Places to Visit
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Albright-Knox Art Gallery:
1285 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222-1096
(716) 882-8700
albrightknox.org
Admission: $12.00 for adults
Hours: Thursday- Sunday 10:00 am- 5:00pm with extended hours on Fridays
Parking: $5.00 for visitors
The gallery is operated by the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, one of the oldest public arts institutions in the United States. It focuses on contemporary works and has an excellent collection of post-war American and European modern art. Permanent collection includes works by Pollock, Warhol, van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, and others. "The Albright-Knox Art Gallery should be on everyone's list to see, for it's an overwhelming art experience. Small, intimate, and seductive, the museum has one of the most thumping modern and contemporary collections in the world." -Thomas Hoving, art historian and former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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Ansley Wilcox Mansion/ Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
641 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY
(716) 884-0095
http://www.nps.gov/thri/siteindex.htm
Admission: $10.00 per adult
Hours: tours begin at 9:30 am on weekdays and 12:30 pm on weekends
On September 6th, 1901, President Roosevelt took the oath of office in the library of the Ansley Wilcox Mansion after President McKinley was shot at The Pan-American Exposition. Museum visits are by guided tour only.
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Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
2655 South Park Ave
Buffalo, NY 14218
(716) 827-1584
Admission: $6.00 for adults
Hours: 10:00am-5:00pm everyday
Parking: along Ring Road
The Gardens are one of only two remaining Lord & Burnham conservatories in existence; they serve as a gateway into Frederick Law Olmsted’s South Park. They are designed to offer a collection of exotic plants from around the world. The plants are arranged in a classic Victorian style and similar plants from throughout the world are grouped together. Depending on the season, you can visit The Palm Dome, Florida Everglades, Panama Cloud Forest & Epiphyte Pavilion, Victorian Ivy & Herb House, Orchid House, Tropical House, Rose Garden, and many other exhibits. The Gardens also offer adult classes and host many events such as the Mum Festival throughout the year.
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Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Pan-Am Building:
25 Nottingham Court
Buffalo, NY 14216
(716) 873-9644, ext. 301
Admission: $6.00 for adults
Hours: Closed Mondays. Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday - 12:00 Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Parking: Free parking adjacent to the museum, handicapped accessible
The Pan-Am Building houses the largest collection of Pan-American Exposition artifacts. The exposition commemorates the 1901 event that trumpeted the industrial and commercial excellence of the Americas at the turn of the century. You can also visit the Research Library by appointment, which maintains manuscripts, photographs and rare book collections.
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Buffalo Museum of Science:
1020 Humboldt Parkway
Buffalo NY, 14211
(716) 896-5200
Admission: $7.00 for adults
Hours: Wednesday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm, Sunday: 12 noon - 5pm
Parking: Free to museum guests
The museum houses collections including Dinosaurs & Co., Whem Ankh (the cycle of life in ancient Egypt), Our Place in Space, Gems and Minerals, Western New York Woodlands, Vertebrate Evolution, as well as many others. Various “Special Exhibits” are also available for limited view. Sometimes it can feel a little too kid-friendly, but it’s still entertaining if you go with friends, and when they have science exhibits, it’s a nice review! The Tiff Nature Preserve is affiliated with the museum; it is a 264 acre nature refuge. General admission to walk the trails and enjoy the sites is free; the preserve features five miles of nature trails, three boardwalks, fishing, seasonal snowshoe rentals, and cross-country skiing. Guided walks are available on Thursdays from 10:00am- 12:00pm for a $2.00 donation. The Tiff visitor center can be reached at: (716) 825-6397.
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Buffalo Zoo:
300 Parkside Ave
Buffalo, NY 14214-1999
(716) 837-3900
Admission: $9.50 for adults
Hours: September 1- June 30 10:00am- 4:00pm
July 1- August 31 10:00am- 5:00pm
Parking: $3.25 per car for the Zoo parking lot, you can also find metered parking in Delaware Park
Located in Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo exhibits a diverse collection of wild and exotic animals. M& T Rainforest Falls is the newest addition to the zoo and replicates the unique geology and ecology of Venezuela; here you can see ocelots, capybara, dwarf caiman and dozens of free-flight birds. Each day there is a sea lion demonstration, giraffe feeding, elephant show and animal keeper talks.
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Burchfield-Penney Art Center:
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
(716) 878-6011
http://www.yournewburchfieldpenney.com/
Admission: $7.00 for adults
Hours: Closed Monday, variable hours throughout the week
Parking: free on weekends, fees in effect Monday- Friday
The Burchfield- Penney Art Center is a museum dedicated to the art and vision of Charles E. Burchfield and other distinguished artists of Buffalo, Niagara and Western New York. It is housed at Buffalo State College. The museum also presents concerts, literary readings, lectures, workshops, and special events. The permanent collection includes 7,500 works by more than 600 artists, and spans the late 19th century through today. It features the world’s largest collection of works by watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield.
