Inner ring · West Seneca · ~15 min from downtown
Schwabl's
Dinner · About 2 hours$$$$
Beef on weck carved to order since 1837. Classic, unhurried, and very Buffalo.
Dinner (2)
Short drive · Hamburg · ~18 min from downtown
Lucia's on the Lake
Dinner · An evening$$$$
Lakefront Italian with Lake Erie views. Time it for sunset.
Drinks (2)
Short drive · Hamburg · ~24 min from downtown
Hamburg Brewing
Drinks · About 2 hours$$$$
Big taproom and patio from the brewers of Cabin Fever stout, who now own Flying Bison.
Short drive · Orchard Park · ~23 min from downtown
Wayland Brewing
Drinks · About 2 hours$$$$
Brewery from the Grange Group with design-magazine interiors in Orchard Park.
Sweets & coffee (1)
Short drive · Hamburg · ~26 min from downtown
Antoinette's Sweets
Sweets & coffee · About 2 hours$$$$
Sponge candy and chocolates. Build a box to take home.
Shows & music (1)
Short drive · Orchard Park · ~20 min from downtown
Bills game
Shows & music · Half a day$$$$
Tailgate, then watch the Bills. Dress in layers. Then more layers.
Arts & culture (2)
Inner ring · Lackawanna · ~12 min from downtown
Our Lady of Victory Basilica
Arts & culture · About 2 hoursFree
Jaw-dropping marble basilica across from the Botanical Gardens. Free to step in, quietly.
Short drive · Derby · ~30 min from downtown
Graycliff
Arts & culture · About 2 hours$$$$
Frank Lloyd Wright's summer house on the bluffs above Lake Erie.
Outdoors (5)
Inner ring · Blasdell · ~16 min from downtown
Woodlawn Beach State Park
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Sandy Lake Erie beach with the skyline to the north. Sunset here is unreal.
Short drive · Orchard Park · ~28 min from downtown
Chestnut Ridge Park
Outdoors · Half a dayFree
Legendary sledding hill with a skyline view, plus the trail to Eternal Flame Falls.
Short drive · Orchard Park · ~30 min from downtown
Eternal Flame Falls
Outdoors · About 2 hoursFree
A natural gas flame burning behind a waterfall. The trail is steep and muddy, so wear real shoes.
Short drive · Brant · ~37 min from downtown
Evangola State Park
Outdoors · Half a day$$$$
Crescent beach on Lake Erie below shale cliffs. Quieter than the city beaches.
Short drive · Hamburg · ~18 min from downtown
Penn Dixie Fossil Park
Outdoors · About 2 hours$$$$
Dig for 380-million-year-old trilobites, and look for their stargazing nights.
Seasonal (2)
Inner ring · West Seneca · ~17 min from downtown
Mayer Brothers Cider Mill
Seasonal · About 2 hours$$$$
Fresh cider and warm donuts. A five-minute fall tradition.
Short drive · Hamburg · ~25 min from downtown
Erie County Fair
Seasonal · Half a day$$$$
Every August: midway rides, fair food and grandstand concerts.
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 towns & neighborhoods
- Buffalo
- Elmwood Village & Delaware Park
- Allentown
- Downtown & Canalside
- Hertel & North Buffalo
- Old First Ward, Larkinville & South Buffalo
- West Side & Black Rock
- Amherst, Williamsville & Northtowns
- East Aurora
- Grand Island & the Tonawandas
- Niagara Falls & Lewiston
- Lockport & Niagara wine country
- Ellicottville & ski country
- Letchworth, Chautauqua & beyond
- Across the border