Winter and Summer
Winter in Buffalo
UB is the home of one of the largest ski clubs in the country, Schussmeisters Ski Club. If the winter is a
snowy one, you WILL get your money’s worth! For a little over $100, you can ski every night of the week (the venue changes depending on the night of the week) for the entire ski season. Just be sure to buy your pass early: prices go up for those who choose to procrastinate (but still a good deal for latecomers). Come second semester, when the ski season really kicks into gear, you will find yourself suddenly able to make time for a few nights of skiing. Joining the ski club is a great deal, and it gives you an incentive to go out and hit the slopes. If you just want to go a few times, some places have discount nights.
Don’t deny yourself the fun. Skiing will help keep you sane through the long winter. Holiday Valley is worth
skiing, with varied terrain for both beginners and weathered skiers and riders. For the more experienced skiers and riders, Holiday Valley has some nice black diamonds with challenging moguls. There’s also nicely groomed slopes for some fantastic carving, and even some glades if there’s enough snow to open them up. Holiday Valley also offers learn-to-ski packages. The mountain is about one hour south of Buffalo.
For sledding, Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park has a huge hill and a toboggan chute! There is a
lodge with a fireplace to warm cold toes, noses, and fingers. Bring your goofy hat and mittens, and have a
blast!
Summer in Buffalo
It won’t take much time being here to realize that Buffalonians do not take pleasant weather for granted. As a reward for surviving the bleak Buffalo winter, the summers here offer so many festivals, concerts, and parties that you won’t have time for that summer externship that you signed up for.
Everyone knows that Buffalo is famous for its weather and chicken wings, but most people don’t realize that underneath all of the snow and hot sauce is a very artsy community. In fact, Buffalo was ranked as the eighth most artsy city in the country. Every June, Buffalo hosts one of the nation’s largest commercial art fairs: the Allentown Arts Festival. Some impressive, yet pricey, works may be found. This is a great event to be at if you enjoy people-watching! Later on in the summer, the Elmwood Avenue Arts Festival is put on; it is a scaled-down version of the Allentown Festival with more local crafts and a great little “Taste of Elmwood” section set up where you can sample dishes from the restaurants that line the Elmwood strip.
An event called the Taste of Buffalo occurs in mid-July. Tons of local vendors set up along Delaware Avenue for this huge food fest. Want to try a new restaurant without spending a fortune? This is your chance to do so.
After Bill Murray’s Character in Osmosis Jones planned his dream artery-clogging getaway to Buffalo’s
fictional Chicken Wing Festival, Buffalo took the hint: in 2002 the First Annual Buffalo Wing Festival took place.
The festival draws vendors from all over the country. It’s held at the beginning of September downtown at Coca Cola Field.
Thursdays at Canalside, formerly Thursday in the Square, has become another summertime tradition. Every Thursday, the newly developed canalside is jam-packed with people for free concerts. Even if you’re not interested in the artists performing, you will certainly be entertained by people-watching. Be sure to head over to Chippewa afterwards, because the party keeps going strong all night.
Larkin Square downtown is home to food-truck Tuesdays in the summer. All of you doing research downtown (and those who aren’t) should check this out at least once. Countless food-trucks line the square to sell everything from gourmet grilled cheese to gelato and from poutine to fish tacos. There is also live music and room for blankets to make a picnic out of your foodtruck finds.
Summer is the time to head up to Niagara Falls to check out all of the touristy activities that massive
amounts of ice prohibit during the other six months of the year. There are the old standards, like The Maid of the Mist (that’s the boat that pulls up right underneath the Horseshoe Falls) and the Cave of the Winds, where you walk in a cool tunnel right up underneath the falls. At some point during your stay here in Buffalo, you must fork out the cash to take a ride on the Whirlpool Jet Boat. The jet boat hurls you up the Lower Niagara through the rapids all the way up to the Whirlpool, cleansing your sinuses with tricks such as “The Mind Eraser”. You can take the Jet Boat from the Riverside Inn in Lewiston, or you can head over to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario; just be sure to make a
reservation (http://www.whirlpooljet.com/). The boat costs about $52 per person from either location. It takes an extra twenty minutes to get to Niagara-on-the-Lake from Lewiston, but it’s worth it to experience the ride that the Canadians give. Wear your bathing suit, because you’ll get soaked!
If your summer isn’t complete without a trip to an amusement park, Darien Lake Theme Park is less than an hour away. You may even end up there if you don’t care for amusement park: many concerts that are too big for either Rochester or Buffalo pull both audiences together by hosting at Darien Lake. If you’re really determined, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland near Barrie, Ontario (about two hours away) has some really great roller coasters. Check out concerts coming to Southern Ontario: many of the big festivals will be at the nearby Molson Park in Barrie.
Most people don’t associate the words “Buffalo” and “beaches;” however, thanks to Lake Erie, Buffalo actually does have some decent beaches. At Angola on the Lake, you’ll find a beach with big bars like Mickey Rat’s. Angola also has Sunset Bay Beach Club: a five acre groomed beach. Check out http://www.sunsetbayusa.com/ for more info. If you want something a little more low-key, there’s Bennett Beach and Wendt Beach Park in Derby, Evangola State Park, and Woodlawn Beach in Blasdell. The state parks usually charge an entrance fee per vehicle. Across the border in Fort Erie, there’s Crescent Beach, Waverly Beach, and Sherkston Shores (a beach resort with waterslides and restaurants). It’s kind of pricey to get into Sherkston (as much as $25 per adult), but you can check it out online at http://www.sherkston.com, and decide for yourself if it’s worth it to fork out the extra cash.