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Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House Complex:
125 Jewett Pkwy
Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 856-3858 (for reservations)
http://www.darwinmartinhouse.org/
Tickets: basic tours- $15.00 for adults, in-depth tours- $30.00 for adults
The Darwin D. Martin House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest “Prairie House”. It was built between 1903 and 1905, and includes a carriage house, pergola, conservatory, stables, gardens, and main Martin House. Tours are docent-led and are run throughout the year. Reservations should be made in advance. There is a one-hour basic tour and a two-hour in depth tour, as well as special tour packages such as “Appetizers and Architecture” and “The Wright Launch Package”. Details can be found on their website.
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Erie Basin Marina:
329 Erie Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
851-6501 (April 1 - Nov 1)
http://www.eriebasinmarina.org/
Admission: Free
Parking: Free
This is a great place for walking and rollerblading while gazing at beautiful Lake Erie. The observation tower gives a great view of the city skyline. Open mid-May thru mid-October. After a short stroll you can grab a hotdog or hamburger at The Hatch and top it off with ice cream. The marina is also home to “Buffalo Rocks the Harbor.” While you’re here, walk down and visit the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. You can tour the USS Little Rock, USS Croaker and USS The Sullivans. The Military Park is open from April through November and costs $9.00 per person.
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Forest Lawn Cemetery:
1411 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14209
(716) 885-1600
Tours: walking- $15.00 per person, coach- $25.00 per person
Forest Lawn was founded in 1849 and is the resting place of more than 155,000 residents. It is one of America’s premier historic cemeteries, and is the burial site of President Millard Fillmore, Seneca Indian Chief Red Jacket, forty-seven Buffalo Mayors, and many other great citizens who helped to shape Western New York for the past century and a half. It was voted the best place to run in Buffalo by Runners World Magazine. Self-guided tour and maps are available, and walking tours or coach tours are given on different subjects throughout the year. See their website for more information.
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Kleinhans Music Hall:
370 Pennsylvania Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 885- 0331
http://www.bpo.org/html/kleinhans.html
Home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra since 1940, Kleinhans was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and is slated to be a major venue for the National Historic Trust’s Conference in 2011. It has an international reputation as one of the acoustically finest concert halls in the world. The concert season brochure can be found on the website. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has toured widely across the United States and Canada and currently presents over 100 classic, pop, and youth concerts each year in Western New York.
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New York Central Rail Station:
495 Paderewski Drive
Buffalo, NY
(716) 852-3300 (for reservations)
http://buffalocentralterminal.org/
Tickets- $10.00 – reservations must be made in advance through Buffalo Tours
The Buffalo Central Terminal opened to the public on June 22, 1929. Built by the New York Central Railroad and designed by architects Alfred T. Fellheimer & Steward Wagner, the art deco style station was built to accommodate up to 3200 passengers per hour, or 200 trains per day. The last train left the terminal on October 28, 1979. Between 1979 and 1997, the building changed hands many times and fell into disrepair. In 1997 the CTRC acquired the building and began the process of slowly restoring it to its original glory. Currently, you can tour the exterior and main hall of the building through Buffalo Tours. Tours run approximately once a month and are 2 to 2 ½ hours in length.
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The Riverwalk:
http://www.erie.gov/parks/riverwalk.asp
The development of several parks along the Riverfront has provided the basis for Erie County's effort to link existing recreation areas and the bicyclist/pedestrian trails an additional 7.2 miles from Riverside Park to the Barge Canal in the City of Tonawanda. The Riverwalk link now provides public access from northern Erie County to downtown Buffalo. In addition, there is a Canadian artery that intersects from the Peace Bridge over to the Canadian Niagara River Trail. The trail is home to activities such as fishing, rollerblading, walking, jogging and bird watching.
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The Theatre District:
http://culturalniagara.com/theatredistrictmain.html
Downtown Buffalo plays host to one of the largest concentrations of performing arts centers in the United States. The Theater District is home to The Studio Arena Theater, Sheas Performing Arts Center, The Irish Classical Theater Company, The Alleyway Theatre, Forbes Theatre, Road Less Traveled Productions, Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre and others. With choices ranging from new and innovative productions to classic comedies, dramas, musicals and American classics, the Buffalo Theatre District has something for everyone.
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Williamsville Water Mill Complex:
56 E. Spring St
Williamsville, NY 14221
http://village.williamsville.ny.us/waterMills.html
The Williamsville Water Mill Complex is home to a powered grist mill that dates back to 1811. The historic mill sits in the heart of Williamsville and is also the site of the farmers market every Saturday from spring to early fall. You can visit the museum and gift shop while you are there.
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Whirlpool State Park:
Off Robert Moses State Parkway, 2 miles northwest of Niagara Falls
(716) 284-4691
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=29
Whirlpool State Park offers trails for those who just want to take a walk and see the sites on the upper level. For the more adventurous, it also offers a 300 foot trail of steps that descends into the gorge to access the nature trails at water level. The park offers biking, fishing, nature trails, playgrounds and picnic areas. Dogs are allowed as long as they are leashed.