawandas
- Niagara Falls & Lewiston
- Lockport & Niagara wine country
- Ellicottville & ski country
- Letchworth, Chautauqua & beyond
- Across the border